Congressmen Want Hoover's Name Off FBI Building

CNS news ^ | August 02, 2002 | Jeff Johnson

[wallcrawlr]

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Its distinctive shape has often been referred to as a "concrete mushroom" by architectural observers in and around Washington, D.C. But if six members of Congress have their way, one thing the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation will not be referred to as, is the "J. Edgar Hoover Building."

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, earlier this week introduced legislation to permanently remove Hoover's name from the building.

"J. Edgar Hoover clearly abused his role as director of the FBI," Burton said upon introducing the bill. "Symbolism matters in the United States, and it is wrong to honor a man who frequently manipulated the law to achieve his personal goals."

The proposal (H.R. 5213) is co-sponsored by Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio), Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), William Delahunt (D-Mass.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), and John Tierney (D-Mass). It would re-designate the current "J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building" as simply the "Federal Bureau of Investigation Building."

Burton cited the FBI's use of informants in the case of Joseph Salvati, as just one example of what he called "blatant misconduct" by the bureau.

Salvati and other co-defendants were sentenced to either death or life in prison for a contract murder in Boston in 1968. Salvati served 30 years in prison, Burton said, despite the FBI's possession of substantial evidence that he was innocent. The government's witness was later found to have committed perjury during Salvati's trial.

Evidence also indicated that Hoover failed to pursue numerous murder investigations in order to develop and protect informants. As a result, Burton charged, Salvati and others were left in prison to die, despite clear evidence that they were not guilty.

"I am very dismayed with the FBI's handling of the Joe Salvati case, adding to my disappointment with Hoover," he added. "There is no reason we should honor a man who threw everything out the window, including the lives of innocent men, in order to get what he wanted."

Burton's investigative hearings examining the internal procedures in place while Hoover was FBI director uncovered "a long list of injustices," including the use of derogatory information to influence politicians, illegal or unconstitutional surveillance of U.S. citizens, attempts to disrupt the civil rights movement, and actions to benefit favored politicians.

"When you start thinking about putting innocent people in jail, or maybe even giving them the death penalty as they were thinking about doing with Mr. Salvati and others, it makes me cringe because that isn't what this country is about," Burton concluded. "Anybody who participated should be held accountable, including Mr. Hoover."

Only one other member of the 107th Congress has proposed removing Hoover's name from the FBI headquarters. In March of 2001, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) introduced H.R. 1278, a proposal to rename the building in honor of Frank F. Church.

A Democrat from Idaho, Church was an original co-sponsor of legislation during the Vietnam War to prevent American forces and advisers from becoming involved in Cambodia and to prevent direct air support of Cambodian forces. He died in 1984.

McKinney gained national attention in September 2001 when she was the only member of Congress to vote against authorizing President Bush to use military force against the al Qaeda terrorist network in Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

[AppyPappy]

But we have Martin Luther King plastered everywhere.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

I agree. I think it should be renamed the Janet Reno Justice Building. </sarcasm off

[mhking]

Oh, come on, when will this continual revisionist history stop!?

We can only name edifaces after 'Politically Correct' individuals?

OK, you wanna rename the Hoover building (which, as a name is just fine by me, dresses and all)? Then name it after Elliot Ness fer cryin' out loud! This whole charade is just a load of hooey!

[ArcLight]

High time. Hoover was a disgrace.

[wallcrawlr]

This is a PRO-MCKINNEY post.

[mhking]

"J. Edgar Hoover clearly abused his role as director of the FBI," Burton said upon introducing the bill. "Symbolism matters in the United States, and it is wrong to honor a man who frequently manipulated the law to achieve his personal goals."

That being the case, then Bill Clinton's name need not ever be proposed to be put on anything as benign even as a toxic waste dump.

Just damn!

[Wm Bach]

Quick! Everybody run around and chisel off the noses
on any statues of Aknetaten! Humans are so primative.

[sheik yerbouty]

Has Burton been smoking crack?

[Snuffington]

Quick! Everybody run around and chisel off the noses on any statues of Aknetaten! Humans are so primative.

Excellent obsevation.

[Paid4This]

Hoover did what he thought was right to protect this country from communists and groups that violated his sense of morality. However, he didn't play by the rules, and he authorized activities that most people see as unAmerican. I have always thought the building should be renamed. But you realize the likely person they would name it after is RFK?

[freeeee]

Well overdue.

The only thing Hoover is good for is a bad example.

[dead]

We should just call every building "Building" and be done with it.

[wallcrawlr]

Was Nixon wrong?

The building received its official name, the J. Edgar Hoover F.B.I. Building, through Public Law, 92-520, which President Richard Nixon signed May 4, 1972, two days after Director Hoover's death. President Gerald Ford dedicated the building September 30, 1975.

[ArcLight]

Throwing an innocent man in prison so a murderer can go free? Yeah, I'd call that unAmerican.

As for RFK, he was the AG who told Hoover to bug Dr. King. I'd hardly consider him an improvement.

[F16Fighter]

Was Burton lying awake at 2:00AM eating his Cap'n Crunch cereal with an achy hemorroid when this latest lightbulb went off?

This is exactly why Washington is a freaking joke...

[NC Conservative]

How come they have the time to do this baloney? Are there not more pressing issues. Say investigating how they are going to do without less of our hard earned money they rape from us.

[freeeee]

Was Nixon wrong?

About naming the building after Hoover, yes.

And about some other things too.

[Ides of March]

I vote for The Freeh Willy Justice Building.

That was its function during the previous administration --
to keep "William the Impeached" free.

(With allusion to Janet the Whale.
Enviro's would love it, too!)

Beware.

[Fred Mertz]

"There is no reason we should honor a man who threw everything out the window, including the lives of innocent men, in order to get what he wanted."

I'm with Burton too.

[TomB]

Burton is a nut.

He is drifting into Traficant territory.

[Irene Adler]

Like it or not, the FBI is almost entirely the creation of one man, J. Edgar Hoover. If the building is to be named after anyone, it should be after him.

[Paid4This]

Who was the innocent man? What is the incident you're talking about? Also - that was exactly my point about RFK - he authorized some of the worst abuses of the FBI under Hoover, and if you believe the stories, also ignored those organized crime factions that were connected to his monstrous father. I believe the stories.

[Dakmar]

Damn straight. They should rename it the Roy Cohn building.

[ArcLight]

The innocent man, Mr. Salvati, is mentioned in the original story. It's a very well-known case. He and Burton were on 60 Minutes a few weeks ago discussing it. This guy did 30 years, even as Hoover himself received memos discussing the fact that somebody else had done the deed.

[usastandsunited]

If that all they have to do ? Worry about who's name is on a building.

[dasein64]

I have relatives that worked at the FBI years ago. Their work ethic came from the bureau and J. Edgar Hoover's leadership and example. Bureau employees were considered the elite of government workers in DC. Standards for employment were very high and patriotism was a hallmark of the attitude of all associated with the FBI. Burton on the other hand has over the years proven himself to be a paper tiger in his ongoing investigations of whatever and whoever is the popular whipping boy of the moment. If buildings are to be renamed just go around DC and assign numbers instead of names. If the PC movement wants to dig on any persons background, there will be something found and or implied denigrating that person. Hoover's implied homosexuality has never been proven, only imputed and implied. Burton's reasons of course are not connected to that issue but to alleged criminal activity of the bureau but the method to discredit Hoover over the years was begun by homosexual activists who promote themselves as normal but Hoover as as not. A pox on Burton and the other self-important, headline grabbing, members of this anti-Hoover group.

[freeeee]

Like it or not, the FBI is almost entirely the creation of one man, J. Edgar Hoover. If the building is to be named after anyone, it should be after him.

Even the Soviets had the good sense to tear down statues of Stalin.

[gdani]

Standards for employment were very high and patriotism was a hallmark of the attitude of all associated with the FBI.

There was nothing "patriotic" about COINTELPRO

[andy_card]

If Republicans complain about Afro-Centrist wanting to take George Washington's name off of schools, they why do they support stupid measures like this?

Because George Washington never spied illegally on American citizens while wearing a dress.

As far as I know...

[Dakmar]

No, never ran across that one. May have to go googling.

[Ipberg]

Name it after Reagan. There will never be enough buildings, foutains, airports, mountains, libraries, etc to name after America's Greatest President.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Have to agree.

[NC_Libertarian]

Great, I support this. Get rid of his name.

[gdani]

OK - lets have a few more examples of names for government buildings, and see if they provoke a rise.

The James Traficant's Toupee Building.

[AmishDude]

Hoover was a dress wearing, power abusing, mob coddling poof.

Actually, I've always doubted this and this is the best article I could find on the subject. I'm surprised snopes didn't cover it. (I looked.) Here are why I suspect the story.

• Everything is circumstantial (the mob must have had "the goods" on Hoover that kept him from investigating the mob) or based on the testimony of one person with an "ax to grind".
• The woman who claims to have seen Hoover cross-dressing, claims that he didn't try to hide it too well from a certain circle of people -- surely someone else would have corroborated.
• "After the alleged incident at the Plaza, Hoover assigned agents to investigate Lansky, who supposedly had the goods on him."

As to "power abusing, mob coddling," I have no arguments there.

[meandog]

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, earlier this week introduced legislation to permanently remove Hoover's name from the building...The proposal (H.R. 5213) is co-sponsored by Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio), Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), William Delahunt (D-Mass.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), and John Tierney (D-Mass).

This group stinks! Hoover was a great man who began the FBI and got public enemies No.1 like Dillinger, "Baby-Face", and "Machine-Gun Kelly" ... not to mention bagging a number of high-profile commies! This group is analogous to the Soviets who tear down statures and rename cities each time their is a regime change.

[sinkspur]

McKinney gained national attention in September 2001 when she was the only member of Congress to vote against authorizing President Bush to use military force against the al Qaeda terrorist network in Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

This is such sloppy reporting.

Barbara Lee, from California, was the lone vote against authorizing military force, not Cynthia McKinney.

As to Burton's bill, it will go exactly nowhere, which is exactly where it should go.

Burton and Klayman are kindred spirits; neither can go very long without their names in the media.

[wallcrawlr]

See post #31

[Michael_S]

I have now problem with this proposal. Hoover was a totalitarian, meniacal control freak. He would have been a perfect liberal democrap.

[Salman]

OK, you wanna rename the Hoover building (which, as a name is just fine by me, dresses and all)?

The answer is clear. The five congresscritters are homophobes!

[NC_Libertarian]

Hoover was a great man

Yea, but you also think John McCain is a great man.

[andy_card]

All Dan Burton is doing is delving into the Republican version of Political Correctness.

I think there's a huge difference between removing George Washington's name and removing Hoover's name. Washington and Jefferson were great men, who were far from perfect, but great men nonetheless. Hoover was an evil man. I don't look for perfection in the political leaders of the past I choose to support, but I tend to prefer those whose net effect on the world was positive.

[skeeter]

If that all they have to do ? Worry about who's name is on a building.

Exactly. Symbolism over substance.