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Documents and Readings in the History of Europe Since 1918
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Historical SummaryDuring the course of the Second World War there was much discussion in the United States, partly stimulated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, concerning an appropriate name for the struggle. The matter was settled officially, but only insofar as United States Government records are concerned, in a letter of September 10, 1945, from the secretaries of war and of the navy to President Harry S. Truman.
World History 300.
The Official Naming of World War II60
10 September 1945.
The President
The White House
Dear Mr. President:
President Wilson, under date of July 31, 1919, addressed a letter to Secretary of War Baker which read, in part, as follows:
"It is hard to find a satisfactory ’official’ name for the war, but the best, I think, that has been suggested is ’The World War,’ and I hope that your judgment will concur."
Subsequently, under date of October 7, 1919, War Department General Orders No. 115 directed:
"The war against the Central Powers of Europe, in which the United States has taken part, will hereafter be designated in all official communications and publications as ’The World War’."
As a matter of simplicity and to insure uniform terminology, it is recommended that "World War II" be the officially designated name for the present war covering all theaters and the entire period of hostilities.
The term "World War II" has been used in at least seven public laws to designate this period of hostilities. Analysis of publications and radio programs indicates that this term has been accepted by common usage.
If this recommendation is approved it is further recommended that the title "World War II" be published in the Federal Register as the official name of the present war. [See 10 Federal Register 11881—Ed.]
Respectfully yours.
HENRY L. STIMSON,
Secretary of War.
JAMES FORRESTAL,
Secretary of the Navy.
Approved: September 11, 1945,
HARRY S. TRUMAN.
60 United States, Department of State Bulletin, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1945, vol. XIII, pp. 427–428.
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Chicago: "The Official Naming of World War II," Documents and Readings in the History of Europe Since 1918 in Documents and Readings in the History of Europe Since 1918, ed. Walter Consuelo Langsam and James Michael Egan (Chicage: Lippincott, 1951), 1059–1060. Original Sources, accessed November 21, 2024, http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=485EGPP3M63PCT9.
MLA: . "The Official Naming of World War II." Documents and Readings in the History of Europe Since 1918, in Documents and Readings in the History of Europe Since 1918, edited by Walter Consuelo Langsam and James Michael Egan, Chicage, Lippincott, 1951, pp. 1059–1060. Original Sources. 21 Nov. 2024. http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=485EGPP3M63PCT9.
Harvard: , 'The Official Naming of World War II' in Documents and Readings in the History of Europe Since 1918. cited in 1951, Documents and Readings in the History of Europe Since 1918, ed. , Lippincott, Chicage, pp.1059–1060. Original Sources, retrieved 21 November 2024, from http://originalsources.com/Document.aspx?DocID=485EGPP3M63PCT9.
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