Established by
Herbert Hoover in
1919 to house his papers on
World War I relief efforts, the Hoover Institution is located on the
Stanford University campus in
Palo Alto, CA (although it has no offical tie to the university). The Institution, which has since expanded its focus to cover all of
20th Century political history, consists of the
Hoover Archives, a library, and a conservative right-wing
think tank of
Hoover Fellows.
The archives have outstanding collections of documents and items relating to World War I, World War II, and Russian and Soviet history. The most visible symbol of the Institution is mighty Hoover Tower, in all its Art Deco majesty.