Preparing for a National Emergency: The Committee on Conservation of Cultural Resources, 1939- 1944

In March 1940 the U.S. National Resources Planning Board established the Committee on Conservation of Cultural Resources to plan for the protection of federal cultural institutions during national emergencies. The committee provided a mechanism to bring officials together to consider protective measures for and evacuation of valuable books, paintings, and artifacts well before the United States entered World War II. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the committee executed its plan to recommend protective action to cultural institutions nationwide. As a forerunner of interdepartmental cooperation, national emergency and preservation planning, and federal cultural leadership, the committee’s experience provides an early example of the challenges of disaster planning.