16. The Loathsome Head of the DEA’s Predecessor Became Close Friends With This Loathsome Senator
The Federal Bureau of Narcotics was led for 32 years by Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger, a loathsome figure who spearheaded the criminalization of drugs. An extremely bigoted racist even by the standards of his day, he demonized racial minorities and immigrants. He also hated jazz, mongrel music of African, Caribbean, and European origins mating on American soil. He thought it was musical anarchy, and proof of primitive impulses in black people, just waiting to erupt. As he described it in internal memos: “It sounded like the jungles in the dead of night“.
Anslinger became friends with Joseph McCarthy, as the two bonded over their anti-communism. When he learned about the senator’s addiction to opium, Anslinger’s first concern was not his duty to enforce the law. Instead, he grew worried that his friend might be vulnerable to blackmail if his addiction was discovered by enemies – especially communist enemies. Anslinger covered up for McCarthy, shielded him from arrest, and in an unexpected plot twist, saw to it that the senator was safely supplied with drugs.
