Hoover had secret (blackmail ?) files on everyone and he wasn't afraid to let people know he had them. Felt as Hoover's protege would have continued the domination of Washington by the FBI. Nixon courageously slew that dragon at great personal cost to himself. If Nixon had given Felt the job we might be a police state by now.
Earlier this week, I read somewhere that Nixon sent L. Patrick Gray over to the FBI to ask for THOSE very files. They refused to let Gray see them and that's when the trouble started; shortly after that, Nixon appointed Gray to head the agency, thus setting Felt off. I suspect Nixon was going to clean up that place once and for all.
"Felt as Hoover's protege would have continued the domination of Washington by the FBI. Nixon courageously slew that dragon at great personal cost to himself. If Nixon had given Felt the job we might be a police state by now."
That's fascinating. And Hoover's FBI Files used to be more notorious than Hillary's FBI Files have become. But even though I have said many times that Nixon was a hero (albeit a flawed one), I'm not coming away from all this with your supposition that Nixon sacrificed himself to end the FBI's power. Not at all. I just don't see any configuration of dots connecting in that fashion. He would have to have gone through this thought process: I will be vilified, humiliated, likely prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned...and my legacy will be a joke of criminality
...yeah, bring down the FBI, who cares what it costs me and my family?
You're gonna have to make that case for me to buy it.
As for "If Nixon had given Felt the job we might be a police state by now"...that depends on what party has a man in the WH....
Waco, Ruby Ridge, Elian.....