When you write “Would a man with so many enemies put himself in a position to be blackmailed by waltzing around a hotel in drag?”, I have to question your judgement. How many people who feel politically powerful have we read about in the last few decades that have used little common sense under the intoxicating influence of that power by indulging in risky sexually activities?
I see no reason why having enemies would preclude Miss Hoover, if you will, from setting up a controlled experience in a secure hotel suite. If he hooked up with Cohn, it probably wouldn’t be at his own home. Susan Rosenstiel may well have been truthful. Her history of being less than truthful doesn’t mean that she lied constantly. I believe it is entirely plausible, if not most likely that such little parties occurred. Who lives in total social isolation? Only the most gullible and naive would not see romance between Hoover and Tolson.
I read a review once about a book titled as I remember it, “No Left Turns”, that was written by the (then retired) FBI agent that drove Hoover and Tolson from Washington to somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico for a vacation. Hoover or Tolson had previously been in an accident when making a left turn. It required every FBI office between the two locations uncountable man-hours plotting a course for their car that did NOT have any left turns in it! The reviewer thought the author’s description of their conversations and petty fights throughout the trips down and back were the most interesting and revealing parts of the book. I want to get my hands on it some day.
Thanks for your work. I’m looking forward to using this site regularly.
I read No Left Turns, http://www.amazon.com/No-Left-Turns-Joseph-Schott/dp/0345250133/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295987513&sr=1-1, years ago, and I thought it hilarious. The author was a special agent who in retirement became an English professor, which was the perfect combination. Unfortunately I don’t remember all the details in the book, but by the author’s admission he had virtually no personal contact with Hoover, but recounted accepted stories from within the bureau. If he got into the cross-dressing lore I don’t remember it, but I recommend the book.
I don’t know about the Mary episode, and I have my doubts about that particular episode. There were no other stories about Hoover cross dressing in public.
The fact is the FBI didn’t go after the mob. Maybe Hoover thought the real issue was the Communist Menace and it’s easier to take over practically solved cases from local police departments and claim another win for the FBI.
However, it wasn’t that the FBI merely underplayed the issue with organized crime, but actually denied its existence. They kept claiming that there was no such thing as The Mafia, and it was just a creation of Hollywood.
There are plenty of stories of Hoover betting on racing and his bookies forgiving Hoover’s gambling debts. The mob and Hoover both shared a common enemy: Communists, and Hoover’s friendly dealings with various known mobsters may have simply blinded him to how much the mob was involved in drugs, extortion, and murder. It wasn’t until after Hoover’s death that the FBI started turning its attention to organized crime.