When Paranoids Become Spies
By:
THEODORE MILLON and
Seth Grossman
Carrie Millon
Sarah Meagher
Rowena Ramnath
Although
paranoids are notorious for believing that they are being spied on, sometimes they
succeed in becoming spies themselves. Such was the case with J. Edgar Hoover,
part of a fascinating study on the paranoid personality completed by Hampton
and Burnham (1990).
As
noted by these authors, paranoids often have rigid, compulsive traits,
especially perfectionism and a sense of earnestness. Hoover was no exception. A
bright and hardworking student, he chose to walk six miles to attend the best
high school, took some of the toughest courses, and finished with the highest
honors. He turned down a scholarship to the University of Virginia, took a job
at the Library of Congress, and graduated from the night program at George
Washington University with a degree in law.
Hoover’s
career might have been unremarkable except for an unusual turn of events that
would determine the character of his life. After obtaining his law degree,
Hoover went to work for the Justice Department as a clerk.
At
the time, World War I had just begun, and German secret agents were at work in
the United States subverting attempts to export arms to the allied powers.
Moreover, the Russian Revolution was still fresh, and the specter of
revolutionary communism loomed over the world.
As
his career took off, Hoover was tapped again and again to rout the forces of
evil. Communists were rounded up and deported. Even the terrorism of the Ku
Klux Klan was held at bay, though Hoover had to disobey orders to do it.
In
1924, he became head of the FBI. Like any good paranoid, however, Hoover
accepted the position conditionally. He had to be able to draw up harsh rules,
be separated from outside political influence, and be allowed to grow the
agency according to his own high moral principles. Hoover demanded absolute
control. And he got it, establishing rigorous standards of efficiency and
merit, ridding the agency of corruption, and requiring the utmost secrecy
concerning all its activities.
Hoover’s
story is that of a paranoid who succeeded in harnessing his idealism and
dogmatic righteousness for the best purposes of the country. Continuing to
track communist agents, Hoover would eventually identify and expose a variety
of subversives.
Hoover
knew that the Manhattan Project discoveries were being reported to the
Russians. Hoover knew about the activities of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, Alger
Hiss, and many others in high positions of government, but again and again
Congress refused to act.
Not
surprisingly, only another paranoid, Senator Joe McCarthy, was eager to
investigate his claims.
When
Hoover died in his sleep in 1972 during the Nixon administration, his moral
dogmatism and natural suspicion had protected the country under 10 presidents.
See Hampton and Burnham (1990) for greater detail on Hoover’s interesting life.
References
Personality Disorders in Modern Life,
second edition, 2000, 2004 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Read Also
Paranoid Personality Disorder, Case vignette (1)
Paranoid Personality Disorder, Case vignette (2)
Paranoid Personality Disorder, Case vignette (3)
Paranoid PersonalityParanoid Personality Disorder, Case vignette (2)
Paranoid Personality Disorder, Case vignette (3)
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