--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had made the…" description: "\"“FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had made the Black Panthers a top priority and, naturally, had publicly “declared war” on them.”\" — Radley Balko" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_fbi-director-j-edgar-hoover-had-made-the_1231598.jpg" --- # FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had made the Black Panthers a… ![“FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had made the Black Panthers a top priority and, naturally, had publicly “declared war” on them.” quote by Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_fbi-director-j-edgar-hoover-had-made-the_1231598.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_fbi-director-j-edgar-hoover-had-made-the_1231598.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a6a/radley-balko-16195_black-panther_fbi-director-j-edgar-hoover-had-made-the_1231598.jpg) > ““FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had made the Black Panthers a top priority and, naturally, had publicly “declared war” on them.”” [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The FBI prioritized the Black Panthers, treating them as a primary threat and publicly opposing them. **In simple terms:** FBI targeted Black Panthers aggressively. Key Takeaway Recognize how institutions can vilify groups. Themes politics law enforcement civil rights Mood critical reflective Type historical political When to use this quote - activism - policy analysis - historical research Key Concepts surveillance state power social movements Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect public perception? - What are the consequences of state‑driven vilification? A Different Perspective The narrative may overlook internal complexities of the organization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black Panthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-panthers/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“I regret to say that we of the FBI are powerless to act in cases of oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/i-regret-to-say-that-we-of-the-fbi-are-powerless-to-act-in-cases-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [ We're interested in complex characters and he's a complex character, \[J. Edgar\] Hoover. I like these types of dramas. I've made a few of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-grazer/we-re-interested-in-complex-characters-and-he-s-a-complex-character-j/) [Brian Grazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-grazer/) > [I grew up with J. Edgar Hoover. He was the G-man, a hero to everybody, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was the big,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-grew-up-with-j-edgar-hoover-he-was-the-g-man-a-hero-to-everybody/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [“FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover “mistrusted and disliked all three Kennedy brothers. President Johnson and Hoover had mutual fear and hatred for the Kennedys,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-brussell/fbi-director-j-edgar-hoover-mistrusted-and-disliked-all-three-kennedy/) [Mae Brussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-brussell/) > [ It's an incredible education \[for the movie J. Edgar Hoover\] . It was like I did a college course on J. Edgar Hoover but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-lance-black/it-s-an-incredible-education-for-the-movie-j-edgar-hoover-it-was-like/) [Dustin Lance Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-lance-black/) > [I just kind of had my own impressions growing up with Hoover as a heroic figure in the 40s - actually the 30s, 40s,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-just-kind-of-had-my-own-impressions-growing-up-with-hoover-as-a/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [I have great respect for the FBI, and I know that there have been some rumors lately that the FBI was disenchanted because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-have-great-respect-for-the-fbi-and-i-know-that-there-have-been-some/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [“Sometime in the fifties I remember seeing On the Waterfront in the movies with Mary and thinking that I’m at least as bad as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/sometime-in-the-fifties-i-remember-seeing-on-the-waterfront-in-the-2/) [Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/) > [If Congress is going to investigate baseball players about whether or not they told the truth, how can we justify giving the most powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-congress-is-going-to-investigate-baseball-players-about-whether-or/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [By 1967, J. Edgar Hoover had concluded that the Black Panther Party had replaced the Communist Party as the gravest threat to national security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/by-1967-j-edgar-hoover-had-concluded-that-the-black-panther-party-had/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [Complex man that he was, J. Edgar Hoover left nothing to chance. The director shrewdly recognized that building what became known as the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/complex-man-that-he-was-j-edgar-hoover-left-nothing-to-chance-the/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [There was one moment when J. Edgar Hoover and us had the same distorted lens about who we were - "a real threat," you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/there-was-one-moment-when-j-edgar-hoover-and-us-had-the-same/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [ \[ J. Edgar\]Hoover, I'm sure, felt that he was right in everything he did and even the things that we don't like about his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/j-edgar-hoover-i-m-sure-felt-that-he-was-right-in-everything-he-did/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [You know, back in the 1950s and '60s, when J. Edgar Hoover was making the FBI the respected organization it used to be, oftentimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-carr/you-know-back-in-the-1950s-and-60s-when-j-edgar-hoover-was-making-the/) [Howie Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-carr/) > [All my humor is based upon destruction and despair. If the whole world were tranquil, without disease and violence, I’d be standing on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/all-my-humor-is-based-upon-destruction-and-despair-if-the-whole-world/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) ## More by Radley Balko > [“About twenty years later, the Pentagon would begin giving away millions of pieces of military equipment to police departments across the country for everyday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/about-twenty-years-later-the-pentagon-would-begin-giving-away/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“In the summer of 2002, Biden was pushing his RAVE Act, an absurdly broad law that would have made venue and club owners liable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/in-the-summer-of-2002-biden-was-pushing-his-rave-act-an-absurdly/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Clark wrote that there are common-law exceptions to the knock-and-announce rule known as an “exigent circumstances.” One such exception is if police believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/clark-wrote-that-there-are-common-law-exceptions-to-the-knock-and/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Number of SWAT teams in the FBI alone in 2013: 56         Unlikely federal agencies that have used SWAT teams: US Fish and Wildlife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/number-of-swat-teams-in-the-fbi-alone-in-2013-56-unlikely-federal/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“says the thrill of the raid may factor into why narcotics cops just don’t consider less volatile means of serving search warrants. “The thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/says-the-thrill-of-the-raid-may-factor-into-why-narcotics-cops-just/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [Finally, this case should serve as yet another reminder of just how dangerous and volatile these police home invasions really are, and why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/finally-this-case-should-serve-as-yet-another-reminder-of-just-how/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“In a couple of ways, the Watts riots were the first major incident to nudge the United States toward more militaristic policing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/in-a-couple-of-ways-the-watts-riots-were-the-first-major-incident-to/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Police officers today are a protected class, one no politician wants to oppose. Law enforcement interests may occasionally come up short on budgetary issues,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/police-officers-today-are-a-protected-class-one-no-politician-wants/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Using general warrants, British soldiers were allowed to enter private homes, confiscate what they found, and often keep the bounty for themselves. The policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/using-general-warrants-british-soldiers-were-allowed-to-enter-private/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“When guarding buildings, mark a ‘DEAD’ line and announce clearly that those who cross it will be killed. Be sure to kill the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/when-guarding-buildings-mark-a-dead-line-and-announce-clearly-that/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [We'll all make better choices about diet, exercise, and personal health when someone else isn't paying for the consequences of those choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/we-ll-all-make-better-choices-about-diet-exercise-and-personal-health/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Police need not announce themselves if doing so would jeopardize their safety, if they are in the midst of an emergency,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/police-need-not-announce-themselves-if-doing-so-would-jeopardize/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Detroit, for example, a new police commissioner took over in 1971 and began implementing a more Nixonian approach to illicit drugs. Chief John Nichols…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/detroit-for-example-a-new-police-commissioner-took-over-in-1971-and/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [“Law enforcement is just like any other interest group,” Santarelli says. “They’re always after greater power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/law-enforcement-is-just-like-any-other-interest-group-santarelli-says/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) > [Yes, bin Laden the man is dead. But he achieved all he set out to achieve, and a hell of a lot more. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radley-balko/yes-bin-laden-the-man-is-dead-but-he-achieved-all-he-set-out-to/) [Radley Balko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) [Explore all 40 Radley Balko quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radley-balko/) ## More Black panther quotes > [When I was writing 'Black Panther,' on one level, I was angry because DC would never let me write 'Batman,' so I was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/when-i-was-writing-black-panther-on-one-level-i-was-angry-because-dc/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [“A friend once told me a story about a former Black Panther leader in a Midwest community who in the 1960s had his phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-j-rodr-guez/a-friend-once-told-me-a-story-about-a-former-black-panther-leader-in/) [Luis J. Rodríguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/) > [Fang swerved closer to me, big and supremely graceful, like a black panther with wings. Oh, God. I'm so stupid. Forget I just said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/fang-swerved-closer-to-me-big-and-supremely-graceful-like-a-black/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [I am proud that my daughter believes, as I do, that hungry children should be fed whether they are Black Panthers or White Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-douglas/i-am-proud-that-my-daughter-believes-as-i-do-that-hungry-children/) [Tommy Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-douglas/) > [The great thing about Meg in 'A Wrinkle In Time' and Shuri in 'Black Panther' is that none of them are stereotypes of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-russell/the-great-thing-about-meg-in-a-wrinkle-in-time-and-shuri-in-black/) [Taylor Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-russell/) > [The Black Panther Party was not a gang. They grew out of a young black intelligentsia on college campuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/the-black-panther-party-was-not-a-gang-they-grew-out-of-a-young-black/) [Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/) > [“New Rule: Democrats must get in touch with their inner asshole. I refer to the case of Van Jones, the man the Obama administration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-democrats-must-get-in-touch-with-their-inner-asshole-i-refer/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Oddly enough, Black Panther's almost like an analog to Tarzan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stelfreeze/oddly-enough-black-panther-s-almost-like-an-analog-to-tarzan/) [Brian Stelfreeze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stelfreeze/) > [Electoral politics was always an objective of the Black Panther party, so Barack Obama is a part of what we dreamed and struggled and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-seale/electoral-politics-was-always-an-objective-of-the-black-panther-party/) [Bobby Seale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-seale/) > [When I was younger, I had these romantic ideas about the Black Panther Party and what it meant to be a part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/when-i-was-younger-i-had-these-romantic-ideas-about-the-black-panther/) [Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/) > [There is a movement we call Afro-Futurism, where we imagine a black way of life free of white supremacy and bigotry. 'Black Panther,' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/there-is-a-movement-we-call-afro-futurism-where-we-imagine-a-black/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > ['Crazy Rich Asians' has been compared to 'Black Panther,' but I feel like that's a false equivalency. The idea that there's only this film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonoya-mizuno/crazy-rich-asians-has-been-compared-to-black-panther-but-i-feel-like/) [Sonoya Mizuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonoya-mizuno/) > [“There,he reminds me of you." Shelby indicated a black panther stretched in a path of sunlight, calmly watching the river of people who passed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/there-he-reminds-me-of-you-shelby-indicated-a-black-panther-stretched/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > ['Black Panther' has made me embrace my natural black hair. The representation of natural black hair in the film has made me reflect on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-wright/black-panther-has-made-me-embrace-my-natural-black-hair-the/) [Letitia Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-wright/) > [ Having gone through the \[Marvel\] writer program, I knew Black Panther was in the pipeline and I knew they were big fans of my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-robert-cole/having-gone-through-the-marvel-writer-program-i-knew-black-panther/) [Joe Robert Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-robert-cole/) Browse all 145 Black panther quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“FBI director J. 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