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.