Research

Scope and Content Note

The index cards found in this series contain information about local war councils and the agencies assisting them with local home front programs and were used by the Office of Civilian Mobilization (OCM) as a central reference file for quick reference on program status and local program needs.

The 1942 cards list local war council officers and often social welfare and agricultural agencies involved with their activities. In addition to this information, the 1943 cards contain a brief description of the war's impact on the area, discussing issues such as labor shortages, industry expansion, wage rates, transportation problems, housing, and women's employment. The 1943 cards frequently give the status of the local programs such as child care, nutrition, health preparedness, physical fitness, and recreation. These brief status reports may note number of participants, regular events, appropriations received, and problems encountered. In the few cities where the OCM organized them, social protection committees, which confronted the problems of prostitution, also reported their status.