The basic overall job of a local Navy
League council is one of education and pub-
lic relations. Fundamentally, what is de-
sired to be achieved is an informed body
of citizenry in each community who will
und-rstand the needs for a strong Navy and
will be ready to intelligently and effectively
support it whenever that becomes necessary.

The following activities are merly sug-
gestions. A manual for local council opera-
tion is in progress and until it is completed
and approved by the National Board of Di-
rectors, no official program may be stated.
Fut in answer to the many questions as to
what a local organization may do, the fol-
lowing activities are offered as suggestions:

1. An education program should be set
up which will make use of every op-
portunity to see that information as
to the needs for a strong Navy reach-
es all channels to the public through
the schools, the press, and the radio.
Debate, essay or oratorical contests on
subjects related to the role of sea
power or a strong postwar Navy is
one way of creating interest. Appro-
priate awards may be offered by the
local council to the individual team
or school. Material for such contests
will be available on request to the

Regional Office.

Possibilities here are limited only by
the ingenuity and the energy of the
local organization.

bo

Form an expansion committee to as-
sist the state vice president in organ-

izing local councils in nearby cities.
There still is a big job to be done
and the local council may be of real
assistance to the State Vice President
if it will assume the responsibility
for organization of neighboring cities.

. The organization should become the

counselors and assistants of the Navy
on all of the Navy’s local activities,
such as:

(a) Rehabilitation.

(b) Recruiting.

(c) Officer Procurement.
(d) All other local projects.

Various civilian committees have as-
sisted in these activities which logic-
ally belong to the Navy League.
Speakers on the Rehabilitation Pro-
gram can be made available for the
Navy League and local organizations.
The Navy League ought to use every
means at its command to see that the
men returning from the naval service
make the transition from Navy life to
civilian life with the least possible
difficulty. A great reservoir of good
will can be built by the civilian group
if it will actively pursue a project
of this sort adapted to the needs of
the local community.

. Meetings of its members held at least

quarterly. The Navy will supply
speakers with combat experience and
a knowledge of naval history. Also
recent combat films will be available.

COMPARISON OF NUMBER OF LOCAL COUNCILS
WITH NUMBER OF CITIES OVER 5,000

V/A POTENTIAL
HRM oncanizen

    

10

1407 100 7% 58.87 51.97%

N.DAKOTA S.DAKOTA NEBRASKA KENTUCKY KANSAS IOWA

 

_32

Y

43.87.

   

C

SUGGESTIONS FOR COUNCIL ACTIVITIES

Requests for speakers and film must
the

planned program. Such requests

be made well in advance of
should be made to your State Vice
President.

5. A speakers’ bureau may be organized
from local membership. The speakers
should acquaint themselves with naval
history and the story of the Navy
League. They may speak at programs
at all luncheon clubs such as Rotary,
Kiwanis, Lions, etc., in the vicinity
of the council of the Navy League.
Speech material may be obtained on
request to the Regional Office.

6. Navy Day celebrations (October 27
each year) should be organized and
coordinated each year by the local
council.

7. From time to time there will be va-
rious other local projects such as as-
sisting in publicizing Navy movies
such as “The Fighting Lady”, and
particularly Navy projects which may
come to the local community.

All of the specific projects should be tied
in to the one basic objective of keeping the
membership and the public informed as to
the needs of maintaining the position of
the nation as the foremost seapower of the
world.

All requests for assistance of the Navy
should be made to the state vice president
of the Navy League.

 

 

 
     
   

 

 

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L) 6
i d10 " 12
rt 22.7% PT ATH 269% 28.4% 15.47 1.7% 137%
MINNESOTA MISSOURI WISCONSIN INDIANA MICHIGAN OHIO. ILLINOIS

The potential, represented by the figure atop the column for each state, is the number of cities over 5,000 in the state. The portion
of the potential organized is represented by the solid black part of each column, thus Iowa with eleven councils has 44 cities over
5,000 and has realized 25% of its potential in organization. North and South Dakota both have exceeded their potential. This

chart reflects the situation up to April 10.