Timeline of Civil Defense 1939-1945
September 1, 1939 - Germany invades Poland.
September 3, 1939 – Britain and France declare war on Germany.
May 25, 1940 – The Office for Emergency (OEM) is established within the Executive Office of the President by administrative order, in accordance with Executive Order (EO) 8248 of September 8, 1939. OEM had certain stated functions performed under the direction of the Liaison Officer for Emergency Management.
May 29, 1940 - President Roosevelt approved the regulation of the Council of National Defense that Advisory Commission provided for in section 2 of the act of August 29, 1916 (39 Stat 649) shall be composed of:
· an Adviser on Industrial Production;
· an Adviser on Industrial Materials;
· an Adviser on Employment;
· an Adviser on Farm Products;
· an Adviser on Price Stabilization; and
· an Adviser on Consumer Protection.
This was the beginning of the National Defense Program of World War II. Realignment of relationships necessitated by the expansion of the program decentralized the Advisory Commission by merging its divisions with other newly created national defense units. Agencies which evolved from the Advisory Commission, with the exception of Office for Agricultural War Relations and the Office of Price Administration, became units of the Office for Emergency Management (OEM).
August 2, 1940 - Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense was appointed by the President, and State Governors were advised to reestablish defense councils.
August 5, 1940 - Establishment of Division of State and Local Cooperation by the Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense announced.
September 7, 1940 – ‘Black Saturday’ German blitz on British cities begins.
November 1, 1940 - First regional conference on civil defense held in New York City; followed by conferences in New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Memphis.
December 1940 - Drafts of model law sent to States for consideration of legislature with a view to securing uniformity of civil defense organization on the State level.
January 31, 1941 - the United States Conference of Mayors sent the President a report highly critical of the activities of the Division of State and Local Cooperation. It demanded increased speed in providing protective services and greater interest by Federal Government in local problems. Also suggested was a reorganization of the Federal civil defense effort, with a Federal Civil Defense Board with Federal regional offices and local civil defense boards.
February 24, 1941 – The President asked Congress to appropriate $150 million for ameliorating the problems brought about by the rearmament program. Division of State and Local Cooperation helped to sponsor the community facilities bill, which became known as the Lanham Act.
May 20, 1941 - The Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) established within Office for Emergency Management by Executive Order 8757, to
assure effective coordination of Federal relations with State and local governments engaged in furtherance of war programs;
to provide for necessary cooperation with State and local governments with respect to measures for adequate protection of civilian population in war emergencies; and
to facilitate participation by all persons in war programs.
Mayor Fiorello La Guardia of New York City was named as Director, serving on a volunteer basis without compensation. He also remained mayor of NYC.
June 20, 1941 - Executive Order 8799 amended EO 8757 to provide for a wider and more effective functioning of the Volunteer Participation Committee by increasing its membership from 20 to 45.
June 28, 1941 - The Lanham Act was approved by Congress (five weeks after the Division of State and Local Cooperation was supplanted by the OCD).
June 30, 1941 - First training course given at Edgewood Arsenal, Md. (These courses continued weekly thereafter.)
July 5, 1941 - Emergency Medical Services (EMS) established with a representative of the U.S. Public Health Service as Chief Medical Officer. EMS was responsible for the establishment of necessary emergency medical facilities in communities throughout the country, including organization of emergency field units and casualty stations.
July 10, 1941 - OCD established nine regional offices: Boston, New York City, Baltimore, Atlanta, Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha, San Antonio (later Dallas), and San Francisco.
July 16, 1941 - Executive Order 8822 amended EO 8757 to include the American Red Cross among organizations invited to designate representatives to serve as members of the Board for Civilian Protection in OCD.
July 24, 1941 - Official CD insignia adopted by OCD; included the basic CD insigne and 15 distinctive identification symbols for volunteer workers: Air Raid Warden, Auxiliary Police, Bomb Squad, Auxiliary Firemen, -Fire Watcher, Road Repair Crew, Decontamination Corps, Staff Corps, Rescue Party, Medical Corps, Nurses’ Aides Corps, Messenger, Drivers Corps, Emergency Food and Housing, Demolition and Clearance Crew. The insignia were developed by Charles T. Coiner, consultant on design to the Division of Information, Office for Emergency Management, in collaboration. with Col. Walter B. Burn, an OCD staff member.
August 1941 - During this month "The United States Citizens Defense Corps" was published. It gave the first complete and coordinated plan for local organization of civilian defense, and was the prototype of all following CD organizations.
September 22, 1941 - Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt appointed Assistant Director, OCD, heading the Division of Volunteer Participation activities, to administer the nonprotective aspects of civilian defense. She reported November- 1, 1941, and resigned February 20, 1942.
October 1941 - 3,681 Local Defense Councils operating according the the OCD News Letter.
October 7, 1941 - Official CD insigne patented (U.S. Letters Patent No. D-129,797) by Col. Walter P. Burn, who assigned rights to the Government.
October 15, 1941 - Physical Fitness Division established under the direction of John B. Kelly, with headquarters in Philadelphia. Also during October, the OCD initiated an active program of training Citizens Defense Corps personnel in every State and city.
November 1941 - During this month, the first consolidated reports from States showed over one million volunteers trained, or in training; the first regionwide test blackout was held in OCD Region 1 (New England); final definitive test of warning devices was held at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and selection of approved type was made.
November 11 to 16, 1941 - Civilian Defense Week to 1) stimulate awareness of the need for civilian defense; 2) advise how civilians can enroll; and 3) stimulate creation of Volunteer Offices.
December 7, 1941 - Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
December 8, 1941 - Director La Guardia announced the establishment of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) under OCD. (In April 1943, CAP was transferred from OCD to the War Department and operated as an auxiliary of the Army Air Force.)
December 31, 1941 - The number of Local Defense Councils was 7,031. Total enrolled volunteers totalled over 3.5 million.
January 3, 1942 - Boy Scouts of America accepted assignment of messenger training; over one million messengers were trained for CD. American Water Works, American Hotel, and National Retail Dry Goods Association accepted assignments from OCD to recommend protection programs for their member institutions.
January 6, 1942 - Special 10-day course for 150 Reserve and National Guard officers, assigned to regional and State offices, began at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland; conducted by Chemical Warfare and OCD officers.
January 9, 1942 - James M. Landis, Dean of Harvard Law School, was appointed Special Assistant to the President to devote full time to the executive work of the OCD.
January 27, 1942 - Congress approved an act to "provide protection of persons and property from bombing attacks in the United States," which authorized an appropriation not to exceed $100 million to enable the Director of OCD to provide such protection.
January 28, 1942 - First schools in emergency CD duties of regular police and duties of auxiliary police opened in 46 cities by the FBI in cooperation with the OCD.
January 31, 1942 - Melvyn Douglas, actor, named Director of OCD Art Council, to mobilize volunteer activities of nation's writers, artists, musicians, and actors for the Division of Civilian Participation program; served without compensation; resigned December 5, 1942, to enlist with the Army.
February 4, 1942 - Joint Committee on Evacuation (interdepartmental) created.
February 10, 1942 - La Guardia is forced to resign as Director of OCD. His last day in office was February 11, 1942.
February 12, 1942 - James McCauley Landis (former Dean of Harvard Law School) took over as Director of OCD.
February 18, 1942 - First Lady Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt resigns from the OCD. She felt her position was untenable following regular attacks from certain members of Congress.
February 21, 1942 - Congress approved act appropriating $100 million to OCD, specifying that no part of the money be used for “the employment of persons, the rent of facilities or the purchase of equipment and supplies to promote, produce or carryon instruction or direct instruction in physical fitness by dancers, fan dancing, street shows, theatrical performances or other public entertainment."
April 15, 1942 - Executive Order 9134 expanded functions of OCD Director by authorizing him to maintain a clearinghouse of information on State and local defense activities in cooperation with appropriate Federal departments and agencies; and replaced both the Board of Civilian Protection and the Volunteer Participation Committee by a single Civilian Defense Board to advise and assist the Director. James M. Landis received official appointment as Director of OCD at a salary of $10,000 a year.
May 19, 1942 - Executive Order 9165 established Facility Security Division for the protection of essential facilities from sabotage and other destructive acts, and placed responsibility for facility security program upon OCD.
May 28, 1942 - War Emergency Radio Service (WERS) authorized by Defense Communications Board (name changed to Board of War Communications by EO 9183, June 15, 1942) for civilian defense, Civil Air Patrol, and State guard systems, to permit licensing for defense purposes limited number of amateur shortwave stations, all of which had been closed the first of the year for security reasons. By the end of 1944, 250 licenses (covering 5,213 radio transmitters) were issued to civilian defense stations.
June 1942 - According to the OCD Statistics Section, as of June 1, 1942, almost 10 million civilians had enlisted in civilian defence schemes. 5.2 million were in the Defense Corps and 3.3 million in the Service Corps.
June 17, 1942 - Conference on emergency CD Driver Training at Yale University launched a program in which the American Automobile Association trained 800,000 drivers for CD.
August 25, 1942 – Director Landis named Liaison Officer to Civil Defense of Canada for coordination of policies, air raid signals, equipment, etc.
September 8, 1943 - Director Landis resigned and recommended the abolition of OCD. John B. Martin, deputy, became Acting Director.
October 4, 1943 - War Department announced that the Aircraft Warning Service would be placed on a standby basis.
October 18, 1943 - Executive Order 9389 expanded the authority of the OCD Director to permit him to provide for the internal organization and management of OCD, and to delegate authority to carry out his powers and duties to such agencies and officials as he might designate.
December 30, 1943 - Six Army officers who had been section or unit chiefs in Protection Branch relieved to go overseas to organize Passive Air Defense for the invasion of Normandy, under SHAEF. (Departed in February 1944.)
February 1944 - Lt. Gen. William N. Haskell (Retired) assumed duties as Director of OCD.
April 1944 - Gradual liquidation of OCD began.
April 18, 1944 - Executive Order 9437 abolished the Facility Security Program assigned to OCD by EO 9165.
July 1, 1944 – All OCD regional offices abolished.
April 12, 1945 - President Roosevelt dies and Harry S. Truman becomes President.
May 4, 1945 - President Truman signed Executive Order 9562 calling for the termination of OCD on June 30, 1945.
May 7, 1945 - Unconditional surrender of Germany
May 8, 1945 - VE-Day Victory in Europe Day
June 30, 1945 – The Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) is abolished. This action was followed by the disbanding of most State and local civil defense organizations. All protective property acquired under act of January 27, 1942, and act of February 21, 1942, was transferred to the Department of Commerce; OCD fiscal affairs were assigned to the Treasury Department.
August 6, 1945 - Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
August 9, 1945 - Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
September 2, 1945 - Unconditional surrender of Japan
The above timeline is an updated version of events first published by the Defense Preparedness Agency.