President hoover responded to the onset of the depression by

Direct federal relief to the unemployed ran counter to President Herbert Hoover's strong beliefs about the limited role of government. As a result, he responded to the economic crisis with a goal of getting people back to work rather than directly granting relief. In October 1930, he established the President's Emergency Committee for Employment (later renamed the President's Organization for Unemployment Relief) to coordinate the efforts of local welfare agencies.