Hoover had enjoyed a partnership with Vice President Nixon based on their shared anticommunism and disdain for the liberal establishment, and quietly backed his 1960 campaign for the presidency. Nixon proved an awkward campaigner, and his opponent, the youthful and charismatic John F. Kennedy, scored a surprise victory. Hoover had been friendly with Kennedy’s father, Joe, but had dismissed John as an Ivy League playboy. He was relieved, though, by the choice of Lyndon Johnson as vice president, a Southern Democrat who had sponsored a bill providing Hoover with a lifetime salary. Hoover and CIA Director Allen Dulles were the among the few members of an old guard among a cabinet of young “whiz kids,” including the former General Motors CEO Robert McNamara, who became defense secretary, and Kennedy’s younger brother Robert (or “Bobby”), who became attorney general and—at the age of 35—Hoover’s boss.

Hoover’s relationship with Bobby Kennedy soured quickly. Hoover disdained Bobby’s casual style, including casual dress, playing around with coworkers, and showing up unannounced at the FBI’s offices or even Hoover’s office. Where Kennedy saw himself as shaking up old routines, Hoover saw a threat of chaos. Their disagreements also extended into policy, including Kennedy’s proposal for a crime commission that would overlap with the FBI’s efforts against organized crime.