because of the new breed of mobile outlaws who flee jurisdiction by crossing state lines over highways and against whom this government must wage a war on crime. j. edgar hoover is a physically short man but has a dynamic presence. he is a dapper patrician who believes in elites. he is completely free from self-doubt. he is youthful and 33 years old. suydam and tolson sit next to him. mckellar i¿½'chairman of the senate appropriations sub- committee.-,he's an avuncular man of 62.
that's ridiculous. the bureau's apprehended kidnappers, bank robbers, who have stolen up to.
we've arrested and arraigned 213 wanted felons.
as director i've administered.
i've never arrested anybody.
i'm an administrator.
crime is what runs wild in this country, mr. chairman. and.
find out: was he soft on the reds in ,1919? does he use prostitutes? peppy `tuf f like that. and feed this to walter =!rii€žinchell: "mckellar's a neanderthal. he's o7:a personal vendetta to destroy me." like that.
how long ago?
you can have fun in chicago. what the hell's there to do in cincinnati?
agent purvis, congratulations.
pretty boy floyd, for which you have my commendation and personal gratitude. second, you are, as of this moment, the special agent in charge of the chicago field office. your task will be to get john dillinger. are you up to it?
what are they?
you let mr. tolson, here, know if you need anything, melvin, anything at all,
call me j.e. they shake hands. there's a mob of photographers and newsmen and microphones to interview him.
that was a miserable piece of work.
i thought you understood what i am doing. build.ing a department of professional investigators. young college men with law or accounting degrees from good families. no, you may not go outside the bureau, purvis.
they are not our "type."
mr. tolson will call you, agent purvis.
why is this clown estill fraternizing with the man he is scheduled to prosecute?! reveal we are in hoover's office.
they call crown point, "clown point." ,,.,the bureau of investigation cannot catch ""public enemy no. 1, but arizona cowboys z¿½. the president of the united states -s'aid dillinger is making a mockery of the system of justice in this country. that means i am allowing dillinger to make a mockery of the system of justice in this country. it is a dark cloud. there is a silver lining in that cloud. by escaping, john dillinger has given us a second chance to get john dillinger.
that's the point. motivate them to get "word." create informants, agent purvis.
i want suspects interrogated "vigorously." "grilled." no misplaced sentimentality. as they say in italy and elsewhere these days"take off the white gloves." by this point, they're down the justice department staircase. purvis is dismissed. hoover steps in front of a.
what's your name, son?
g-men all over the country have picked up: the gauntlet flung down by the outlaws and wanton murderers. and these junior crime fighters, these junior g-men.  color desaturates into black + white. we don't kno °why.
you are under arrest for the. wahpeton, south dakota bank robbery. tolson waves to an agent across the street.
regains his composure.
i heard of your fishing prowess. i myself, always wanted, to catch a marlin.
are you relieved its over? i'm sure you are.
karpis said he'd never be taken alive, but i took him without firing a shot.
agent purvis.
(sees purvis stare at death
a medical student in the morgue made that cast of dillinger's face. it's a reminder of the war we continue to wage against the punks and hoodlums.  purvis looks at hoover. this was the golden boy who hoover came to despise.