I would really like a source on that claim. Given that there were only 122 million people in the U.S. (1930 census), a claim that 6-to-12% of the population died of starvation in a mere three years (1930-32) seems a wee bit excessive...
So excessive that it would’ve been considered one of the worst catastrophes in the history of the United States (and it again ignores the fact that the Depression was exacerbated by FDR’s policies well beyond anything Hoover was responsible for).