One of the reasons why J. Edgar Hoover was able to hang on to power at the FBI for 48 years, until his death at 77 in 1972, was a collection of files he kept in cabinets in his private office. Known as Hoover's "O.C. files" (for official and confidential), they were crammed with salacious tidbits about the private manners and morals of politicians and other public figures, ready to be used or not used at the director's discretion. Every President was reluctant to tangle with Hoover, much less try to oust him, because he had such a strong popular...
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