ABSTRACT: Papers related to the St. Louis branch of the United States Office of Civilian Defense, 1941-1945.
SCOPE: The collection includes correspondence, reports, manuals, and bulletins for the Office of Civilian Defense in St. Louis, with a particular emphasis on information about air raids and blackout procedures. A campaign letter for the Greater St. Louis War Chest is also included. Some materials are addressed to William Morgan Ward, a block captain in Rock Hill, Missouri.
EXTENT: Two folders.
HISTORY: The United States Office of Civilian Defense was established by executive order in May of 1941. The primary goal of the office was to strengthen coordination between the federal government and state and local governments to protect civilians during World War II. It relied heavily on the work of volunteers around the country. The OCD’s nine regional offices were closed in 1944, and the organization was eventually eliminated in 1945.
ACCESS: This collection can be viewed on-site in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. Some of the material may be photocopied, digitally scanned or photographed, subject to condition and other access restrictions. Information on conducting research with the archival collections of the Library, including current building hours and reading room policies, can be found on our Research page. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building on the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ north campus.
Preferred Citation note: The preferred citation for this collection is “From the Special Collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri – St. Louis."
