The Unitarian Service Committee offered assistance to displaced people during and after World War II in a number of ways, some of which are documented in this collection. Under the USC "adoption" plan, sponsors in the United States usually sent a package of food monthly via the USC to a needy family or individual in Europe, as well as occasional clothing packages. The USC also assisted people in finding shelter and employment in the United States. In relation to these efforts, the USC had to file documents known as "assurances" with the Displaced Persons Commission. The Unitarian Service Committee was one of eleven organizations which joined forces in 1944 to create the Central Location Index, which was established to provide a central index for registering the names of people displaced as a result of war, and to ascertain the whereabouts of such people so that they and their relatives and friends could establish mutual contact. In conjunction with the Index, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) established the Tracing Bureau to help survivors locate relatives who had survived the concentration camps. Most of the records in this collection consist of the correspondence between USC caseworkers, people in need, and individuals who were attempting to help them. Some of the caseworkers were Maria Oppenheimer, Friedl Reifer, Erna Sternberg, and Muriel Towle.
