Elmo Roper's 1942 England Report

In July 1942, Elmo Roper went to England on behalf of the U.S. government to propose ways the Army could uncover enlisted soldiers' issues with their British hosts. Along the way, he gathered insight into the extent of the damage to the British homeland and related anecdotal opinions towards the American soldiers and the combined war effort. His report from that visit includes interactions with major figures like General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ambassador to Britain John Winant, and Margaret Bourke-White, as well as the guests staying with him at Gervas Huxley's home, and the various shopkeepers, pilots, civilians, and officers with whom he talked. It's a fascinating document on many levels, a time capsule from the early years of America's entry into WWII, a travelogue, and a commentary on bureaucracy.

Roper believed that the two allied nations could easily become disenchanted with each other and damage the war effort through a lack of understanding and poor cooperation.  Roper's mission was in part to learn the appetite for the U.S. organizational heads to put in place a survey mechanism to understand issues the American soldiers had with their British hosts. 

list of issues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roper felt that there would be a number of issues with all the Americans in England, and proposed to give Army brass a list of specific remediable issues to fix.  He also anticipated a list of differences and cultural misperceptions for which education of the Army rank and file was the only solution.When Roper lays out his proposed course of action to the ambassador, Winant rings up General Eisenhower, who is also enthusiastic:

meeting eisenhower

 

 

 

 

 

Roper's report details his meeting with General Eisenhower. While the general immediately sees the value in the survey idea, he also has strong opinions about interference with his plans for the European theater.

eisenhowers attitude

Click the window below to read the report in its entirety.