Suspected Fagala J. Edgar Hoover Thought His Gaydar Was Tops
We already know that long-time FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover — himself rumored to be a fairy — spent government resources in the 1960s looking into the sexuality of Jack Valenti, then an aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson. The investigation turned up no evidence, and Valenti avoided the career-ending label of “fag.” Even fellow former aide and current TV host Bill Moyers was interested in Valenti’s sexuality, inquiring about a photographer friend of Valenti’s whom he spent nights with. But while false allegations of homo-doings abound, one thing now appears clear: Hoover thought he could spot a gay from a mile away. Maybe ’cause he was one?
Extracting from Johnson’s tapes, Slate‘s Jack Shafer surmises: “What we do know from the tapes was that Hoover thought he had flawless gaydar. [Historian Michael] Beschloss writes that Hoover believed, based on a report from liberal columnist Drew Pearson, that the Republicans were about to drop a ‘bombshell’ on a Johnson administration official on Oct. 31, a bit of intelligence that he had passed along to Johnson. On the morning of Oct. 31, Johnson telephoned Hoover for new gossip, and the conversation ambled toward a Navy employee. … Beschloss writes in a note that Johnson was having fun at Hoover’s expense: ‘LBJ knew full well the rumors that Hoover was a secret homosexual.’”
To the transcripts!
LBJ: … They raised the question of the way he combed his hair and the way he did something else, but they had no act of his. …
Hoover: It’s just … that his mannerisms … were suspicious.
LBJ: Yeah, he worked for me for four or five years, but he wasn’t even suspicious to me. I guess you are going to have to teach me something about this stuff. … I swear I can’t recognize them. I don’t know anything about them.
Hoover: It’s a thing that you can’t tell sometimes. Just like in the case of the poor fellow Jenkins. … There are some people who walk kind of funny. That you might kind of think a little bit off or maybe queer. But there was no indication of that in the Jenkins case.
…”rumored to be a fairy?” I thought it was all but proven he was.
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Christ… it’s not “Fagala.” it’s “Feygelah” or “Fay-gehl-ah” As in the Yiddish for “Little bird (Vogele or Vogelein in German).
Doesn’t any of you have a Jewish boyfriend, or Jewish lesbian friend you can ask? Sheesh.
And David — if you’re a Jewish homo… you’re a Schanda for the Feygelim, if you know what I mean.
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Jonathan : Hauslaib’s not from NYC, and any Jew not from NYC isn’t a real Jew, nor will ever be a real NYC Jew. (That goes for non-native Gentiles too). They are pretenders.
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No doubt, JJJ’s comment has something to do with something.
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@JJJJ – What are you even talking about? Wouldn’t the “real” Jews of our generation be from Israel?
There are significant populations of American Jews in Massachusetts (Brookline alone is about 40%), Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, DC metro area and California to name but a few.
Of course if you are talking about the religious ones, well they are just as insignificant as any other religious people.
http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/
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Sebbe : I highly doubt the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities of NYC are insignificant. They have an enormous influence on the politics of the city (as they had with the history and the building of NYC). I belong to neither group, but I give credit that their significance is far greater than any of the out-of-town gays (like the horrible Hauslaib) who stop here for a temporary visit.
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Well, everyone knows that the majority of the “real new yorkers” are themselves rather a parody. The strength of the city itself is those that constantly come in giving the city fresh blood, contributing to the city and either staying or moving on.
I myself grew up in Greenwich, CT just to give you some of my geographical prejudices.
I have had two Jewish boyfriends (only one from NYC the other from Europe) and they were two of the best boyfriends I’ve had. Neither one were practicing though.
IMO – all religious people are insignificant on a side note and their influence lessens each and everyday as time goes on.
As far as David, I don’t know his religious background and don’t particularly care for, but he seems like a good dude to me.
Maybe you are jealous of him and his boyfriend’s relationship.
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Ah yes. Godd ole Jedgar, as Lily Tomlin liked to call him on the Rowan and Martin Laugh-In on TV years ago.
How could someone be so fugly and gay…at the same time?