The Life of Herbert Hoover, 1914-1917: The Humanitarian

In the opening volume of this biography, Nash covers the first 40 years of Hoover's remarkably varied and productive life, with emphasis on his career as a mining engineer. The second installment deals with his masterful administration of the Commission for Relief in Belgium during World War I, which saw to the acquisition and distribution of food, clothing and medical supplies to more than nine million Belgian and French citizens trapped between the German army of occupation and a British naval blockade. It was the largest relief program in history, and the fulcrum of its success was Hoover's ability to elicit cooperation from British and French cabinet ministers, German generals, Belgian financiers and American charity officials. Nash leaves no doubt that Hoover's cultivation of public support for the effort in the U.S. was crucial. By 1917, the one-time mining engineer who was to become our 31st president had earned an international reputation as a humanitarian and had taken his first major step on the long road to the White House. A memorable portrait of a man who was ``a personified combination of idealism and power.'' Photos. (August)