Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
wholly on the other side of the water and nobody knew him. He'd been selected by President Wilson to do a rescue, relief job because he was in London already - he lived there so he was there. He was an engineer and somebody knew him. I guess the Ambassador knew him, as he would most of the Americans who lived in London. He knew him to be able. He was right there. He knew the international situation. He knew a lot of the English.
I didn't meet him at that time, but I had been interested in him just because Wilson asked him to go and head this relief organization. He did it brilliantly, or everybody supposed he did. We were all proud of it. It was really wonderful. The finest kind of people went and worked with him. Edgar Rickard came from Chicago and I knew him through friends of mine. Hoover asked him to come and be his first assistant. Rickard picked up a lot of very, very fine young men. That team that went on the Belgian relief was like a mission band. They were really very devoted to each other and to Hoover.
So I had been interested in Hoover ever since I heard of him. For a long time he couldn't make up his mind whether he was a Republican or a Democrat. He was serving with the President, but he didn't have any politics. That was interesting. He was a well-educated man. He said some
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help