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speeches urging women not to organize yet but to wait until the government issues a call organizing the women of the nation in defense groups to take care of the various problems that will arise during this period of preparedness.

"It would be better if the women would wait for this call rather than organize independently.  This will make for greater efficiency and organization," said Mrs. Roosevelt.

Compulsory "Service"

In a more recent statement Mrs. Roosevelt said that she favored compulsory community service for women, whatever that might mean, but added that she was not advocating compulsory work camps.

Mrs. Florence Kerr, assistant WPA commissioner started off 1941 by submitting a plan to President Roosevelt for the training of women for national defense.

"We are going to step lively so as to avert losing any of the energy that is awaiting leadership and training.  We are preparing programs which I want you to visualize as training literally millions of American women for the many services we know are needed for social and home defense," said Mrs. Kerr.

General Mills, a large cereal and food industry, has thoughtfully prepared and sent out to thousands of women blue paper kits containing seven pamphlets entitled "Programs on National Defense for Organizations" prepared by General Mills' Dept. on Public Relations. When asked why General Mills should supply these kits, a company spokesman said it followed the company's study of consumer needs.

The president of General Mills is James Bell who is also a director of American Telephone & Telegraph, a Morgan trust and of the Pullman Co., of which J. P. Morgan is also a director.

McCall's a national women's magazine, published in January, 1941 an article by Maxine Davis entitled "Women

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in the War."  The article says that "Successful defense means the marshalling of woman-power as well as man-power" and goes on to give a rosy picture of a woman cheerfully accepting the job of trying to keep herself and her family on the $30 a month her drafted husband sends home.

For women whose husbands are in the army, there is the promise that "Your husband is well off in the American Army." ... "Your soldier husband is healthy." ... The soldier's elementary training includes instruction in prophylaxis ... town officials endeavor to keep danger of venereal disease to a minimum."

[[image: Black & white political cartoon of a wealthy man in suit and top hat snapping a whip entitled Conscription NEXT? around a group of four women.]]

Jobs for women in connection with the army are mentioned ... camp hostesses, nurses, training fliers and numerous voluntary services.  But the point of the article, which professes to be "a conscientious survey of our progress in preparing to defend this continent" comes in the last paragraph which says, "voluntary work will scarcely be necessary in the future.  This war has no room for volunteers.  whether you are making over Janey's last year's party dress; whether you are pounding a typewriter to pay your husband's taxes; if you are in industry or in the active armed services, this time it is total war .... You're in the Army now."

After reading the above samples of how the public is

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