But on the cusp of his national career, he was an FBI target whose network bosses fretted about whether he should be fired.
Paul Harvey's FBI file, released to USA TODAY under a Freedom of Information Act request, shows how his relationship with the bureau evolved from perp to pen pal. The 1,375 pages also illuminate how the FBI cultivated one of the nation's most popular media figures by not only providing flattery from its most prominent officials but also by secretly putting words in his mouth...
New Documents Show Longtime Friendship Between J. Edgar Hoover and Paul Harvey
For the better part of six decades, Paul Harvey spun tales on the radio in his staccato baritone, entertaining up to 24 million listeners a day with folksy vignettes ending in unexpected twists.
And now, the rest of the story.
Previously confidential files show that Harvey, who died last February at 90, enjoyed a 20-year friendship with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, often submitting advance copies of his radio script for comment and approval. Harvey wrote Hoover and his deputies regularly. Hoover, in turn, helped Harvey with research, suggested changes in scripts and showered the broadcaster with effusive praise...
