Page 70 - All About History - Issue 08-14

J. Edgar Hoover’s relentless war on crime brought

him up against gangsters, communists and even

members of the US government

HOOVER’S

WAR ON

CRIME

Written by Chris Fenton

ullets were chambered into revolvers,
Tommy guns were primed and made
ready. It was a sweaty spring day in 1936
New Orleans and John Edgar Hoover was
Bpreparing to make the biggest arrest of
his career. The rest of the ‘G-men’ surrounding him
were wearing their professional suits and hats, as
director of the fledgling FBI Hoover had insisted his
agents dress impeccably wherever they went.
He entered the street where the arrest would
take place and waited with the rest of his agents
around an alley. They had spotted their target;
known gangster and miscreant Alvin ‘creepy’
Karpis looked smug and relaxed with his attractive,
red-haired girlfriend. Hoover was about to wipe the
smile off his face. One of his agents gave the signal
and in an instant 20 heavily armed government
officials had surrounded them. Hoover held back
behind the alley; it wasn’t safe yet. Then one of
his agents shouted the area had been secured and
Hoover quickly ran into the action. They called on
Karpis to surrender but Hoover forced the agents
to hold back so he could make the arrest. When he
asked for handcuffs none of his team had a pair, so
one of them dutifully gave up his tie and allowed
Hoover to take him in using that, making sure the
press were watching and taking photographs so he
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