he shooting. This enrages Hoover and he will never get over it. He resents Purvis from here on out. Together the dynamic duo track down and kill Pretty Boy Floyd. This time Hoover receives a little more praise from the papers but not enough. Purvis still gets “top billing”. Much to Hoover’s disgust, Purvis then tracks down and kills Baby Face Nelson almost single handedly. Hoover never forgives Purvis for hogging all of the glory for the gangster killings. Eventually Purvis is harassed into leaving the Bureau. Even after he left Hoover interfered with jobs that Purvis tried to apply for. Melvin Purvis committed suicide in 1960 using the same gun that he had used to kill Dillenger (Bardsley, Ch.4, p.3) Hoover was very much willing to accept someone else’s glory and publicity. In 1932, the highly publicized kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindburg’s infant son caught the attention of the American public and tore at the hearts of every mother and father. Hoover, wanting to play a role in the capture of the kidnappers, Flew to New Jersey, only to be turned away by the acting chief of police on the case. When New York City police finally caught the murderer, Hoover rushed to New York to get in on the photo opportunity and share in the publicity. The public was led to believe that Hoover and the Bureau had solved the case, when really they played an insignificant role.The studios in Hollywood did not stand idle through all of this excitement. (Bardsley, Ch.4, p.4) The real life drama and excitement captured the attention of young and old alike. Hollywood didn’t take long to cash in on the action. A new type of super cop called a G-man was the new action hero of the silver screen. Hoover and the Bureau were movie stars. James Cagney starred in a movie called G-men, that had a great impact on the public image of the Bureau. The public believed what they saw. Hoover was now Public Hero Number One. The p...
