National Park Service War Work: December 7, 1941 to June 30, 1944

National Park Service

The situation of the National Park Service in wartime is an extremely difficult one bec.:..use the resources of the national parks are held in trust for the future in perpetuity and can be placed unreservedly at the disposal of the armeq forces and the war production agencies only when it is evident that simila,r resourc:es are not available elsewhere and that park resources must therefore be used as a last resort. The Service cannot yield to the normal ~mpulse to make all of its possessions available for war at once, but must preserve its resources as long as possible and must seek to make the wisdom of this policy understood by all of those directing or participating actively in the war program and above all by a not always understanding public. In his first annual report to the Secretary of the Interior after the entry of the United states,fnto World War II, Director Newton B. Drury of the National Park Service indicated that lithe stress of war has compelled the Service to take stock of its primary functions and responsibilities. As trustee for many of the great thing's of America--areas of outstanding natural beauty, scientific interest, and historiQal significance--the National Park Service has realized its obligation to harmonize its activities with those relating to the war, aiding wherever possible, and striving to hold intact tl'lose things entrusted to it ""- the properties themselves, the basic organization trained to perform its tasks, and, most important of all, the uniquely American concept under which tho national parks are preserved inviolate for the present and future benefit of all of our people.1I On the outbreak of war, the National Park Service administered approximately 2lt million acres of land possessed of varied 8cenic1 scientific, historical, archeological, and recreational resources. Many of these resources could have been quickly manufactured into war materials. To cite only a few cases, the primeval forests of spruce and other hardwoods, the herds of wild elk and bison, the bronze trophy ordnance and statuary in the historical parks, and the minerals under the ground in some of the park areas have obvious wartime uses. Yet the great national scenic parks are our dearest national possessions; the great historical areas are our witness that this Nation has an honorable and glorious past and a rich cultural background. The needless sacrifice of this scenic and cultural heritage during the war would deprive the American people of some of the most potent symbols of their national greatness and destroy forces that now work to build national intellii~ence, pride, and love of country. A generation of Americans brought up without physical evidences of the Nation's bee.uty, greatness, and historical achievements would be spirituall:r naked and poor indeed. In a very real sense, then the national parks, monuments, historic sites, and memorials in the National Park System symbolize and embody many of the very ideals and objects for which our soldiers are fighting.

National Park Service War Work: December 7, 1941 to June 30, 1944

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