Kelley: The Story of an FBI Director

When Kelley became director of the FBI in 1973, morale within the organization and public trust were at an all-time low. He restored both the internal spirit and the external image of the bureau with a series of overhauls in policy, and proved himself innovative and accessible, in contrast to the rigidity and remoteness of his predecessor, J. Edgar Hoover. One of the most interesting sections of this informative autobiography is Kelley's unsparing portrait of Hoover, a boss he respected but whose administrative methods he found often counterproductive. Also enlightening are his reminiscences of Richard Nixon before, and during, the Watergate crisis (""I saw a man breaking down under nervous strain''). Kelley explains how Watergate affected the bureau, analyzes the handling of the Patty Hearst/Symbionese Liberation Army case and the armed rebellion by members of the American Indian Movement at Wounded Knee, and offers a fresh view of the FBI's 1975 investigation into the activities of Lee Harvey Oswald before the Kennedy assassination. Photos. (September 15)