Hoover Institution Library and Archives

Hoover Institution Library and Archives The Hoover Institution Library & Archives is dedicated to documenting war, revolution, and peace in

By collecting rare and unique material on political, economic, and social change in the modern era; preserving it; and providing it to researchers, the library and archives provide a rich and growing knowledge base and promote and encourage scholarship and research. Archival holding amount to nearly 6,000 separate collections that encompass an estimated 50 million original documents; 15 million do

cuments on microfilm; upward of 15 million digitized images; more than 100,000 speeches, broadcasts, and historical records on audiotape and videos; and some 120,000 political posters. The library holds 900,000 rare books, special collections, and serials. Collecting areas of special interest include Nationalist China, imperial Russia, the USSR and post-Soviet Russia and Central and East Europe, political ideologies and movements in the United States and the West, and the broadcast collections of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Firing Line .

Join us at The Afghanistan Oral Histories Launch: War, Aftermath, And MemoryThe Hoover Institution Library & Archives ha...
04/07/2026

Join us at The Afghanistan Oral Histories Launch: War, Aftermath, And Memory

The Hoover Institution Library & Archives has partnered with the Hoover Afghanistan Relief Team to document the important stories of Afghans, Americans, and others who took part in and experienced the war and rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan by capturing the stories and experiences of Afghans fleeing the country after the US withdrawal, the Taliban regime takeover, and the collapse of the Afghan government.

This collection of 450 hours of interviews will become available for research in the Library & Archives' digital repository during the event.

This half-day conference, featuring Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow H..R. McMaster, former Chief of the Afghan Army Haibatullah Alizai, and Research Fellow and Curator for North American Collections Jean Cannon, among others, will be followed by a reception with light refreshments for attendees in Hatfield Courtyard.

When: Thursday, April 9, 2026 from 1:30 - 5:30 pm PT

Where: Shultz Auditorium at Stanford University

Former president Herbert Hoover lands in Berlin in April 1946 on a mission from President Harry Truman to assess the wor...
04/07/2026

Former president Herbert Hoover lands in Berlin in April 1946 on a mission from President Harry Truman to assess the world’s need for hunger relief after the global conflagration. This photo shows (from left to right) Hoover, General Joseph T. McNarney, military governor in Germany, Hugh Gibson, a longtime Hoover associate, and General Lucius D. Clay, deputy military governor. Hoover understood from his experience as a humanitarian during and in the aftermath of the First World War that people could not truly live in freedom while living in hunger.

The American Story. One Image at a Time.

For more on USA@250, visit: https://www.hoover.org/usa-at-250

This poster was designed by a Russian artist in Moscow in 1922 to honor the humanitarian enterprise of the American Reli...
04/07/2026

This poster was designed by a Russian artist in Moscow in 1922 to honor the humanitarian enterprise of the American Relief Administration (ARA), which came to Soviet Russia in 1921 to fight a massive famine. The famine claimed 6 million lives, but the ARA, founded and administered from Washington by Herbert Hoover, rescued millions through the delivery of food and medical relief. This poster, with the caption "American Gift," depicts a couple and their small child being sustained by American food, with the Statue of Liberty there to reflect the idea that freedom from want is the basis for all fundamental freedoms.

The American Story. One Image at a Time.

For more on USA@250, visit: https://www.hoover.org/usa-at-250

Created in 1986 by the National Women's History Project (NWHP) in Santa Rosa, California, this poster features influenti...
03/16/2026

Created in 1986 by the National Women's History Project (NWHP) in Santa Rosa, California, this poster features influential American feminists, activists, and artists who championed causes such as women's suffrage, civil rights, and education reform in the 20th century. It honors the efforts and achievements made by American women who have played a significant role in expanding freedom and opportunity for all Americans, regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity. Around this time, the NWHP successfully advocated for national recognition, leading Congress to establish the first Women's History Month in March 1987.

The American Story. One Image at a Time.

For more on USA@250, visit: https://www.hoover.org/usa-at-250

In late 1944, Allied forces—including American soldiers—began liberating the southern Netherlands from German occupation...
03/16/2026

In late 1944, Allied forces—including American soldiers—began liberating the southern Netherlands from German occupation, culminating in the German surrender on May 5, 1945. Although created in the United Kingdom, this poster reflects how the American military contribution was significant to the liberation and restoration of freedom in Europe. A lone soldier stands along a path lined with Allied flags, visually situating the United States within a coalition committed to liberation.

The American Story. One Image at a Time.

For more on USA@250, visit: https://www.hoover.org/usa-at-250

Happy Birthday, Lou Henry Hoover! The former First Lady, Stanford University geology graduate, Girl Scouts leader and li...
03/29/2025

Happy Birthday, Lou Henry Hoover! The former First Lady, Stanford University geology graduate, Girl Scouts leader and lifelong activist was born on March 29th, 1874.

Despite the hardships of living through economic recessions, international conflicts (here she is in China during the Boxer Rebellion), and spearheading achievements in male-dominated fields, Lou Henry Hoover carved her own career path alongside that of her husband, Herbert Hoover, and dedicated her life’s work to serving others. She was a brilliant woman, a linguist, a scholar, a philanthropist, a mother, and a friend.

Celebrate Lou’s birthday by exploring more of her achievements:https://www.hoover.org/library-archives/histories/lhh150

03/06/2025

Charles Palm, Deputy Director Emeritus of the Hoover Institution, recalls the ambitious effort he spearheaded to microfilm the newly opened Soviet archives after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The landmark project made available a "massive trove of Soviet government and Communist Party records" to researchers everywhere.

The Archives of the Soviet Communist Party and Soviet State Microfilm Collection are housed at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives. Explore the finding aids for the collection and learn more about "Documenting Communism: The Hoover Project to Microfilm and Publish the Soviet Archives" here: https://www.hoover.org/research/soviet-microfilm-project

02/24/2025

Dr. Kaoru "Kay" Ueda, curator for the Japanese Diaspora collection and research fellow at the Hoover Institution, reflects on the importance of the Mitsuo Fuchida papers. Historians increasingly recognize the need to study materials from all sides of World War II, and the Fuchida papers show a Japanese perspective. Fuchida's personal account has contributed significantly to how we remember Pearl Harbor today and provides an insider's view of the Japanese naval operations.

Fuchida's papers are housed at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives. Explore the finding aid for the collection: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8x63vbx/

Search some of the digitized materials: https://digitalcollections2.hoover.org/browse/collection/2304211

02/06/2025

Why was August 1953 a pivotal moment in US-Iran relations? Abbas Milani, Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University and a research fellow and co-director of the Iran Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution, explores this topic through collections at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives and reveals why scholars have spent decades trying to figure out what exactly happened.

The Ardashir Zahidi papers are housed at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University. Explore the finding aid for the collection here: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c81n86hm/

11/21/2024

Hoover Institution research fellow Jennifer Burns reveals insights from Milton Friedman’s papers into what caused the Great Depression, including how Friedman’s quest to find the answer led him to a remarkable collaboration with economist Anna Schwartz. Their study, "A Monetary History of the United States," became the playbook for policymakers in times of economic crisis.

The Milton Friedman papers are housed at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives at Stanford University. Explore the finding aid for the collection: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf7t1nb2hx/
.. and the Milton Friedman Digital Collections: https://miltonfriedman.hoover.org

11/11/2024

Hoover Institution senior fellow Stephen Kotkin discusses the beginning of World War II and highlights the embarrassment faced by both N**i Germany and the Soviet Union when Hi**er attacked the USSR after 1939’s Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Today, Hoover Institution Library and Archives houses the rare photos of the pact’s signing.

Watch the full episode of Reflections here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e8NHJWUbho

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