In our previous two episodes, we covered Herbert Hoover's rise from the small towns in Iowa to the deserts of Australia, the jungles of Burma, the cities in China and the United Kingdom, and finally, the halls of power in Washington, D.C.

We covered his exploits during World War II, his prolific tenure as Secretary of Commerce, and his election

as the 31st President of the United States. Born into poverty, few American presidents had

overcome such incredible odds as Herbert Hoover, and few were as well-traveled, since Hoover

had circled the globe as a businessman and as a public figure

several times over. Still fewer can claim the kind of impact Herbert Hoover had even prior to

becoming president, being directly responsible for saving the lives of over tens of millions of

people. Hoover had monumental accomplishments on his resume that earned

the admiration of people around the world, and he had an unparalleled understanding of the

problems facing America. But Herbert Hoover also had his limitations. He was not gifted with great

oratorical skills or charisma. His years as an adult were spent either

abroad or busy with public matters. During that time, he never really forged a real connection

with the people he was now leading. He hated politics. He had little use for Congress. He couldn't

stand the games that senators and congressmen would play.

And yet, he was now in the most political office in the world. Regardless of all this,

the American voters were quite taken with Herbert Hoover's achievements. They believed that the same

man who had rescued and fed millions, who succeeded fantastically at almost everything he did, could fix the country's most fundamental problems.

The greatest irony of Herbert Hoover's life is that all of his great contributions to the world led him to the presidency, and yet his time in the presidency has diminished almost all of his great

contributions. How it all happened is the subject of this episode of this American president.

Thank you. On March 4th, 19th, 1929, Herbert Clark Hoover was sworn into office as the new president of the United States.

Administering the oath was the Chief Justice and former President William Howard Taft. In his speech, Hoover's first mention of

policy centered on prohibition, Hoover made clear that he intended to continue its implementation,

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