Was Elmer Davis appointed Director of the Office of War Information by Franklin Roosevelt in June, 1942?

Elmer Davis (1890-1958), a journalist, was appointed head of the newly created Office of War Information (OWI) by Franklin D. Roosevelt in June of 1942. Born in Indiana, Davis became a journalist and editorial writer for the New York Times and then a news anchor at CBS Radio.

In Davis's position as head of the Office of War Information, he encouraged Roosevelt to allow Japanese-Americans to serve as soldiers in World War II, and...

Elmer Davis (1890-1958), a journalist, was appointed head of the newly created Office of War Information (OWI) by Franklin D. Roosevelt in June of 1942. Born in Indiana, Davis became a journalist and editorial writer for the New York Times and then a news anchor at CBS Radio.

In Davis's position as head of the Office of War Information, he encouraged Roosevelt to allow Japanese-Americans to serve as soldiers in World War II, and Davis spoke out against Japanese internment. He also believed that Americans had the right to information about the war and that photos of the war should show the dead bodies of soldiers (though previously, fallen soldiers had always been covered up in official photos or draped with blankets or flags). His slogan was "This is a people's war, and the people are entitled to know as much as possible about it." However, often the military was not forthcoming with information about what was going on in the war. After World War II, Davis used his platform as a journalist to denounce Joseph McCarthy's war on domestic communism and his abrogation of constitutional rights to free speech.