By Thomas F. Schwartz Continued from part 1… As the title suggests, This Is Not Who We Are: America’s Struggle Between Vengeance and Virtue by Zachary Shore examines three episodes of American actions during the WWII period that were motivated by in part by vengeance but eventually turned into more virtuous behavior. The three episodes … Continue reading Germany and the Morgenthau Plan: Part Two
By Thomas F. Schwartz Fighting a war is costly both in human lives and military expenditures. More costly is securing a just peace with defeated enemies. As a previous blog explained, Herbert Hoover failed in his attempts to feed civilian populations in Poland and Finland at the outset of World War II, but not for … Continue reading Germany and the Morgenthau Plan: Part One
By Thomas F. Schwartz Matthew Continetti’s The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism states that Herbert Hoover was a member of the America First Committee. This mistake has been repeated in other books citing Continetti as the source. The America First Committee was composed of prominent politicians, business, other national figures who opposed … Continue reading Hoover was never a member of the America First Committee
President and Lou Henry Hoover going to their new home in the White House on Inauguration Day, March 4, 1929, in Washington DC. (31-1929-d25) By Thomas F. Schwartz In watching the film “Trading Places” over the holiday season, two things emerged that had previously escaped my notice. The first was a close-up of the paintings … Continue reading “Greed is Good”: Or is it?
By Thomas F. Schwartz Carolyn Wells was born on June 18, 1862, in Rahway, New Jersey. She worked as a librarian after completing her education, accounting for her interest in books and writing. Her marriage to Hadwin Houghton, heir to the publishing house Houghton-Mifflin, provided an additional tie to the book world. Author of 170 books, … Continue reading Mystery Writers Read by the Hoovers: Part V, Carolyn Wells Houghton
By Thomas F. Schwartz Lawrence Saunders (a pseudonym for the married couple John Burton Davis and Clare Ogden Davis, not the Lawrence Saunders of The Anderson Tapes) and Harry Stephen Keeler are relatively unknown today but were rather well-known mystery writers in their day. The Columnist Murder (1931) was dedicated to Walter Winchell, the infamous gossip … Continue reading Mystery Writers Read by the Hoovers: Part IV
A group sits inside the President's cabin at Camp Rapidan. Lou Henry Hoover is seen on the left knitting. By Thomas F. Schwartz Many of the leading mystery writers of the era were English and tended to place murder settings in country manors. Class status, a pronounced feature of British society up to and beyond World … Continue reading Mystery Writers Read by the Hoovers: Part III
August 20, 1932: President Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover and Weegie relaxing at Rapidan Camp. By Thomas F. Schwartz How do we know what mystery writers were read by the Hoovers and available for visitors to Camp Rapidan? There are two boxes of 3x5” cards with the names of the author, title, and location of the … Continue reading Mystery Writers Read by the Hoovers: Part II
The front of Herbert Hoover's Boys Clubs of America Professional Association Distinguished Achievement Award.The back of Herbert Hoover's Boys Clubs of America Professional Association Distinguished Achievement Award. The back of the medal was personalized for the former President with: PRESENTED TO / HONORARY / HERBERT HOOVER / FOR TWENTY FIVE YEARS / OF HUMANITARIAN SERVICE … Continue reading Much Ado About Medals Act IV: The Aftermath and Our Most Valuable Natural Resource
A letter of thanks written by Rosemarie Brettman to Herbert Hoover for his food relief efforts in Germany. The letter is dated March 4, 1948. Previous blogs have described various aspects of Hoover’s food relief efforts in post-WWII Germany. Combating various leaders who sought to punish Germany by withholding food, Hoover understood the necessity of … Continue reading “We all are poor fugitives.”
