J. Edgar

Let me tell you something.

The SCLC has direct Communist ties.

Even great men can be corrupted, can't they?

Communism is not a political party. It is a disease.

It corrupts the soul, turning even the gentlest of men...

...into vicious, evil tyrants.

What we are seeing is a pervasive contempt for law and order.

Crime rates are soaring.

There's widespread, open defiance of our authority...

...and, mark my words, if this goes unchecked...

...it will once again plunge our nation into the depths of anarchy.

It all starts out peacefully, doesn't it, Mr. Irwin?

You have to live with the fact...

...that you could've helped prevent the bombings and the violence.

I'm more interested in what this says about your FBI.

I have worked too long and hard to just sit back...

...and watch the bad guys capture the spotlight again, haven't I?

The funny thing about notoriety...

...especially the kind that needs adoration, fame for fame's sake...

...if unchecked, it inevitably leads to villainy.

I suggest you look at what this squabble is really about...

...before you destroy the reputation of the thing we both know you love most.

Sir, the writer's here from Crime Records...

...the PR Department.

Set him up with a typewriter in my outer office.

Miss Gandy, it's time this generation learn my side of the story.

Right away. - Thank you.

In 1919, Agent Smith...

...my first boss here at the Department of Justice...

...was Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer.

He was a Quaker.

He didn't believe in war, but he understood the necessity of strength and resolve.

Believe what you will from historians...

...most write from a present perspective, forgetting context.

Mitchell Palmer was a hero.

Are you all right? Unh.

Are you all right? Yes. I think. Yes.

It's all right. Come here.

- It's all right, it's all right. No, it's okay.

Are you okay? It's okay.

Are you okay?

You see, Palmer fought the radicals, just as I have.

And just as I have, he was targeted. He wasn't alone.

Across the country that night, eight bombs exploded, all at 11 p.m.

Two United States senators...

...four cabinet members, a Supreme Court justice...

...John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan...

...all of them targeted by Bolshevik Communists.

Yeah, it shook the whole thing.

It was clear to me the radical's bomb went off too soon...

...leaving only his blood in the street.

But the inspectors used buckets to clean up the mess instead of collecting it.

They discarded his gun instead of preserving its prints.

But you see, this wasn't clumsy police work.

In those times, it was normal procedure.

This may be the end of days for this country, Dwight.

It was 1919, before anyone respected criminal science...

...before federal powers, before the FBI.

It was that night my eyes were opened. That very night.

Is he a neighbor, sir?

No. He works in my office.

"There will have to be murder. We will kill because it is necessary.

We will destroy to rid the world of your tyrannical institutions."

You were at Attorney General Palmer's home that night?

Well, let's leave that to the reader's imagination.

You see, it's important we give our protagonist a bit of mystery.

I could allude to a young man who matches your description.

The best of both worlds.

Where did you get your law degree?

George Washington. I grew up here.

I had a mom to take care of, so I stayed close.

I received an English degree there also.

Then I don't need to tell you that what determines a man's legacy...

...is often what isn't seen.

What's critical at this moment is...

...that we re-clarify the difference between villain and hero.

How do you think that compares with today?

I'm not sure, sir. I'd like to hear more.

I could come back tomorrow.

Fine. But the pages stay here.

Of course, sir.

Agent Smith.

Thank you, sir.

Never a good idea to talk too loud.

Good morning, John.

Mr. Palmer has asked that you attend the emergency meeting today.

Miss Gladwell, please remember...

...it's Mr. Hoover.

Two o'clock.

Don't be too early this time. It's as rude as being tardy.

And who is this lovely addition to the secretarial pool?

Helen, introduce yourself.

Oh.

Pleased to meet you, Mr. Hoover. I'm Helen Gandy.

Pleased to meet you. Welcome to the Department of Justice.

You can notify Mr. Palmer that I will attend.

Of course.

He's always a charmer. I wouldn't take anything very seriously.

Jeremy, I need your help.

I need, uh-- Uh, help.

I need your help.

Good evening, Mother.

Edgar.

Madame Marcia held court this morning.

Her premonition: I should buy a dress.

She says your father will die soon.

And when he does, you will rise to be the most powerful man in the country.

Your brother's a good man, Edgar...

...but you will restore our family to greatness.

Edgar?

Edgar? Am I boring you?

I'm listening, Mother. You fired the maid.

I told her when she was through, she could quit.

I'm not paying for her impudence. The whole Negro race is in open revolt.

- I could open an investigation. - Gotten too comfortable.

Did you hear what I said? I said I could open an investigation.

Say what you mean.

Mr. Palmer called me into a meeting today. The war against the Bolsheviks has begun.

He's insisted that I lead a new anti-radical division.

Did you leap like a dog?

I told him this is the greatest threat our nation has ever faced...

...and I cannot take the job unless I feel certain I can be effective.

Well done. But you'll take it.

Three thousand a year, Mother.

I've got to get new clothes. You can't look like that anymore.

I have 40 names of suspected radicals already in only four hours.

I should have 10,000 by end of the month.

And I have my own staff, trusted agents.

Edgar, are you smoking?

- Doesn't come naturally, Mother. - Listen to the doctor.

With this new burden, your nerves could get the better of you.

You don't want to end up like your father.

Go and try one now. You can put your father in his room.

I have to get ready for dinner.

Are you abandoning me tonight?

It's with a typist. She's very organized.

Is it a date?

I think so. I think so.

I'm gonna show her my old card catalog system at the Library of Congress.

Romance her.

Wear a blue tie.

You look so handsome in your blue tie.

Look at the ceiling.

It's incredible.

I've never been here before.

[HOOVER SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY THEN HELEN CHUCKLES]

I helped organize it.

See, every item is assigned its own index card...

...with its own unique code...

...indicating the title, author, location, and topic.

What used to take days to locate now only takes a matter of minutes.

Go on. Give me an author or a topic. Anything.

Indiscretion.

What era?

Present day.

Good. Time me.

Hmm.

Heh.

Almost there, heh.

How do you know I didn't mean political indiscretion?

Well, if you'd like, I can start all over again.

This will do.

How long did I take?

One minute, 10 seconds.

Now imagine if every citizen in this country were uniquely identifiable...

...by their own card and number, say, the pattern on their fingers.

Imagine how quickly we could find them if they committed a crime.

It's all very impressive, John.

Well, would you like to stay here or would you like to go somewhere else?

It's up to you.

Mr. Hoover.

I'm not sure where you think this is headed.

Right, of course.

Miss Gandy.

I know we've only known each other a brief time...

...but you would make the finest of companions.

Your strength, your character, your education.

Are you poking fun at me?

No. No, no, no. No, no, of course not.

Then please, Mr. Hoover, stand up.

I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't share this...

...with any of the other women in the typing pool.

No, of course not.

All right. May I ask what-- What....

What particular flaw you seem to find in my character?

No. We just met.

Right, of course.

But I believe that I am a fast and accurate judge of character.

We've gone out three times, but I don't need more.

Most people do, but I don't. I see people right off for what they are.

And please, call me Edgar. It's what my mother uses.

- Edgar? - Yes?

Can you keep a secret?

Yes. Of course. You have my word.

I'm not interested in getting married. My work comes first.

Hmm.

Then perhaps you would consider a position as my personal secretary.

Yes.

Shall we?

The book.