National History Day

HOOVER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY RESOURCES

National History Day Topics 2008-2009
The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies

Joel T. Boone: Doctor of Presidents

Between 1922 and 1933, Dr. Joel Boone was physician for three presidents:  Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover. Boone studied medicine at Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia.  After his graduation in 1913 he joined the Naval Reserve Medical Corps, then transferred to the regular Navy in May 1915.  He served on active duty until 1 December 1950, including his tenure as White House doctor.  Documents available at the Hoover Library and online through the Library of Congress provide a detailed behind-the-scenes description of the doctor in charge of health care in the White House.
Hoover Library sources:
Joel T. Boone -- Chapter on President Hoover from the Memoirs of his physician
Joel T. Boone -- Diary excerpts
Joel T. Boone -- Oral History interview transcript
Online sources:
Library of Congress. Joel T. Boone Papers. Chapter on President Coolidge from the Memoirs of His Physician, Joel T. Boone. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/coolbib:@field(NUMBER+@band(amrlm+mb01))
Naval Historical Center. Biography and photos of Joel T. Boone. http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-b/j-boone.htm

Herbert Hoover and Food for Belgium

Germany invaded Belgium at the beginning of World War I. Belgium was a country dependent on food imports to feed its people, but now German occupation prevented imports by land and a British blockade prevented shipment by sea. Food supplies in Belgium were nearly exhausted by October 1914 when Belgian and American diplomats pleaded for assistance. Herbert Hoover founded the Commission for Relief in Belgium and helped negotiate a compromise with the British and the Germans that allowed Belgian civilians to be fed.
Hoover Library Sources:
Herbert Hoover Pre-Commerce Papers. Subject files, boxes 31 - 32 – Commission for Relief in Belgium .
Prentiss Gray Papers, box 1 – Commission for Relief in Belgium
Online source:
Gay, George I. and H. H. Fisher, Public Relations of the Commission for Relief in Belgium , Stanford University Press, 1929. http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/comment/CRB/CRB1-TC.htm

Truman Smith: American Spy in Germany

Colonel Truman Smith, military attaché in Berlin from 1935 to 1939, observed firsthand Hitler's rearmament of Germany . He reported to the State Department all he learned about the Luftwaffe, drawing on his close friendships with German air officers and officials. Smith was a key figure in May 1936 in persuading the Germans to grant Charles Lindbergh access to their aviation industry, letting Lindbergh fly their state of the art fighter plane. Though a relatively low-ranking official, Smith's legacy was large in promoting American preparedness for World War II.
Hoover Library Sources :
Truman Smith papers-Subject files: ‘Air Intelligence Activities' Germany-Military Attache, ‘Activities of the Office of the Military Attache' Writings and Speeches.

Prentiss N. Gray and the Commission for Relief in Belgium

Prentiss N. Gray was the American agent for the Commission for Relief in Belgium from 1915 to 1917. Despite naval blockades, artillery fire, and German occupation, Gray assisted Herbert Hoover with the food production, storage and distribution in war ravaged Belgium . Gray and the CRB fed seven million Belgians, the largest food relief effort in history up to that time. The legacy of the CRB was to be the model for future food relief.
Hoover Library Sources:
Prentiss Gray papers, box 1 - Commission for Relief in Belgium diary; boxes 2 - 4 printed materials on Belgium and CRB.
Online source:
Gay, George I. and H. H. Fisher, Public Relations of the Commission for Relief in Belgium , Stanford University Press, 1929. http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/comment/CRB/CRB1-TC.htm

Henry Holthusen Brings Network Television to Japan

Henry Holthusen, American consultant to the State Department and special advisor to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was instrumental in bringing television to Japan after the Second World War. Japan , erstwhile enemy, emerged from World War II as a vital American ally against expansionist Soviet Russia. Holthusen worked with Japanese leaders to modernize Japan 's economy and culture using network television. Japan adapted quickly, becoming an economic and cultural bulwark in East Asia. Hoover Library Sources :
Henry Holthusen papers-Subject files: Television-Worldwide Network Plan, Japan ( boxes 8 and 9).

In addition to these topics, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library has collections that would support a wide range of National History Day research. Our archival staff stand ready to assist young scholars in their National History Day work.

Please contact the Hoover Library archival staff at: hoover.library@nara.gov