National Press Club Luncheon Speakers

Herbert Hoover, March 10, 1954

Herbert Hoover, March 10, 1954. National Press Club Archives

The 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), addressed the National Press Club eight months after President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed him to lead a commission to study and make recommendations for the reorganization of the executive branch. Hoover had chaired a similar commission during Harry S. Truman’s administration that sought ways to promote efficiency and economy within federal agencies and thus save taxpayers money. Congress and President Truman implemented approximately 70% of the first Hoover Commission’s recommendations. Yet, according to a report approved by Hoover, many problems remained unsolved. The second commission, the study contended, documented “a picture of a sprawling and voracious bureaucracy, of monumental waste, excesses and extravagances, of red tape, confusion, and disheartening frustrations, of loose management, regulatory irresponsibilities, and colossal largesse to special segments of the public, of enormous incompetence in foreign economic operations, and of huge appropriations frequently spent for purposes never intended by the Congress.” ... More [PDF; 155 KB]

Timings (hh:mm:ss)

Introduction: 00:00-07:24
Speech: 07:25-26:53
Q & A: 26:54-37:23

Topics of the Talk

• Purpose, History, and Structure of Commission on Government Reorganization: 07:46-14:00
• Executive Branch Departments and Activities Investigated by Commission: 14:01-15:22
• Federal Savings through Implementation of Commission Recommendations: 15:23-16:24
• Federal Savings from Cessation of Opposition by Pressure Groups: 16:25-20:48
• Growth of Federal Bureaucracy: 20:49-26:53
• Progress Due to U.S. Creative Instincts and Religious Faith: 35:49-36:53