The author responds to recent charges that Hoover was a homosexual and was blackmailed by organized crime leaders to prevent effective investigation of their criminal activities. This book is based on the premise that these charges are spurious, and that in fact, Hoover did not hesitate to use sex-related information against his political enemies when such tactics could not be traced to FBI headquarters. The author also contends that the FBI was ineffective in prosecuting mob leaders because of Hoover's lack of accountability, his use of illegal investigative techniques, and his focus on political activities. Hoover's leadership of the FBI can best be understood in terms of his political priorities in context of the Cold War and his continual circumvention of the American constitutional system of checks and balances.