Violence and War in Culture and the Media

4    United States Army chaplains andmagazines

Censorship in World War II

Jenel Virden

Introduction

United States Army chaplains of World War II grappled with numerous problems associated with their work as religious counsellors to American GIs. Among other things their duties often included trying to control influences on the GIs that could potentially lead to moral confusion or degeneracy. However, not all chaplains agreed on what constituted immoral behaviour or immoral influences during time of war. While they might agree on big issues such as the immorality of prostitution or extramarital relations, when it came to other instances the road forward was less clear. For instance, some chaplains complained of behaviour or influences that might ...