When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning

Americans were offended by Menefee’s characterizations and curt comments, while others felt that the episode discussed the nation’s problems with a refreshing dose of honesty. Magazines and newspapers jumped at the opportunity to cover the controversial program.
Variety
reported that if “Assignment: USA” had been broadcast earlier in the evening, “the phone calls would have burned the insulation off the wires of NBC.” The substance of the show “scorched the air [and] made your ears burn”; it was just the type of program the country needed. The
New York Times
deemed it “the boldest, hardest hitting program” of the year. As word spread, NBC was pressured to rebroadcast the show at an earlier hour when more people could tune in and listen. NBC acquiesced, and when the program was replayed, some cities—such as Boston; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Mobile, Alabama—refused to carry it. According to
Time
magazine, “Boston was not amused” at the rebroadcast and had “heard all it wanted to hear . . . when the program first went on the air.”Did the broadcast help in the war effort? Certainly it showcased the rigor of a free press and the right to dissent and raise a critical voice. The council was gratified by the segment’s popularity and felt a sense of accomplishment in producing a show that sparked discussion about the issues plaguing the home front. It achieved precisely what the council had hoped.
    Â 
    While the council’s radio programs enjoyed wide popularity, council members were concerned that the quantity of books recommended each week might overwhelm the public. The council decided to start a new project to promote only those titles deemed extraordinary, that clarified why the country was at war, what values were at stake, and under what terms the war should be ended. A War Book Panel was created to nominate and choose titles that could be published bearing the council’s stamp of approval. Panel members included Irita Van Doren, editor of the
New York Herald Tribune;
Amy Loveman, associate editor of the
Saturday Review of Literature;
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph L. Greene, editor of the
Infantry Journal;
Admiral Harry E. Yarnell, retired; and J. Donald Adams, editor of the
New York Times Book Review
. The panel met periodically to discuss titles and vote on which would receive official endorsement. Selected books were republished and labeled “Imperative,” their front covers emblazoned with a large
I
. All council members were obligated to advertise these books as essential reading—even books published by rival companys. While they would certainly benefit monetarily by promoting the sale of books, never before had publishers collaborated so wholeheartedly as to advertise books published by their competitors.Posters were displayed in libraries and bookstores to help publicize the new Imperative book program and the selected titles.
    The first book branded Imperative was
They Were Expendable
, by W. L. White, which was chosen in November 1942. The book told the story of the servicemen who manned torpedo boats in the Philippines as Americans came under Japanese attack. Told from the perspective of four survivors (out of sixty men), the book did not shy away from the idea stated in the title: these men were considered replaceable and they knew it. “Suppose you’re a sergeant machine-gunner, and your army is retreating and the enemy is advancing,” one of the survivors proposed. He continued:
    Â 
The captain takes you to a machine gun covering the road. “You’re to stay here and hold the position,” he tells you. “For how long,” you ask. “Never mind,” he answers, “just hold it.” Then you know you’re expendable. In a war, anything can be expendable—money or gasoline or equipment or most usually men . . . They expect you to stay there and spray