Books as Weapons: The Impact of Armed Services Editions in World War II
Growing up, I noticed that many dads in my neighborhood who had served in World War II rarely spoke about their experiences. Instead, they shared bits of information indirectly. For instance, my friend's dad, an Air Force veteran, taught us Mandarin words. Another dad, an Army vet, mentioned burning his uniform upon returning home. My own father, a Navy vet, hinted at the presence of "funny paperbacks" during the war. It wasn't until I delved into researching The Great Gatsby that I discovered my father was among the servicemen who received books during the war.
During World War II, efforts were made to provide servicemen with books to combat boredom. The Council on Books in Wartime, comprising publishers, librarians, and booksellers, aimed to distribute light, pocket-sized books to troops. This initiative, in contrast to Nazi book burnings, emphasized that "Books Are Weapons in the War of Ideas." Col. Ray Trautman played a pivotal role in creating the Armed Services Editions (ASEs), which were widely distributed to troops.
Printed on pulp paper, the ASEs began circulation in 1943 and continued until 1947, with nearly 123 million books distributed to U.S. troops. Soldiers carried ASEs, including popular titles like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, in their pockets, especially during significant events like D-Day. The Council's selection committee included diverse genres, from cowboy stories to classic literature, ensuring a wide range of reading material for servicemen.
Despite the predominantly white authorship of ASEs, efforts were made to ban certain books, particularly those perceived to favor political figures. However, public outcry and soldier protests against censorship upheld the troops' freedom to read. Books like When Books Went to War and Books in Action offer insights into the impact of ASEs on servicemen's reading habits and intellectual freedom.
The Library of Congress houses a complete collection of ASEs, providing a tangible connection to the past. Holding one of these pocket-sized books evokes the service they provided to millions of servicemen during World War II. The legacy of the ASEs, including their role in popularizing works like The Great Gatsby, underscores the importance of literature in times of conflict and the preservation of intellectual freedom.