Armed Services Editions: The Massive WWII Book Giveaway to U.S. Servicemen

The Council on Books in Wartime, under Col. Ray Trautman, launched the Armed Services Editions in 1943. Printed on pulp paper, the pocket-size books were shipped to U.S. troops until 1947, peaking on the eve of D-Day.

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When the United States entered WWII, officials sought to combat boredom and champion democratic ideas, opposing Nazi book burnings. The Council’s motto framed books as weapons in the war of ideas.

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Col. Ray Trautman originated the idea to produce the books. The Council coordinated publishers, librarians, and booksellers. Historian Molly Guptill Manning documents the effort; the Library of Congress holds the ASE collection.

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From 1943 to 1947, 123 million ASEs across 1,322 titles were distributed. In 1945, 155,000 copies of *The Great Gatsby* reached troops. Popular titles included *A Tree Grows in Brooklyn* and *Forever Amber*; distribution peaked at D-Day. The list spanned fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and biographies, reflecting a broad editorial scope.

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The ASEs revived out-of-print works, broadened soldiers’ literary exposure—from westerns to biographies of Frederick Douglass and poetry by Keats—and reinforced that access to ideas is a strategic asset. Shared reading also boosted morale and gave troops a common cultural reference point.

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The Council’s slogan framed the effort as an intellectual defense. When officials tried to withdraw titles favoring President Roosevelt before the 1944 election, soldiers protested, keeping the program open-access. The Council affirmed that no book would be removed for political reasons, stressing reading freedom as essential to the war effort.

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Some ASEs faced censorship; titles deemed politically supportive were slated for removal. Critics also highlighted the predominance of white authors, noting limited diversity in the selection. The program’s limited representation of non-white voices was a point of criticism.

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A Navy veteran recalled the “funny paperbacks” he received, and an Air Force veteran taught “hot water” in Mandarin. Soldiers noted the books were light, pocket-sized for combat. A soldier’s letter warned, “It will be recalled that Mr. Hitler got his start by banning and burning books with which he, in his wisdom, did not agree.”

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All sources agree on overall distribution totals, but the exact number of censored titles remains unclear. Author demographics and a full list of banned books are not publicly documented.

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• “hot water” — Air Force veteran, China

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• “funny paperbacks” — Navy veteran (father)

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• “Books Are Weapons in the War of Ideas.” — Council motto

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• “It will be recalled that Mr. Hitler got his start by banning and burning books with which he, in his wisdom, did not agree.” — Soldier

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Molly Guptill Manning’s *A Librarian’s War* arrives in September, offering a comprehensive account of the ASE program. Scholars continue to examine the Library of Congress’s collection for further insights.

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