The archives collects and conducts oral histories that further its mission to preserve and make available materials about political, social, and economic change in the modern world. These interviews enhance the archival record with personal reflections, anecdotes, and insights. Topics range from civilian internment in the Philippines during World War II to US and Soviet relations under Mikhail Gorbachev.
The archives also works with Hoover fellows, the Stanford Historical Society, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and others to conduct oral histories documenting the history of the Hoover Institution.