Show b amm eleanor roos roosevelt eve I 1 started one day with a co committee meeting at nine at which all the government agencies met to find ways in which they could operate cooperate co from there I 1 went to a meeting of the district of columbia social agencies they have gathered a group of volunteers who have been taking a course in an effort to prepare themselves for work which would necessitate a knowledge of all the available resources in the community this kind of knowledge is valuable and I 1 think it is a good preparation for the type of activity which defense work asks of us all there was a time when many people thought that the word defense meant sim simply ply physical protection this could be given by the army navy and air force plus the police and fire departments even the air raid warden who became a recognized person in defense through our knowledge of what had happened in england was looked upon primarily as a person who would see that lights were out and people were notified where fires were to be extinguished now it is understood at last that real defense begins in every home the insecure home is a menace to the security of the community therefore the air raid warden who knows every family in his or her i area must know upon what agencies cies to call to meet the needs of each and every person in it who is not able to meet them himself the job is not just policing it is social service as well I 1 am told that some people have an idea that this has nothing to do with defense they say it is really only a way of putting over on an unsuspecting community in the guise guise of defense some of the very bad things which go by the name of new nev deal measures these people I 1 am afraid are putting the cart before the horse if there had never been a new deal we would have had to accept this conception of defense we have learned from london tha it is insecure to rush in large numbers to congregate together in air raid shelters they must be given security or their fears run riot TWO WAY PASSAGE during the trip to the west coast I 1 read louis adamecs Ada book two way passage it is a book that every american should read I 1 have not quite finished it so I 1 cannot really discuss it but it has started a trend of thought which is pointed up by the situation on the west coast for the american born japanese we know that there are german and italian agents and people representing other sympathetic axis nationalities who have been very active in this country during the past few years just as the communists have been we know that now there are japanese as well as other agents who are here to be helpful to their own nation and not to ours but these people are gradually being rounded up by the FBI and the secret service we as citizens if we hear anything suspicious will report it to the proper authorities but the great mass of our people stemming from these various various national ties must not feel that they have suddenly ceased to be americans DEFENSE GROUPS OPERATIVE cooperative CO on returning to washington I 1 called mrs and some of her assistants in the office of civilian defense to learn what had happened while mayor laguardia and I 1 were on the west coast then I 1 considered some of the difficulties now arising there have been conflicting directions as to what people should do in case of air raids the reason is that there are quite a number of people who have no official sanction whatsoever giving advice and directions about a number of things in addition there has been conflict in the minds pt the people actually in charge of developing programs however much of the confusion is being cleared up as it always is actual experience on the west coast has helped war impetus up to the wars beginning it was almost impossible to accomplish any real work with state and local defense councils which were often nonexistent or existent only on paper frequently people who wanted work were given no money by state or local governments with which to do so volunteers did not materialize in such great numbers until a real war was upon us now there is operation cooperation co everywhere even with that operation cooperation co it is going to be necessary to work out certain plans in the light of experience no one should be surprised if there is a certain amount of change that develops in the handling sf A different situations the orga organization ni for actual defense even where re civilians are concerned is primarily under army control however in many cases the welfare of he people of the community which is 6 also part of defense is closely ded up with the actual protective or |