RECRUITING WOMEN INTO the WORLD WAR II MILITARY: the OFFICE of WAR INFORMATION, ADVERTISING and GENDER By
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RECRUITING WOMEN INTO THE WORLD WAR II MILITARY: THE OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION, ADVERTISING AND GENDER by Zayna N. Bizri A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy History Committee: ___________________________________________ Director ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Department Chairperson ___________________________________________ Program Director ___________________________________________ Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Date: _____________________________________ Fall Semester 2017 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Recruiting Women into the World War II Military: The Office of War Information, Advertising and Gender A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at George Mason University by Zayna N. Bizri Master of Arts George Mason University, 2010 Bachelor of Arts West Chester University, 1999 Director: Christopher H. Hamner, Professor Department of History and Art History Fall Semester 2017 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Copyright 2017 Zayna N. Bizri All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION For Chris. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many, many thanks to the friends, family, colleagues, and gracious experts who supported me through this process. My husband and Chief Henchman Chris and First Minion Heather provided invaluable assistance in archival research, emotional and moral support in the writing process, and unwavering support throughout the madness called “getting a PhD.” The Girl Gang, Megan, Christina, Kirsten, Joanna, Rebecca, Morgan, Alyssa, Sydney, Caitlin, and Samma, kept me connect to the rest of the world. A large portion of the final product was written in the gaming room at Victory Comics, and the fabulous staff were incredibly supportive, though sometimes perplexed. My father Hani, stepmother Hind, and sister Rima have supported me in so much more than graduate school. My advisor, Dr. Christopher Hamner, gave me valuable advice and direction. Dr. Harry Butowsky and Dr. Nicholas Schlosser mentored me in the science and art that is “doing” history. Finally, this project would not have been conceived, or begun, without the friendship and support of Dr. Nancy Bush, who is sorely missed. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ vii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ viii Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Chapter Two: Talk and Teeth: The Transition from the Office of Facts and Figures to the Office of War Information ................................................................................................ 33 Chapter Three: Free a Man to Fight: Women’s Auxiliaries and Women’s Campaigns ... 53 Chapter Four: The Poet and the Reporter: The Developing Conflict between Archibald Macleish and Elmer Davis ................................................................................................ 98 Chapter Five: Tug-o-War: The Conflict Manifests in Middle Management .................. 127 Chapter Six: Independent Women? The OWI’s Perception Problem ............................ 138 Chapter Seven: “Quite an assignment, methinks.” A Cohesive Campaign Plan At Last 157 Chapter Eight: Conclusion .............................................................................................. 198 Appendix ......................................................................................................................... 206 References ....................................................................................................................... 226 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Figure 1: That Was the Day I Joined ...................................................................................9 Figure 2: Enlist in the WAVES ...........................................................................................9 Figure 3: I’d Rather Be With Them .....................................................................................9 Figure 4: Don’t Miss Your Great Opportunity ..................................................................10 Figure 5: Will Your Name Be There?................................................................................10 Figure 6: Good Soldier.......................................................................................................10 Figure 7: Proud – I’ll Say! .................................................................................................27 Figure 8: There’s a Man-Size Job for You in Your Navy .................................................53 Figure 9: I’m in this War Too! .........................................................................................107 Figure 10: I’m proud of my two soldiers .........................................................................118 Figure 11: My Jim would be proud of me! ......................................................................139 Figure 12: Choose Your Job ............................................................................................143 Figure 13: They Can’t Do Anymore ................................................................................144 Figure 14: Woman’s Place in War - Cartographer ..........................................................146 Figure 15: Wacs are Going Places - Overseas .................................................................148 Figure 16: WACS with the Army Ground Forces ...........................................................149 Figure 17: College Women in the WAC..........................................................................150 Figure 18: On the Same Team .........................................................................................154 Figure 19: Earn a Navy Rating ........................................................................................154 Figure 20: Make a Date with Uncle Sam .........................................................................202 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Office of War Information .............................................................................................OWI Office of Facts and Figures ............................................................................................ OFF War Manpower Commission .......................................................................................WMC Aircraft Warning Service .............................................................................................. AWS Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps .............................................................................. WAAC Women’s Army Corps ................................................................................................. WAC Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service ............................................. WAVES Coast Guard - Spar .......................................................................................................SPAR United State Marine Corps Women’s Reserve .................................................... USMCWR Army Nurse Corps ........................................................................................................ ANC Navy Nurse Corps ......................................................................................................... NNC Cadet Nurse Corps ........................................................................................................ CNC vii ABSTRACT RECRUITING WOMEN INTO THE WORLD WAR II MILITARY: THE OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION, ADVERTISING AND GENDER Zayna N. Bizri, Ph.D. George Mason University, 2017 Dissertation Director: Dr. Christopher H. Hamner This dissertation describes the process of recruiting women into the United States Armed Forces in World War II. The Office of War Information created and managed recruiting campaigns for all labor and military needs, including those for women. The advertisements produced at the beginning of the war were markedly different than those produced at war’s end. The changes in advertising reflected the changes in perceptions of women and gender, and transmitted those changes to the public. This dissertation uses internal Office of War Information Records as well as the public result of the conversation – the advertisements themselves – as primary sources. This dissertation argues that the change in advertisements reflected that content producers at the Office of War Information moved from viewing women only in the context of their relationships to men to viewing women as consumers and audiences in their own right. viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In the early spring of 1943, Mary Brewster White had a problem. As the head of Womanpower Campaigns in the Office of War Information (OWI), she had to create campaigns that would result in the “voluntary mobilization of women to replace men, wherever necessary, in the many thousands of jobs and services which are vital to the maintenance of war production and community welfare.”1 Women’s full participation would end the war all the sooner.