The War
Prior to the War breaking out, Charles often had to deal with stress, but everything changed when Germany declared war on Britain and then subsequently the U.S. Securing visas, registering citizens, getting said citizens onto boats, securing permits for citizens seeking to leave the country were all time consuming processes with strict deadlines. As the country prepared for imminent war, Converse also had to perform his job day after day with little rest to ensure that as many Americans as possible got out safely.
Air Raid Precautions
- Procedures
The following is a document containing U.S Embassy procedures in the case of an enemy air raid attack. This is a document Mr. Converse would have had to familiarize himself with to remain safe. This document contains critical information like location of shelters, gas masks, and locations of medical kits.
From the Charles A Converse Papers, 1939-1940. Valdosta Special Collections. http://hdl.handle.net/10428/3034.
Evacuation Report
- Converse Report of Evacuation
A report drafted by Mr. Converse about the evacuation of U.S citizens following a declaration of War. Evacuating citizens was not so easy. Many U.S citizens were not registered with the embassy, many did not want to leave. A large influx of citizens wanting to register with the Embassy meant having to gather addresses, contacts, and passport details. Staff had to be expanded upon and worked 12+ hours a day with no breaks to help with the sudden demand.
From Charles A. Converse Papers, 1939-40. Valdosta Special Collections.. http://hdl.handle.net/10428/3033
