Uneasy relationship between Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower a former director of the museum where this event took place. Its a great pleasure to introduce the last speaker. Tim walch received a ph. D. In history from northwestern in 1975. After that he served in various capacities of ne National Archives and records institution part of that large organization. Until his retirement in 2011 beginning as a Program Analyst with the National HistoricalPublic Relations commission, tim served as budget analyst, codirector of the modern archives institute, chief of Education Development before landing in west branch as assistant director of the Herbert Hoover president ial Library Museum and finally director of the same organization from 1993 to 2011. Prolific writer. He edited more than 22 books including the correspondence between hoover and eisenhower as well as numerous articles, essays, book reviews, encyclopedia entries and numerous book articles. On a personal note i always could count on tim to serve as a roaf refor a peer review journal i was involved with in my former capacity as Illinois State historian. He represents the finest attributes of those who serve in public history. When i was appointed director of the president ial Herbert Hoover museum after his retirement i knew i was taking over an organization tim had built into a top research center. Film grateful for all his good work, understanding Herbert Hoover. His talk today is the humanitarian and general, the Uneasy Partnership between Herbert Hoover and 58 d. Eisenhower. [ applause ] thanks, tom. Youre very generous as was richard last night. My remarks this afternoon and, folks, are there any better words to hear other than final speaker . [ laughter ] my remarks this afternoon are based on a book i did called Herbert Hoover and dwight d. Eisenhower, a documentary history. There is a flyer in the library if youre interested in the book itself. Theyre not sold here for a variety of reasons. Its the third in a trilogy i did with my friend and colleague, dwight miller, who is here on hoovers extraordinary relationship with Franklin Roosevelt, harry its an void life. And as we have learned today mr. Hoovers relationship with the men and many others makes it a life worth remembering. Today were here to talk about Herbert Hoover and dwight d. Eisenhower. The sons of the heart land found opportunity to Work Together in common cause in the years after world war ii. And discussed everything from the contentious fight for the 1952 republican president ial nomination to the Second Hoover Commission to reorganize the executive branch. Not surprisingly they had much in common. Both hoover and eisenhower had been born into religious families nd midwest. Both selfmade and the first members of the their families to graduate from college. Both men had distinguished careers before they were elect td to the presidency. Most important both men shared a common con seshtive politicalfy l philosophy. It may come as a surprise that the two men were never close. It was not for a lack of effort at least on ikes part. But the older man seemed suspicious of his motive. And perhaps it was the politics of the presidency. They had been on opposite sides of the 1952 Republican National convention. And hoover could never quite come to trust eisenhower after the convention. To be sure hoover saw value in working with the president was always polite, even kor jal. The relationship was formal at best. They were colleagues but not friends. It will surprise some of you that hoovers collaboration with eisenhower was not as personal as his partnership with trueman. As we have heard, hoover and truman had one of the oldest and productive partnerships in president ial history. And not to be over look td as the fact that hoover was a man in his 80s when he took on assignments. He could have rebuffed the appeals by claiming age or declining health. Thats not hoovers way. Its important to look at the hoover Eisenhower Pat ner ship . The context of hoovers long and productive post presidency. Although it has become common for recent president s to take active roles in public life after they leave office, it was unusual for president s before hoover to follow such a path. Hoover never articulated a Job Description for the role of former president. But defined the model that his successor used to the present day. As such, hoover found himself first as leader of the Republican Opposition to Franklin Roosevelt. And later as a partner to truman and eisenhower. Hoover also would provide support and private counsel to president s kennedy and johnson. Even at the age of 88 hoover only reluctantly declined a invitation to serve as honorary chairman of the peace core. His spirit was willing, hoover knew he no longer had the energy to do the job properly. So what event precipitated the president ial partnerships. To a significant extent it was fdr sudden death that defined hoovers personal relationship with the men. And had it not been for several accidents of history tgs not likely that hoover and truman would have ever crossed paths and forged their unusual partnership. They were about as politically different from one another as can be imagined. And yet had more in common than either man could have known. They were the first two president s born west of the mississippi. And both profoundly shaped by world war i. And its after math. They were both men of modest means who experience tragedy at an early age. Most important both men lived in the shadow of Franklin Roosevelt and needed each other to escape that. Truman faced a formidable Republican Opposition in congress and saw value in an alliance with hoover. For his part hoover saw vindication in a return to government service, under a democratic president. Together hoover and truman found a way forward that led to plans to rebuild europe and reorganize the executive branch. Hoover and truman remained friends even after truman left office in 19534. In fact an argument can be made the friendship deepened when they became equals as the nations two only living former president s. They formed an informal former President Club and saw each other from time to time in new york and florida. The conversation was casual. The add mirgs was genuine. They attended president ial libraries and exchanged books. The wonderful letter from hoover to truman. Truman was so impressed with that letter he actually had it framed and displayed on the behind his desk at the library. And the folks will tell you when hoover was in residence he would point to or show that letter to visitors. Hoovers relationship with eisenhower was significantly different from that partnership with truman. He was no stranger when they began the correspondent. It is likely that the two men were first introduced by general Douglas Mcarthur. When he was army chief of staff. During the hoover administration. Eisenhower was aid atd the time and often charged with the responsibility for preparing reports and communication for president. It is logical therefore to assume eisenhower had a number of formal conversations in briefings with the commander in chief between 1929 and 1933. That likely cow have been acknowledged. Theres no record of any written contact between hoover and eisenhower during those years. The first document evidence of communication between the two men comes at the end of world war ii when hoover wrote about a matter very close to hoovers heart. He had been an active collector of documentation on war revolution and peace. Since the years after the first world war. It was his belief that knowledge would help prevent nations from repeatedly making the same mistake. To further research on these issues, hoover opened a special war library at stanford university. And that was the term he often used the war library. Established in 1919 it grew into the hoover institution. With its own tower in the middle of the stanford campus. With the end of a second word war in 1945 hoover took the initiative to smooth away for his representatives to travel in europe and gather vital documents. He knew that eisenhowers cooperation was essential to this effort and he issued a request for help in 1945 and a flurry of communication came the following year. Collecting documents was not the only issue that brought the two together. Food relief in europe was a personal concern and hoover took to the leading role as chairman of the president s Famine Emergency Committee with eisenhower taking a supporting role as the supreme ally commander in europe. Not surprisingly, hoover briefed eisenhower on civilian food needs and eisenhower in turn briefed his staff on hoovers work. A third issue of common interest was politics. Hoover was keenly interested in the upcoming election of 1948 and eisenhower was rumored to be a candidate. Would he run as a republican for president . Hoover wanted to know and put his thoughts on paper and those thoughts are in the book. A final issue was the reorganization of the executive branch. So called first Hoover Commission a task he took on for truman. Hoover was pleased to have eisenhower as a consultant. On the reorganization of the War Department and its eventual transition into the department of defense. For his part eisenhower was honored to work with the former president. On a vital issue. But as the 1940s came to an end, hoover was busy addressing the post war fa anyone in europe and the reorganization of the executive branch. Not surprisingly he had scant contact with eisenhower between 49 and 1949 and 1952. And the document evidence is found only in contact between third parties or mutual friends. There were a few efforts to get together particularly during the tiles when both were in new york. As president of the colombia for example, he invited him to serve as an honorary chair to raise funds. He declined that because he was raising money for the Engineering Program at stanford university. The communication during those years came as the cold war heated up in 1951. By then ik was nato commander and clearly committed to a leadership role for the United States in sustaining the fragile democracy of western europe. Hoover could not convince the future president that america should retreat to a focus primarily on national interest. So Foreign Policy was a friction point between the two. And there was no question where hoover stood. On december 20, 1950, hoover delivered a forceful direct call for the United States to concentrate on the preservation of the western hemisphere with Great Britain as the out post in the atlantic and japan for most and the philippine ins the pacific. In effect hoover was calling for america to adopt a modified isolation Foreign Policy. Similar to the one he advanced during his own administration. In this campaign he was not alope. Many republicans of the u. S. Senate were in agreement with the former president. Eisenhower would have none of the talk as america. Even if it was coming from a former president. And letters to his friends during the months, eisenhower was openly critical of hoover. In hindsight there was no surprise. It would have been illogical to reputeuate the crusade he led in europe from 1943 to 45. Or his service to Supreme Commander of the north american treaty organization. Most revealing during the years was a diary entry written by eisenhower on 1951. One of the men i most admired is Herbert Hoover. I am forced to believe hes getting senile. God knows i would like to get out of the europe and see the United States able to sit at home and ignore the rest of the world. What a pleasing prospect until you look at the ultimate consequence. Beginning in 1952, hoover turned his attention to the selection of the republican nominee. For president. In the campaign to roll back the excesses of the new deal. He had seize four campaigns come and go since his loss. He had some hope of being the nominee himself in 1936 and 1940. And had rallied his supporters when he didnt get the nomination those years. He was only mildly supportive in 1944 and 1948. As 19 5 2 approached however. Hoover and many of the associates began to marshall their resources in support of the president ial as separation of their friend and colleague. Taft of ohio. Known as mr. Republican, taft led the Congressional Republicans against truman and believed he had earned a shot at the president ial brass ring. 1952 should be his year. Just as important to hoover, taft had been one of the young hoover men. Who had worked with him on the commission for relief in belgium from 1914 to 1919. And in the rest of europe after the war. Such loyalty deserved his support. But due wi and his colleagues had other ideas and eisenhower was the man who had led the crusa crusade against hitler and the forces of evil. Eisenhower was at the center of the plans. It was internal struggle for the soul of the Republican Party. The First Six Months of 1952 were a time when the two camp focussed on the coming campaign. Although they were not political opponents as such, hoover and eisenhower certainly were not allies. In fact they barely communicated during the critical months before the president ial Campaign Began in earnest. Instead of direct communication they made comments through surrogate. The Republican National convention would be held in july. And evident to hoover the taft was in trouble. The delegate counts indicated taft would need every possible vote and sop the juggernaut if he was going to stop the juggernaut for eisenhower. Primary contests were bitter. And it appeared a convention Credential Committee would have to resolve the dispute. Hoover was not pleased with the squabbles and that they would be argued in public. It was his hope an agreement between the two camps could be worked out before the convention. Quite obviously hoover hoped that taft would prevail in any such negotiation. Paramount for hoover however was that the negotiations be done in private. And at the highest level. In an effort to facility the process hoover contacted senator henry lodge. Eisenhowers campaign manager. He approached the matter delicately in a june 16 telegram. Asking lodge and eisenhower to consider resolving the differences in private. Hoover was rebuffed on june 26 and a blunt letter from lodge that accused hoover and taft of being undemocratic. That hoover must have been upset is an under stamtd. What an instult. In fact one might mark the beginning of hoovers cool attitude towards eisenhower to this letter from lodge. The two men squabbled by mail up to the opening of the convention itself. Lodge eventually had his way and the disputes were resolved by the rnc delegate committee. It was a foregone conclusion for many observers that eisenhower would get the nomination. Did he have enough votes to get a victory on the first ballot . Hoover delivered a address to the convention on july 8. The former president believed that this was to be his last convention speech. He poured his soul into the message. He was pleased by theagelation and administration that he received from his fellow republicans. Had closed with the hope that god would give them the strength and courage to continue their fight for freedom. He was fefded by thundering applause as he left the podium. Although he was grateful to the response to his speech, hoover was bitter in the after math of the convention. His enemy towards the camp is evident in the available documents. Hoover drafted a brief memoir for the record and surmised he would have no role in the coming election campaign. Eisenhower of course won the nomination. But had a way to go to win over hoover. Theres no question that the former president believed he had been insulted by the eisenhower forces during the preconvention negotiation. With the campaign about to begin in earnest it was unclear what role hoover could have in the fall. The press of course popped the question. Would hoover support, who would hoover support in fact general election. Quote being a republican i shall vote for the republican ticket. To say this an endorsement of eisenhower was tepid is an under statement. Perhaps hoover was throwing an insult back at eisenhower and his minnons for the way he believes he was treated prior to the convention. Whatever the subtext it was clear to eisenhower that he would have some work to do to get hoover on board in the general election campaign. During august and september, eisenhower made several efforts to contact the former president. To no avail. For various reasons the two men did not talk until october 9. After a fateful telephone call however, hoover prepared a memorandum that summarized a call to action. The principle purpose of the call was ask hoover to address the nation on behalf of the republican ticket. A task that the former president gladly accepted. On the evening of october 18, by both radio and television the Herbert Hoover spoke to the american people. Misrepresentation, employment relief, aid to farmers, labor, children, housing and more. Hoover never got to the point. Encouraging his followers to get out and vote for eisenhower and nixon. In f