New York at War explained

"New York at War" was a military parade and civilian home front procession held supporting the World War II mobilization effort on June 13, 1942. It was considered at the time the largest parade ever held in New York City, with up to 500,000 marching up Fifth Avenue (from Washington Square Park to 79th Street) and 2,500,000 spectators in attendance.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

The parade coincided with a global "United Nations Day" launched by President Franklin Roosevelt tied to US Flag Day on June 14, six months after the Declaration by United Nations.^{[7] [8]}

Hugo Gellert led a committee of artists that designed the approximately 300 floats in the parade.^[9]

The march was organized by Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia as honorary chairman,^[10] his deputy Grover Whalen as chairman, and General Hugh Aloysius Drum as grand marshal. Other dignitaries on the reviewing stand included Governor Herbert H. Lehman, Vice President Henry A. Wallace, the exiled King George II of Greece and Prime Minister Emmanouil Tsouderos,^[11] President of the Philippines Manuel L. Quezon, Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, and Princess Märtha of Sweden.

Despite a celebration of groups including German Americans and Italian Americans, Japanese Americans were excluded from the march, leading to objections from the American Civil Liberties Union.

See also

• Operation Pastorius, German saboteurs in Manhattan at time of parade^{[12] [13] [14]}
• New York City Victory Parade of 1946

External links

• Mayor's Committee for Mobilization "New York at War" - The Plan of the Demonstration, 1942

Notes and References

1. Book: Perret, Geoffrey. Days of Sadness, Years of Triumph: The American People, 1939-1945. 1985. Univ of Wisconsin Press. 9780299103941. 213. en.
2. Book: Napoli, Philip F.. Bringing It All Back Home: An Oral History of New York City's Vietnam Veterans. 2013-06-11. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 9781466837003. 7. en.
3. Web site: WWII & NYC. Jackson. Kenneth T.. Summer 2013. Columbia Forum. en. 2017-09-06.
4. News: City Roars Vow to Win at War Parade. June 14, 1942. Brooklyn Eagle. 1, 3.
5. News: Picture of the Week. June 29, 1942. Life. 28–29.
6. Book: Allen, Holly. Forgotten Men and Fallen Women: The Cultural Politics of New Deal Narratives. 2015-04-09. Cornell University Press. 9780801455834. 134–136. en.
7. Book: Plesch, Dan. America, Hitler and the UN: How the Allies Won World War II and Forged Peace. registration. 2011-02-15. I.B. Tauris. 9781848853089. 47. en.
8. News: United Nations Day in London and New York. 1942. The War Illustrated. 52. Hammerton. Sir John Alexander.
9. Book: Tatham, David. North American Prints, 1913-1947: An Examination at Century's End. 2006. Syracuse University Press. 9780815630715. 157. en.
10. Book: Jeffers, H. Paul. The Napoleon of New York: Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. 2002-06-18. John Wiley & Sons. 9780471211037. 321. en.
11. News: Americans in Concentration Camps. Howard. Harry Paxton. September 1942. The Crisis. 281–284.
12. Book: Dobbs, Michael. Saboteurs: The Nazi Raid on America. 2007-12-18. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. 9780307427557. 110. en.
13. Book: Goldstein, Richard. Helluva Town: The Story of New York City During World War II. 2010-04-13. Simon and Schuster. 9781416593027. 39. en.
14. Book: Cavanaugh, Jack. Season of '42: Joe D, Teddy Ballgame, and Baseball s Fight to Survive a Turbulent First Year of War. 2015-03-03. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.. 9781613217993. 155. en.