Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34Penguin, 2009 M04 29 - 624 pages In Public Enemies, bestselling author Bryan Burrough strips away the thick layer of myths put out by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI to tell the full story—for the first time—of the most spectacular crime wave in American history, the two-year battle between the young Hoover and the assortment of criminals who became national icons: John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and the Barkers. In an epic feat of storytelling and drawing on a remarkable amount of newly available material on all the major figures involved, Burrough reveals a web of interconnections within the vast American underworld and demonstrates how Hoover’s G-men overcame their early fumbles to secure the FBI’s rise to power. |
From inside the book
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... Machine guns,” said a woman. The sense of crisis was underscored by the nervous young soldiers who stood by on street corners, fingering their rifles. “The atmosphere,” wrote Arthur Krock in the New York Times, “was comparable to that ...
... Machine guns,” said a woman. The sense of crisis was underscored by the nervous young soldiers who stood by on street corners, fingering their rifles. “The atmosphere,” wrote Arthur Krock in the New York Times, “was comparable to that ...
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... weapons, especially the 800bulletperminute Thompson submachine gun introduced after World War I, allowed yeggs to outgun all but the bestarmed urban policemen. But the greatest impetus was the automobile, especially new models with ...
... weapons, especially the 800bulletperminute Thompson submachine gun introduced after World War I, allowed yeggs to outgun all but the bestarmed urban policemen. But the greatest impetus was the automobile, especially new models with ...
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... submachine gun and the armored vest to the Oklahoma bad men.” The notion of a modernday Billy the Kid was too appealing for the newspapers to ignore. In January 1932 alone Floyd was identified as robbing banks in three separate towns ...
... submachine gun and the armored vest to the Oklahoma bad men.” The notion of a modernday Billy the Kid was too appealing for the newspapers to ignore. In January 1932 alone Floyd was identified as robbing banks in three separate towns ...
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... submachine gun hidden under a blanket. He whipped out the gun and trained it on Killingsworth. “That's the law!” Richetti barked to Floyd. To the halfdozen salesmen and mechanics milling about in the garage, Richetti shouted, “Line up ...
... submachine gun hidden under a blanket. He whipped out the gun and trained it on Killingsworth. “That's the law!” Richetti barked to Floyd. To the halfdozen salesmen and mechanics milling about in the garage, Richetti shouted, “Line up ...
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... submachine gun. Floyd took the safety off his pistol and calmly told the sheriff, “Wave 'em back.” Killingsworth took off his panama hat and waved it furiously out the window. It worked; before long the car disappeared. They had been ...
... submachine gun. Floyd took the safety off his pistol and calmly told the sheriff, “Wave 'em back.” Killingsworth took off his panama hat and waved it furiously out the window. It worked; before long the car disappeared. They had been ...
Contents
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL | |
BIBLIOGRAPHY ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | |
1 | |
A STAR IS BORN 10 DILLINGER AND NELSON 11 CRESCENDO 12 DEATH IN THE NORTH WOODS 13 AND ITS DEATH FOR BONNIE ... | |
PRAISE | |
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agents apartment appeared arrested arrived asked bank Barker began beside Bonnie Bremer building bullets Bureau called Chase Chicago City Cleveland Clyde Connelley Cowley Crime Dallas detective Dillinger Dillinger’s door drive drove East face files fired Floyd followed four Frank front gang gave Hamilton hand head Hoover Indiana inside John Kansas City Karpis Kelly kidnapping killed knew later leave living looked massacre Meter Michigan minutes months morning moved named needed Nelson never night Oklahoma opened parked passed Paul pistol police prison pulled Purvis reached remained returned road robbery running sheriff shot side station stay stepped stopped story Street talk tell thing thought told took town turned waiting walked wanted watched weeks window