Herbert Hoover’s Fight For Peace
By Jason Sibert
President Herbert Hoover is remembered as a President whose administration was ruined by the Great Depression.
Some at the time blamed the depression on Hoover, although few historians would blame it on him today. While he did make some effort (usually forgotten) to fight the depression, his efforts weren’t very effective. Less mentioned are Hoover’s thoughts and actions in the realm of peace.
When he was sworn in as President in 1929, Hoover stated peace as a goal of America’s foreign policy. This should come as no surprise, as President Hoover was a Quaker – a religion known for its pacifism. Hoover rejected the absolute pacifism of the Quakers but his actions as a President and ex-President prove peace was a high priority for him.
He largely made good on a 1928 election promise not to interfere in Latin America affairs. In 1930, Hoover released the Clark Memorandum – a rejection of the Roosevelt Corollary and a move toward non-intervention in Latin America. He wound down the Banana Wars and ended the occupation of Nicaragua. On the other hand, he did threaten to intervene in the Dominican Republic three times and sent the Navy to prop up El Salvador’s government.
President Hoover put an emphasis on disarmament and hoped that it would allow him to transfer funds from military to domestic priorities. He and Secretary of State Henry Stimson worked to extend the Washington Naval Treaty which sought to prevent a naval arms race. His efforts resulted in the London Navy Treaty. The treaty represented the first time navel powers agreed to cap the tonnage of their auxiliary vessels. Hoover attended the 1932 World Disarmament Conference, an attempt by the United States and the countries of the League of Nations to achieve disarmament, and suggested the outlawing of tanks and bombers. His suggestions were not adopted.
Hoover wrote a book with former Diplomat Hugh Gibson “The Problems of Lasting Peace” (1942). The work addressed a post-World War II order where the world worked together to secure peace and security. Gibson and Hoover analyzed World War I, Hoover severed as President Woodrow Wilson’s Food Administrator during the war, and weaved a narrative as to why the war did not led to a lasting and brokered peace. The two recommended an international alliance after World War II where each regional power would police its neighborhood, allowing the world in general to spend less money on arms.
President Hoover generally supported the idea of the United Nations after World War II, but he didn’t like having the Soviet Union and other Communist countries as members. However, Hoover disliked the often overstating of Soviet Russia’s power during the Cold War. Writer Lee Nash penned a book “Herbert Hoover and World Peace” (2012) where he documented the unpopular Hoover’s struggle for peace in the world. Nash stated that if Hoover’s ideas on the Cold War had been followed then our country could have averted the Vietnam War. The former President was supportive of President Harry Truman’s decision to rebuild Europe after World War II and make it an example of democratic governments. Europe could then serve as a check on Soviet Russia’s influence. However, Hooever feared the Cold War might lead to lots of American casualties in Europe and Asia.
Jason Sibert is the Executive Director of the Peace Economy Project
