Thread by @JFloyd314

Herbert Hoover is a highly underrated president. The Great Depression started on his watch, and yes, he should have handled the situation better. But both before and after his presidency, he was among the great humanitarians in US history, and his work is worth knowing about. 🧵

https://twitter.com/LGHendersonUtah/status/1627734409247088640

2/ When World War I broke out in 1914, Hoover was in London, where he had been living for the last twelve years. Concerned for the nearly 100,000 American citizens trapped in Europe, he and some other American businessmen established a committee,

3/ which he chaired and which distributed aid to tens of thousands of people.

Then came the German invasion of Belgium. Germany mandated that the occupied Belgians could only import food and other needed supplies under the supervision of the neutral United States.

4/ With the cooperation of the US government, Hoover founded the Committee for the Relief of Belgium. This was an incredibly complex organization with its own navy and factories, and Hoover regularly worked 14-hour days supervising its operations.

5/ He also personally met with German military staff to negotiate the safe transport of humanitarian aid.

After World War I ended, Hoover once again took the lead in dealing with Europe's humanitarian needs. Even America's rivals in Europe, such as defeated Germany

6/ or the newly-established Soviet Union, received aid under Hoover's leadership. In total, his efforts are estimated to have saved millions from starvation, especially in Russia, where an already severe famine was mitigated by American aid.

7/ Despite their political differences, Hoover (now retired from politics) became close with President Harry S. Truman in the late 1940's. Truman tasked Hoover with overseeing some of the American relief efforts in occupied Berlin after World War II,

8/ and Hoover was eventually responsible for the implementation of a school lunch program which fed an estimated 3.5 million hungry German children.

Truman also sent Hoover on a tour of dozens of nations, primarily in Latin America, to assess their needs and negotiate US aid.

9/ By the time Hoover died in 1964, he was globally recognized as "The Great Humanitarian"--someone who could be called on in a crisis, whose superb organizational skills

10/10 could get supplies to those in need with unprecedented efficiency. Tens of millions avoided starvation because of the heroic efforts directed by Herbert Hoover. #PresidentsDay