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Prologue: End of War and Preparation for Mission
Tuesday, May 8, 1945: President Harry S Truman announced this morning at seven the official unconditional surrender of all German forces. (ETB Journal.)
President Heber J. Grant had the floodlights of the exterior of the Salt Lake Temple, darkened during the war, turned on. (Improvement Era, January 1946, page 10.)
Shortly after the close of World War II, President George Albert Smith was the President of the Church. The reports from Europe indicated great suffering among our people and the people generally. There was a shortage of food, clothing, fuel, transportation-a shortage of almost everything required for civilized living. (ETB Reminiscences.)
Thursday September 20 1945:
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
Elder John A. Widtsoe reported that he had received a letter from the president of the northernmost branch of the Church in Narvik, Norway, who reported the destruction of his home and the death of his wife as a result of the bombing.
Near the close of his letter, this man said that if any of the Brethren had a pair of shoes or two of his size, he could use them very well. He said further that his children had no clothing. (ETB Reminiscences.)
Thursday October 18 1945:
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
Most important of the steps being taken to lend spiritual and temporal succor to the Saints in the war-ravished countries was the appointment of two of the General Authorities to go immediately to Europe. Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Council of the Twelve and Elder Thomas E. McKay, Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, both of whom have had wide experience in Europe, received this assignment from the First Presidency.
They expect to make contact with all European missions and to direct aid to individual Saints who are reported to be suffering from lack of food and clothing. Elders Widtsoe and McKay expect to be gone for several months, possibly a full year, on this assignment. They are to go alone as soon as the transportation can be arranged.
Other action to assure relief from suffering of members of the Church in Europe was taken this week by a committee of Church leaders assigned the task of finding ways and means to send food and clothing to those in need.
Already this week hundreds of packages containing needed food and clothing are being sent by mail to Europe. The full facilities of the Church welfare program, including its stocks of food, clothing, and bedding, are at the disposal of this committee to give aid to European Saints. The committee is also exhausting all possibilities of finding shipping space for large quantities of such items for the Saints of Europe. At present the packages, limited in weight by postal regulations, are being directed to branch presidents and some individuals in several European countries.