Making Men Moral and Keeping Them Entertained: The USO in World War II

In popular culture and even among many historians, the USO in World War II is associated with organizing overseas shows featuring Bob Hope. Less attention has been paid to the original motivation for establishing the United Service Organizations (US0) by the faith-based organizations and the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The National Catholic Community Service, Jewish Welfare Board, YMCA, YWCA, Salvation Army, and Traveler’s Aid Society envisioned the USO meeting both the recreational and spiritual needs of GIs in order to ensure they avoided gin joints, brothels, and gambling dens when on leave. A faction of New Dealers led by Paul McNutt of the Federal Security Agency and Wayne Coy, a White House aide, wanted the recreational needs of citizen soldiers to be met by federal agencies. President Roosevelt ultimately sided with the organizers of the USO in part supporting the view of Frederick Osborn, then head of the U.S. Army morale branch, arguing against vesting responsibility in a federal agency. But in return for federal recognition and funding to build the necessary infrastructure, the USO agreed to deliver services on a non-sectarian basis. By 1945 the USO maintained hundreds of USO clubs across the United States and several overseas countries staffed by professional staff and volunteers. Sectarian divisions among the constituent organizations making up the USO were not easy to overcome as this paper will outline but were ultimately overcome in part because the GIs demanded it. This paper will consider how effective the USO was achieving the twin goals of promoting religiosity and diverting GIs from pursuing less wholesome activities. It will also consider the shortcoming of the organization in meeting the needs of African American and women veterans.