Holly--
I first read about Nixon and Marianna Liu in Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover (author Anthony Summers). It was, I think, published in 1992. Summers says he isn't absolutely convinced that they did have an affair, but he went out with her in the course of several trips to Hong Kong, and, if I remember correctly, helped her when she wanted to move to the States. None of this is necessarily indicative of any "misbehavior" on Nixon's part, though J. Edgar knew about it and kept a file on her. Nixon would apparently have loved to fire him (and came close to doing so), but in the end decided it would be too dangerous.
Of course, if we citizens here in the States weren't so morbidly curious and condeming with regard to the sex practices of public people, J. Edgar would never have gained the control he seems to have had.
Yes. Or rather, perhaps not. Blackmailing the powerful for sexual misdeeds was one of his specialties, and he made Tripp and Ken Starr look like rank amateurs when it came to digging up information. I still find it odd that he had no qualms about doing so given the fact that his own homosexuality was well-known in political and press circles from the '30s on. This was hinted at by gossip columnists from time to time, but mainstream journalists left it alone.
I recommend the book: sensational, yes, but well-sourced, and a real page-turner.
Janice |
