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J. Edgar Hoover was approaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 on January 1, 1965. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson waved the mandatory federal retirement age for Hoover, allowing him to serve as head of the FBI until his death. This is a decision that Jacqueline Kennedy stated she did not believe her husband would have done were he alive. Frequently, there has been an argument in these discussions that if he were not kept on, he would have thrown out every attack he could to remain in office. However, that presumes that Hoover leaving would have been pushing him out of power, when it was not. Allowing him to retire would have been simply the passive fact of the matter as it was, and going out of his way to keep him on required an active effort. Though criticized for digging up dirt on his enemies (assumed or real), Hoover was certainly a powerful ally, which is why he was kept on. However, letting him retire opens the door for a new director, and one to the administration's liking. Had it been up to Kennedy, my assumption is that he would have preferred William C. Sullivan. However, it has been many years since I researched this topic.

With that in mind, what if Hoover had retired upon reaching the age of 70 in 1965? Whether it had been Kennedy, Johnson, or perhaps another president.
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