1942: Cleveland Joins the Arsenal of Democracy

In October 1942, the nation was fully committed to the World War II effort.

Scrap metal was being collected to reuse as factories had converted from making consumer goods to wartime production, and a sampling of the products that made the United States what Franklin Roosevelt called “The Arsenal of Democracy” went on display in Public Square.

On Oct. 7, construction started on a steel bomb shelter on the square, built by Republic Steel. Contemporary accounts described it as similar to the shelters used by the military in Alaska, then a U.S. territory. The next day, local Boy Scout troops put up a pair of signal towers, and the War Chest Salute — scheduled to raise interest and awareness for a $5 million local campaign for the war effort — started Oct. 10 with a USO performance.

Artillery, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns — some from the Erie Proving Ground in Port Clinton — were shown at Public Square, as was an M3 tank, which was delivered from the Toledo Tank Depot by an ODOT truck. Free rides were offered in the latest military reconnaissance vehicle. Its official name varied by manufacturer, but it was known to soldiers, and soon worldwide, as the jeep.

There were Tommy gun shooting demonstrations, a buoy rescue and a mock duel between two Syrian sword dancers. The event also coincided with a football game at Cleveland Stadium between the University of Pittsburgh and the Great Lakes Naval Station, an all-star team of football players inducted into the Navy. Among the players was a Western Reserve graduate whose son would be a familiar sight at Cleveland Stadium 50 years later: Steve Belichick.

The War Chest Salute lasted nine days before the actual philanthropic campaign started. Cleveland more than cleared the $5 million goal in which The Plain Dealer called it “the greatest outpouring of voluntary giving this community has ever exhibited.”

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