The Burglary

The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI

By: Betty Medsger

Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot, Betty Medsger

Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

The never-before-told full story of the history-changing break-in at the FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, by a group of unlikely activists - quiet, ordinary, hardworking Americans - that made clear the shocking truth and confirmed what some had long suspected, that J. Edgar Hoover had created and was operating, in violation of the U.S. Constitution, his own shadow Bureau of Investigation.

It begins in 1971 in an America being split apart by the Vietnam War. A small group of activists - eight men and women - the Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI, inspired by Daniel Berrigan's rebellious Catholic peace movement, set out to use a more active, but nonviolent, method of civil disobedience to provide hard evidence once and for all that the government was operating outside the laws of the land.

The would-be burglars - nonpro's - were ordinary people leading lives of purpose: a professor of religion and former freedom rider; a day-care director; a physicist; a cab driver; an antiwar activist, a lock picker; a graduate student.

Betty Medsger's extraordinary book re-creates in detail how this group of unknowing thieves scouted out the low-security FBI building in a small town just west of Philadelphia, taking into consideration every possible factor.

At the heart of the heist - and the book - the contents of the FBI files revealing Hoover's "secret counterintelligence program" COINTELPRO, set up in 1956 to investigate and disrupt dissident political groups, a plan that would discredit, destabilize, and demoralize groups, many of them legal civil rights organizations and antiwar groups that Hoover found offensive - as well as black power groups, student activists, antidraft protestors, conscientious objectors.

The Burglary is an important and riveting book, a portrait of the potential power of non-violent resistance and the destructive power of excessive government secrecy and spying.

©2014 Betty Medsger (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"[I]mpeccably researched and elegantly presented.... The current debate in America over government surveillance of its citizenry has a long and controversial history. It didn't begin on 9/11, and it doesn't need technological wizardry to succeed. For those seeking a particularly egregious example of what can happen when secrecy gets out of hand, The Burglary is a natural place to begin." (The New York Times)

Just a tad wordy

Exceptional story but could have been told in a more succinct way. Still a fascinating look into the inner workings of Hooves FBI!

Excellent Rendition

So many of us have forgotten about the Media burglary and what it accomplished. This tells it in an exciting manner that leaves you riveted.

Interesting topic poorly written

When I read the summary I wanted to listen right away but despite a promising topic, the way it is written and the information chosen was very disappointing; boring at times, I even stopped listening, read another book and then returned not to leave unfinished.

Interesting but not outstanding

It continues to amaze me that Hoover was kept as Director for all those years and that no one had the courage to dislodge him even though he threatened 'blackmail'. Too bad, he certainly ruined the reputation of law enforcement in the U.S. This book seems to be one that would benefit from editing. Nonetheless, it is a worthwhile book and seems to be more honest than most of its type. It would have benefitted from more personal information about Hoover.

Much more than the story of the Media FBI burglary

An essential view of the FBI and Hoover before and after the March 8, 1971 burglary of the Media, Pennsylvania FBI office that exposed illegal surveillance and dirty tricks under Hoover's hidden COINTELPRO operation that targeted perceived antiwar, civil rights and other activists.

Reader needs to research ...

.... How to pronounce the last names of some of those involved in the story and be consistent throughout. For example: there's no excuse for not knowing how to pronounce "Boehner" when, at the time of recording, the man was the Speaker of the House of Representatives and in the news on a daily basis. Also, after saying "Kleindienst" (Kl-eye-n ' deenst) correctly the first time, he then proceeds to say it incorrectly every time thereafter.

While this may seem picky to many, it was very annoying to me. After hearing the author read the Afterword, I wish she had read the whole fascinating book.

Sometimes enough is too much

What did you like best about The Burglary? What did you like least?

Revealing. Sheds light on a heroic act performed by ordinary people. Waaaaaaaaaaaay to long.

Would you recommend The Burglary to your friends? Why or why not?

Only to those unfamiliar with the Media, Pa break-in; then only in Cliffs Notes.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Pretty much.

Did The Burglary inspire you to do anything?

no

The brilliance of the storyline was equal to the mastery of the incident. Great story!

I love the brave and courageous effort by all involved. Thank you for the amazing history lesson

Fascinating!

I could not stop listening to this book; I think I finished all 25 hours of it within 4 days. Betty Medsger provides a full and well articulated account of the 1971 burglary of an FBI office, what led up to it and its repercussions including the FBI's investigation of the incident, as well as biographies of those who participated. She leaves no stone unturned as she explores J. Edgar Hoover's almost 50 year tenure as head of the FBI during which he remained unquestioned as he maintained continuous spying and harassment operations on American citizens in an effort to squelch dissenting opinions, increase paranoia, halt any threat to the FBI's secrecy, and to fight the efforts of the movements for civil rights, anti-war, and any other political opinion he disagreed with. She illustrates how Hoover used any means necessary to continue his mission, constantly flouting the laws of the land and blackmailing any member of government (including presidents) who stood in his way from conducting the FBI as he pleased. The Burglary is an incredible depiction of this event and the ripples from it that still affect America today. I couldn't recommend it more.

An eye opener!!

This should be required reading in today's school system. It is a beautifully written book which proves that absolute power corrupts absolutely UNLESS this power is governed by a democratic society.