J. Edgar Hoover And the Great American Inquisition J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI for more than 40 years, was an influential, yet controversial man. This documentary highlights his lifelong obsession with Communists, beginning in the 1920"s, through McCarthyism and beyond. Ronald Reagan- An American Legend ABC News examines the life and political career of the late Ronald Reagan. Howard Hughes: The Man and the Madness The saga of the rise and fall of the Hughes" empire is revealed through archival footage and rare interviews. This film unravels some of the mysteries surrounding one of the richest men of the 20th century, a man who is viewed as both an accomplished industrialist and renowned eccentric.