Classic Poem

J. Edgar Hoover was a man
Who had a job to do.
He did it well; yes, even though
His critics were some few.


He started out against the odds
Four dozen years ago.
He volunteered, and persevered
To make 'the Bureau' go.


He fostered in his people
The ideal of dedication;
And we responded to the task
With 'Hoover emulation.'


In probing, good reporting, as
We sifted evidence,
We followed his example,
While we aimed for excellence.


At crime and communism,
Mr. Hoover took a stand.
We agents fought the fight with him,
And labeled him: 'the man.'


So, on this day of eulogies,
The Bureau's flag stays flying high,
To mark his finest tribute:
That he built the F.B.I.



(Written in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas,
Mexico, on May 4,1972, the day following
Director Hoover's death in Washington, D. C.)