Students from the elementary school at Hamburg Volksdoft in Germany sent drawings like this to Herbert Hoover as a sign of appreciation for their "Hooverbreakfast" in a letter dated November 12, 1947. On January 18, 1947, President Harry Truman reached out to Herbert Hoover with another request. Stating that “a serious situation in food still … Continue reading Hearing Loss, Colds, and the Hoover Speisung [Feeding]: Hoover’s 1947 Trip to Germany
Former Pres. Hoover, head of the Finnish Relief Fund thanks Popeye the Sailor Man. Popeye is handing Hoover $100 in bills, his contribution to start the "Kids Popeye Finnish Relief Fund." The famous Robert Frost poem ends: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made … Continue reading The Road Not Taken: Hoover and Feeding the Five Small Democracies
Former President Herbert Hoover shaking hands, 1940 Popular histories are meant to provide a broad audience access to history that is not written exclusively for an academic audience. As such, the writing tends to be livelier with numerous anecdotes that are memorable but might lack veracity. Footnotes, that are intended to keep academic writings honest … Continue reading Modern Hoover Myths: Part I
President Harry Truman and former President Herbert Hoover, 06/17/1947.(HHPL-M image #31-1947-30). The defeat of the Axis Powers in World War II did not usher an era of peace. Rather, decades of unease between the United States and the Soviet Union characterized the postwar world. This period would be termed the Cold War—the absence of direct … Continue reading Hoover and Postwar Humor
Former president Hoover, Queen Elizabeth II and New York City Mayor Robert Wagner at luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 10/21/1957. (HHPL-M photo 31-1957-49) by Spencer Howard As the world mourns the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we have been asked if Herbert Hoover ever met the Queen. The answer is yes, in 1957. Despite … Continue reading Remembering the Queen: When Herbert Hoover met Queen Elizabeth II
By Thom as F. Schwartz Lewis Strauss, one of Herbert Hoover’s close personal advisors, broached the idea of both Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt issuing a joint statement early in 1933 condemning the mistreatment of German Jews. FDR declined and Hoover privately instructed Frederic Sackett, the US Ambassador in Germany, to “exert every influence of our … Continue reading Emergency Conference to Save the Jews of Europe: Herbert Hoover’s CBS Broadcast
Every August brings me face to face with another birthday. Now aged 64, I began to physically challenge myself each August. Coincidentally, August is State Fair season in the Midwest. For the past few years, I’ve challenged myself by entering the Iowa State Fair bench press competition and by taking the Army pullup challenge at … Continue reading August Days Grow Shorter, Winter is Coming
On May 28, 1959, Herbert Hoover gave the keynote at a dinner honoring the King of Belgium. Given that his ties to Belgium dated back to the early days of World War I, Hoover was the natural candidate to give this speech. In October 1914, Hoover was called upon to lead famine relief for … Continue reading Herbert Hoover on the Kings of Belgium
By Thomas F. Schwartz History, some argue, is the study of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It is also the study of extraordinary people doing seemingly impossible things. Jan Karski is an example of the latter. A Polish diplomat, Karski was taken prisoner by Soviet military forces during the 1939 invasion by both Nazi Germany … Continue reading Jan Karski and Herbert Hoover
My colleagues here sometimes tease me about ‘my favorite thing’ in the archives. It is Hoover’s reading copy of a speech he gave at Cairo in April 1946. It is inscribed to Kitty Milbank, one of Hoover’s close friends: ‘Dear Kitty, This is one of the most important speeches I have ever delivered.’ Hoover gave … Continue reading Christmas Gift Exchanges in the Waldorf-Astoria
