Part 2 By Thomas F. Schwartz Though the original ten reel production never was released for general viewing, the existing scripts give a sense of its contents. Because it was a silent film, the subtitles clearly describe the film footage that preceded it. It begins by stating: “This is not a picture of actors … Continue reading The Lost Documentary Film of the Commission for Relief in Belgium
Tag: Food Relief
Herbert Hoover, American Relief Administration, Brussels, Belgian ca. 1919
By Thomas F. Schwartz Herbert Hoover, American Relief Administration, Brussels, Belgian ca. 1919 Among the innovative methods to publicize the work of the Commission for Relief in Belgium [CRB] and the American Relief Administration [ARA] were two documentary film efforts, both which are lost to history. George Barr Baker served with Herbert Hoover in both … Continue reading Herbert Hoover, American Relief Administration, Brussels, Belgian ca. 1919
The Invisible Guest
By Thomas F. Schwartz During the season of goblins, ghosts, witches, vampires, and zombies, “invisible guests” would find themselves among friends. But invisibility can be the spiteful kind as in H. G. Welles, Invisible Man or something that is not present but felt. It is the latter that Herbert Hoover evoked in a series of … Continue reading The Invisible Guest
A Mother’s Day Gift: The Friendship of Louis Chevrillon and Herbert Hoover
Part 1 By Thomas F. Schwartz One of the under researched aspects of Herbert Hoover is his vast network of associates that provided him with vital information as well as served as valuable agents in his many humanitarian efforts. Louis Chevrillon is unknown to most Americans, but he was one of the driving forces in … Continue reading A Mother’s Day Gift: The Friendship of Louis Chevrillon and Herbert Hoover
Preventing Tragedy and Statistics
By Thomas F. Schwartz It is easy to overlook the significance of Herbert Hoover’s food relief efforts by looking merely at numbers. The precise number of people Hoover saved from starvation remains murky but most scholars agree it is in the hundreds of millions. Ironically, one of the most brutal leaders of modern times, Joseph … Continue reading Preventing Tragedy and Statistics
Herbert Hoover and the Centennial of American Entry into World War I: Episode II
By: Matthew Schaefer, Hoover Archivist The meeting of the Iowa World War I Centennial Committee reminded this Hoover archivist that it was time to pen the monthly installment of the Herbert Hoover saga. When we left, Hoover was struggling to raise funds in America for the Commission for Relief in Belgium. German submarines were exacting … Continue reading Herbert Hoover and the Centennial of American Entry into World War I: Episode II