United States. Civil Affairs Training School, Stanford University.

Historical Note

As United States involvement in the Second World War deepened, the American military began to make contingency plans based on the likelihood of an eventual Allied victory and the need for qualified personnel to administer the occupation of liberated countries in Europe and Asia. In 1943, a training program for such personnel was established at Stanford and other universities (including Harvard and the Universities of Chicago and Michigan) under the authority of the Office of the Provost Marshal General of the United States Army. This program, known as the United States Civil Affairs Training School (or CATS) program, drew upon military personnel with experience in civil affairs or with special language abilities. The schools' curricula involved intensive courses in the languages, history, sociology, and culture of the various countries which were considered likely to be occupied by Allied forces. Particular emphasis was placed on the study of the economies of these countries, and exercises were conducted which simulated the kinds of problems likely to be encountered by occupation authorities.

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