The roots of the Governor’s War Cabinet can be found in the Governor’s Emergency Committee, established by Gov. A. Harry Moore in September of 1939 in reaction to the war in Europe. The following year, a permanent organization was formalized through the creation of the New Jersey Defense Council (P.L. 1940, chap. 238, p. 924 and P.L. 1941, chap. 376, p. 981). The Committee and later the Council were established in order to coordinate the defense of the state and its population, working in conjunction with the National Defense Council. In 1942, the powers of the Council were transferred to the newly formed “governor’s emergency war cabinet.” This committee, which referred to itself as the “Governor’s War Cabinet” was composed of the following officials: governor, senate president, speaker of the General Assembly, adjutant general, State Police superintendent, and the civilian defense director (P.L. 1942, chap. 251, p. 680). The legislation empowered the governor to “employ all the available resources of the State government and of each and every political subdivision … and to commandeer and utilize any privately owned property” as needed for civilian defense.

This series consists of the minutes of the Cabinet, beginning with 3 March 1942 (while it still functioned as part of the New Jersey Defense Council) and continuing to 3 May 1944. The minutes record discussions of varying issues including: the recruitment and maintenance of the New Jersey State Guard; planning and implementation of black-outs and dim-outs in answer to concerns about possible German U-boat attacks; strategies for coping with shortages of fuel oil, coal and rubber; and reports of federal civil defense regulations, conferences and initiatives.

NOTE: In addition to the records of the New Jersey Defense Council and the Governor’s War Cabinet, researchers should consult the correspondence of Governors Moore, Edison and Edge for information about New Jersey during World War II.

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