The Hoover Commission was formed in 1947 to recommend ways to make the US government operate more efficiently. It was a joint effort between Presidents Truman and Hoover, who shared a belief in reducing government waste. The commission looked at various aspects of government, including military and intelligence organizations, and made recommendations such as adopting performance-based budgeting procedures. The first commission presented its last report in 1952, and a second commission continued the work until 1955.
The nature of the United States has changed significantly since it was founded as a small nation along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. An effort to help his government adjust to changing times and a growing country was the Commission on the Organization of the Executive Branch of Government, also known as the Hoover Commission. This was a joint effort between then-President Harry Truman and former President Herbert Hoover to recommend ways the American government could operate more efficiently.
The Hoover Commission was formed in 1947 as a reaction to the rapid growth of the United States government following the Great Depression. This growth was the result of both President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation — a series of government programs designed to put unemployed Americans back to work — and the nation’s efforts in World War II. Many politicians, including Presidents Truman and Hoover, thought that this expansion had caused a number of bureaucratic inefficiencies in government. Even though Truman and Hoover came from different parties and had opposing views on the role of government, they shared a belief in the importance of government efficiency.
Bipartisan support for finding sources of government inefficiency led Congress to pass the Lodge-Brown Act of 1947. This legislation created the Hoover Commission, a 12-member body headed by President Herbert Hoover. Members of the commission, as well as staff members supporting the commission’s work, were to recommend ways in which the United States government could function more efficiently. Presidents Truman and Hoover both believed in reducing government waste, but political concerns about appealing to voters who wanted smaller government played a part in many of President Truman’s party members supporting the legislation.
The Hoover Commission looked at several aspects of government that fell within the purview of the executive branch, including matters relating to military and intelligence organizations. Among the commission’s recommendations was that the country’s oldest organizations that handle intelligence collection and analysis, such as Army Intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), should accept and work with the Newly created Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). This was a matter of both efficiency and national security. The commission also addressed the issue of budgeting within the military and different defense agencies, suggesting that the government adopt performance-based budgeting procedures. In this type of budget, funding for specific organizations and projects is determined by how well they are accomplishing the goals for which they were created.
The first Hoover Commission presented its last report to President Truman in 1952. In 1953, Congress authorized another commission, also headed by former President Hoover, to continue the work of suggesting ways to increase efficiency of government during the administration of President Eisenhower. This second Hoover Commission continued its work until 1955.
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