Herbert Hoover led philanthropic efforts to help Europe after World War I. Later as president, he was reluctant to offer public help to victims of the depression because of a conviction that people, not governments, should extend such help. He lost in 1932 to Franklin Roosevelt and his "New Deal", which helped some people (though in ways that might be considered parsimonious and paternalistic today). Mr. Hoover might have been wrong -- tragically wrong --
 but he was not heartless. Small wonder that Harry Truman, relatively inexperienced in politics as a new president, turned to his predecessor for advice.