Veterans of World War II returned stateside eager to reenter civilian life. After earlier wars, veterans had found support in organizations like the VFW and the American Legion. But in 1943 a progressive group of veterans decided to form a new organization – the American Veterans Committee. The organization’s founders opened chapters throughout the U.S. that admitted veterans from all branches of the military. Unusually, for the time, the American Veterans Committee welcomed “men and women, regardless of race, creed or color.”
By 1947, the group had upwards of 100,000 members. They lobbied the government for reforms in the Veterans Administration. They sent a delegation to the United Nations to emphasize the importance of the UN’s role in helping keep world peace. The group operated under the slogan “what’s good for the veteran is what’s good for the country.”
Leaders of the organization’s National Planning Committee included Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr.
See the Walter Doniger papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more.