Presidential Papers, Doc#666 To Herbert Clark Hoover, 16 January 1954. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower
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Document #666; January 16, 1954
To Herbert Clark Hoover
Series: EM, AWF, Administration Series
The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XV - The Presidency: The Middle Way
Part IV: "Pushing ahead along the broad center"; December 1953 to March 1954
Chapter 8: A world "racing toward catastrophe"

 

Dear Mr. President: I appreciate very much your thoughtfulness in writing me relative to the progress that has been made by the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government.1

The nation is faced with basic issues that must be resolved in every one of the areas that you have selected for study.2 You have enlisted the services of some of our most outstanding leaders for membership on the task forces that you have established to carry forward these studies.3 Please convey to them my personal appreciation of their willingness to serve in this manner.

As you know I have a very real interest in the outcome of the work of the Commission. We are determined to do everything we can to put into effect sound principles of management in the conduct of the affairs of government.4 I look forward to having the benefits of your recommendations.

The time, thought, and energy that you are putting into this program as Chairman of the Commission is a source of real inspiration to all of us. The country is to be congratulated that you have once again been willing to undertake leadership in this work.5 Sincerely

1 Hoover's report to the President was dated January 13 (AWF/A). For background on the commission see no. 341.

Congress had created the commission in June 1953 with the stipulation that the President, Vice-President, and Speaker of the House each appoint four commissioners. Politicians had targeted Hoover, whose extensive experience in government organization (see n. 5 below), made him an ideal candidate for a position with the commission. As a condition to accepting the job, Hoover had insisted that he be named chairman and that he be one of the presidential appointees (Arnold, Making the Managerial Presidency, pp. 167-71).

2 By January 1954 Hoover had set up nine groups to study government operations: The first was examining the business organization of the Department of Defense; there was a water resources development and power task force; one on medical services; personnel and civil service; legal services and procedures of the executive branch; use and disposal of surplus property; subsistence management for the armed services; budget and accounting; and lending agencies.

Hoover would order additional staff studies and reorganize these task forces as the commission's study progressed. By June 1955, when the commission submitted its final report to Congress, Hoover had added nine additional task forces in such areas as military procurement, intelligence activities, overseas economic operations, real property management, transportation, research and development, and depot utilization (U.S. Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, Final Report to the Congress [Washington, D.C., 1955]; see also Neil MacNeil and Harold W. Metz, The Hoover Report: 1953-1955 [New York, 1956] and Arnold, Making the Managerial Presidency, pp. 177-91).

3 Hoover named prominent business and professional men to head the nine task forces. For example, Charles Ruffin Hook, past president of the National Association of Manufacturers and chairman of the board of Armco Steel Corporation in Ohio, chaired the task force on Business Organization of the Department of Defense (for further background on Hook see Galambos, NATO and the Campaign of 1952, no. 1028). Another steel executive, retired Admiral Ben Moreell, headed the controversial twenty-five member Water Resources Development and Power group (for background on this task force see no. 557).

4 Despite Eisenhower's expressed interest, he would remain detached from this project. Initially he had expressed opposition to the creation of the commission, but when it became apparent that congressional Republicans were intent on initiating a study, Eisenhower had agreed to support it. He insisted, however, that the commission concern itself only with policy issues and not with reorganization and reform of government agencies (see Arnold, Making the Managerial Presidency, pp. 167-71, 177-91 and Gary Dean Best, Herbert Hoover: The Postpresidential Years, 1933-1964, vol. II, 1946-1964 [Stanford, 1983], pp. 375-76, 386-94).

5 During the Truman Administration, Hoover had also chaired a Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government (see Galambos, NATO and the Campaign of 1952, no. 781; Frank H. Gervasi, Big Government: The Meaning and Purpose of the Hoover Commission Report [New York, 1949]; Mansfield, "Federal Executive Reorganization," Public Administration Review 29 [July-August 1969], 332-45; Harold Seidman, Politics, Position and Power [London, 1975]; and Ronald C. Moe, "The Two Hoover Commissions in Retrospect," Congressional Research Service Report, 82-14 Gov [March 12, 1982]). For developments see nos. 932 and 1189.

Bibliographic reference to this document:
Eisenhower, Dwight D. To Herbert Clark Hoover, 16 January 1954. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 666. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/first-term/documents/666.cfm

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