David F. Boone writes on the evacuation of missionaries from Germany upon the outbreak of WW2.
David F. Boone, “The Evacuation of Missionaries at the Outbreak of World War II,” in Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: Europe, ed. Donald Q. Cannon and Brent L. Top (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2003), 65–88
During the latter half of 1938, Europe seemed to be rushing headlong into another continental conflict. At the outbreak of World War I, some of the Latter-day Saint missionaries were moved out of harm’s way, and the Church avoided sending its missionaries near other conflicts. When the dark clouds of war gathered in Germany in 1938, Church leaders in Salt Lake City were understandably concerned again.
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The 1939 Evacuation from Europe
Following Hitler’s takeover of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, missionaries began mobilizing for their anticipated evacuation. Although the Czech missionaries were the first to begin the evacuation process, they were among the last of the northern European countries to leave their mission. [2]
Tensions in Europe were again aroused when Hitler sent German troops into Poland and western Allies declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939. In the midst of these developments, missionaries followed the procedures of their previous experience to evacuate to safety. This time, however, their evacuation was complicated by additional variables not experienced earlier: mobilization of thousands of troops, militarization of transportation and communication systems, declaration of martial law, and the actual outbreak of war. Furthermore, several neighboring countries wishing to remain neutral and not wanting the responsibility for the numerous refugees closed their borders to outsiders.
The evacuation of the West German missionaries under the presidency of M. Douglas Wood was made difficult when the Dutch border unexpectedly closed to outsiders. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, who was touring the European missions during the summer of 1939, was appointed by the First Presidency to supervise the evacuation of missionaries. He went to Dutch Mission headquarters in The Hague, but when he learned that missionaries were unable to enter that country and were going to Denmark instead, he made arrangements to go there as well. [3] Elder Smith and his wife, Jessie Ella Evans Smith, were among the last Church personnel to make it through before the Dutch border closed. President M. Douglas Wood assigned Elder Norman George Seibold to go look for thirty-one lost or stranded missionaries. Miraculously he was able to locate several lost missionaries and others were able to find their way out of West Germany on their own. The exciting, harrowing, and inspiring stories surrounding the evacuation of the West German and Czechoslovakia missionaries and the role of Elder Norman George Seibold have been recounted elsewhere. [4]
Elder Seibold later commented: “It was a wonderful time, and anything . . . I have said . . . [that] might indicate . . . I had a whole lot to do with it needs to be qualified. The things that happened on this trip were not my doing. It was strictly the hand and the guidance of the Lord. I feel it, and I know it as well as anything. I’m not smart enough to comprehend or to foresee some of these things.” [5]
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Conclusion
With the departure of this last contingent of missionaries on 7 December 1939, an era of missionary history ended. Not since United States troops marched against Latter-day settlements in Utah in 1857 were all American missionaries called home. Unlike that earlier experience, in 1939 the Scandinavian and European missions continued unabated under local leadership. It was a difficult time in the various missions because of occupational troops, deprivations due to war, and restrictions on travel, yet despite these challenges local leaders noted Church progress during the war years.
Other positive effects were also manifested. The evacuation that began with the German invasion of Poland spread to the Scandinavian missions, then to all of Europe, and ultimately worldwide. Only the German and Czechoslovakian missions were evacuated under conditions caused by imminent war, but within the following months, missionaries were likewise withdrawn from the Middle East, africa, and South America. During the following year in 1940 missionaries were likewise withdrawn from the Pacific Missions until, by the time the United States entered World War II on 7 December 1941, the only missionaries outside of the continental United States were in Hawaii.
The Church learned some valuable lessons in the process of moving the missionaries from potentially dangerous areas to safety. Initially, a transportation or travel office was established by the Church in the aftermath of the European evacuation. With valuable experience gained in arranging shipping for the fleeing American missionaries, Netherlands Mission president Franklin J. Murdock headed up the travel office for decades to follow.
In addition, as a result of its business with travel companies, the Church, its employees, and especially its missionary representatives have been given a priority for evacuation should American personnel be forced to flee an area in the face of natural calamity, war, or political unrest. Further, because a working relationship has been developed with such entities as the State Department, and federal law enforcement agencies, the Church has an early warning system in place that would help to prevent missionaries or other Church representatives from being trapped in a potentially volatilesituation. Such a wide-scale evacuation of missionary personnel
would be unlikely ever to occur again, though it may be comforting that many of the same problems experienced in Europe could be avoided in similar circumstances.
The missionary evacuation from Europe and from Scandinavian countries in the face of escalating military unrest stands as a singular event, unparalleled in Church history. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith reported at the conclusion of the evacuation from Europe:
There were in the European missions at the time [of the evacuation] 697 persons of whom 611 were young men and 63 young women missionaries; the other 23 were mission presidents, their wives and children. These missionaries returned in 23 ships, mostly freight boats which had been improvised to care for the numerous passengers returning to America. [63]
During the April 1940 general conference, President J. Reuben Clark Jr. noted:
The whole group [of missionaries and Church personnel] was moved from the disturbed areas in Europe to the United States, and thence either to their new fields of labor or to their homes without one accident or one case of [serious] sickness. The entire group was evacuated from Europe in three months, at a time when tens of thousands of Americans were besieging the ticket offices of the great steamship companies for passage, and the Elders had no reservations. Every time a group was ready to embark there was available the necessary space, even though efforts to reserve space a few hours before had failed. [64]