President Truman and former President Hoover began their relationship shortly after Truman assumed presidential office. Former President Hoover sent this telegram to Truman, offering his assistance to the new President.
During his presidency, Truman asked Hoover to serve as an envoy overseas in order to determine the food production status of the European countries that had been decimated by World War II. Hoover welcomed this opportunity to resume his role as the “Great Humanitarian” and spent a year traveling throughout Europe in order to record food production and to create a report detailing possible solutions to the crisis.
Following his return to the U.S. in 1946 and after presenting his case for massive U.S. intervention in terms of food and monetary funds to help rebuild Europe, President Truman asked Hoover to head what would later be called the “Hoover Commission” which was tasked with simplifying the structure of the Executive Branch.
Despite their partisan divide – Hoover was a Republican and Truman was a Democrat – the two managed to forge a friendship that would last nearly two decades.
Why do you think Hoover and Truman’s relationship worked so well, despite the fact that they were from different parties?
