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"Young man, I would not give the job to you under any other conditions.
That's all. Good day."
One of his earliest communications to his department, as he shook .out
its weak and corrupt members, might have been written by his Bible
reading uncle. Prohibition laws were being flaunted by many Government
employees, but Hoover warned:
"I am determined to summarily dismiss from this Bureau any employee
whom I find indulging in the use of intoxicants to any degree or extent
upon any occasion . . . and I believe that when a man becomes a part of
this Bureau he must so conduct himself, both officially and unofficially,
as to eliminate the slightest possibility of criticism of his conduct or his
actions..."
Hoover's strictness eventually brought him under criticism. When he .
appeared before a Congressional committee in 1936, a Senator pointedly
asked why the FBI director sent out men on dangerous assignments but
made no arrests himself. The implication was clear.
Hoover stalked back to his office and let it be known that Alvin Karpis,
then Public Enemy No. 1, would be his personal quarry. Coincidentally,
the killer and kidnaper sent word to the FBI that he intended to shoot
down Hoover on sight.
Karpis was located in New Orleans. Hoover and a picked squad flew
there immediately. They surrounded the hide-out and were planning to
move in when Karpis and a friend walked into the street Without hesi
tating, Hoover and another agent went after them. Karpis and his -pal
climbed into a parked car. A loaded rifle lay on the back seat. Hoover
took the left side of the gangster's car, the other agent the right. Karpis
spotted them and whirled toward the rifle. But- Hoover was faster. He
grabbed the killer and spun him toward him. Karpis' eyes widened in
fear, and his hands went up. Hoover's personal manhunt was over.
(Continued)
Hoover retains his early interest in youth affairs. Long a Sunday-school
teacher, he now helps promote such activities as boys' clubs and scouting.
Family Weekly. March 20. I960
7