World War II Government publications

Beginning in World War I, the civil defense department was a non-military effort to prepare American civilians for possible military attack. The Office of Civilian Defense was set up May 20, 1941 to coordinate state and federal measures for protection of citizens in case of war emergency. Its aim was to educate people through booklets and Public Service announcements. It supervised functions such as blackouts, fire protection and "war service" functions such as child care, health, housing, and transportation. Initially, its aim was to educate people through booklets and Public Service announcements, but eventually this lead to the creation of the Emergency Broadcast System. Over the last twenty years, the practice of civil defense has been replaced by emergency management and homeland security.