Defenseless under the night : the roosevelt years, civil defense, and the origins of homeland ... security

Even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans feared an invasion or attack would occur on US soil. In this timely & authoritative work, Matthew Dallek narrates the creation of a federal agency, the Office of Civilian Defense, founded to protect the homeland.Matthew Dallek is a historian & professor of political management at George Washington University’s College of Professional Studies. The author of The Right Moment & Defenseless Under the Night, his writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, & other publications. He lives in Washington, DC. As The Bombs Fell On Guernica And The Blitz Terrorized Britons--even Before Pearl Harbor--americans Watched And Worried About Attacks On Their Homeland. In May 1941, Fdr Established An Office Of Civilian Defense To Protect Americans From Foreign And Domestic Threats. In This Book, Matthew Dallek Narrates The History Of The Office Of Civilian Defense. He Uses The Development Of The Precursor Of Homeland Security As A Way Of Examining Constitutional Questions About Civil Liberties; The Role Of Government In Propagandizing To Its Own Citizens; Competing Visions Among Liberals And Conservatives For Establishing A Plan To Defend America; And Federal, State, And Local Responsibilities For Citizen Protection. Much Of The Dramatic Tension Lies In The Preparation Of Communities Against Attack And Their Fears Of Japanese Invasion Along The Pacific Coast And Nazi Invasion. So Too There Was A Clash Of Visions Between Laguardia And Eleanor Roosevelt. The Mayor Argued That The Ocd's Focus Had To Be On Preparing The Country Against German And Japanese Attack, Including Conducting Blackout Drills, Preparing Evacuation Plans, Coordinating Emergency Medical Teams, And Protecting Industrial Plants And Transportation Centers. The First Lady Believed The Ocd Should Also Promote Social Justice For African Americans And Women And Raise Civilian Morale. Their Clashes Frustrated Fdr, Who Pressured Them Both To Resign In 1942, And Led To The Appointment Of James Landis, Commissioner Of The Sec, Who Created A Semi-military Operation That Involved Grassroots Citizen Mobilization, Including Planting Victory Gardens And Building The Civil Air Patrol. It Was The Largest Volunteer Program In World War Ii America.--provided By Publisher. Introduction: Guns And Butter -- Ultimate Armageddon -- No Pact, Treaty, Symbol, Or Person -- Two Fronts -- The Problem Of Home Defense -- An American Plan -- London Burning -- A Sweeping Conflagration Of Insanity -- Heart And Soul -- We Can't All Run To Central Park -- A Man Must Be Protected -- Fair Game -- The Liberal Approach -- All These Rights Spell Security -- Conclusion: National Security Liberalism. Matthew Dallek. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In his 1933 inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Yet even before Pearl Harbor, Americans feared foreign invasions, air attacks, biological weapons, and, conversely, the prospect of a dictatorship being established in the United States. To protect Americans from foreign and domestic threats, Roosevelt warned Americans that "the world has grown so small" and eventually established the precursor to the Department of Homeland Security - an Office of Civilian Defense (OCD). At its head, Roosevelt appointed New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia; First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt became assistant director. Yet within a year, amid competing visions and clashing ideologies of wartime liberalism, a frustrated FDR pressured both to resign. In Defenseless Under the Night, Matthew Dallek reveals the dramatic history behind America's first federal office of homeland security, tracing the debate about the origins of national vulnerability to the rise of fascist threats during the Roosevelt years. While La Guardia focused on preparing the country against foreign attack and militarizing the civilian population, Eleanor Roosevelt insisted that the OCD should primarily focus on establishing a wartime New Deal, what she and her allies called "social defense." Unable to reconcile their visions, both were forced to leave the OCD in 1942. Their replacement, James Landis, would go on to recruit over ten million volunteers to participate in civilian defense, ultimately creating the largest volunteer program in World War II America. Through the history of the OCD, Dallek examines constitutional questions about civil liberties, the role and power of government propaganda, the depth of militarization of civilian life, the quest for a wartime New Deal, and competing liberal visions for American national defense - questions that are still relevant today. The result is a gripping account of the origins of national security, which will interest anyone with a passion for modern American political history and the history of homeland defense. "As the bombs fell on Guernica and the Blitz terrorized Britons ... even before Pearl Harbor ... Americans watched and worried about attacks on their homeland. In May 1941, FDR established an Office of Civilian Defense to protect Americans from foreign and domestic threats. In this book, Matthew Dallek narrates the history of the Office of Civilian Defense. He uses the development of the precursor of "homeland security" as a way of examining constitutional questions about civil liberties; the role of government in propagandizing to its own citizens; competing visions among liberals and conservatives for establishing a plan to defend America; and federal, state, and local responsibilities for citizen protection. Much of the dramatic tension lies in the preparation of communities against attack and their fears of Japanese invasion along the Pacific Coast and Nazi invasion. So too there was a clash of visions between LaGuardia and Eleanor Roosevelt. The mayor argued that the OCD's focus had to be on preparing the country against German and Japanese attack, including conducting blackout drills, preparing evacuation plans, coordinating emergency medical teams, and protecting industrial plants and transportation centers. The First Lady believed the OCD should also promote social justice for African Americans and women and raise civilian morale. Their clashes frustrated FDR, who pressured them both to resign in 1942, and led to the appointment of James Landis, commissioner of the SEC, who created a semi-military operation that involved grassroots citizen mobilization, including planting Victory Gardens and building the Civil Air Patrol. It was the largest volunteer program in World War II America." ... Provided by publisher Even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans feared an invasion or attack would occur on US soil. In this timely and authoritative work, Matthew Dallek narrates the creation of a federal agency, the Office of Civilian Defense, founded to protect the homeland. Abstract: Even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans feared an invasion or attack would occur on US soil. In this timely and authoritative work, Matthew Dallek narrates the creation of a federal agency, the Office of Civilian Defense, founded to protect the homeland