ASHA assigns all staff to active duty with the military for social hygiene program
America’s entry into World War 1 was another
problem that presented itself as a golden opportunity for ASHA. The general public had begun to understand the dangers of venereal disease, but some
feared the threat had been overstated. However, in case anyone doubted the seriousness of venereal disease, a dress rehearsal for full-scale war gave
doubters more than enough proof.
In 1916, when Francisco “Pancho” Villa set out to raid Columbus, New Mexico, President Woodrow Wilson retaliated, ordering 10,000 troops to the border between the United States and Mexico. As the troops camped along the border with little to do, ASHA began receiving reports of deplorable conditions at the camp and held an immediate meeting with the secretary of war. As a result, Raymond B. Fosdick, an associate of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and also dedicated to the study of prostitution and venereal disease, was directed to investigate the situation at the camp. Fosdick found widespread drunkenness, venereal disease rates of nearly 30 percent and a total lack of concern on the part of local military authorities. His report launched an unprecedented effort to root out prostitution and venereal disease in and around military training camps.
Chaired by Fosdick, the secretary of war created the Commission on Training Camp Activity (CTCA) just days after World War 1 was declared. ASHA’s
entire staff was assigned to active duty with the Army and Navy or as civilians with the CTCA. Later to serve as ASHA’s second executive director,
Charles Walter Clarke was appointed director of the Social Hygiene Instruction Division, where he oversaw the preparation of posters, handbills, pamphlets
and exhibits. The pamphlets were wide spread and carried underlying messages that winning the war depended on disease-free soldiers. But, Clarke knew
ASHA’s work extended beyond the armistice when he wrote in 1918: “When the boys come marching home they will know more of the scientific
and practical facts of sex hygiene than any similar group of men in the world, and they will pass on to the next generation wholesome and sane information
regarding healthy living.”
