1941 — GFWC establishes a new department of National Defense, and in January 1942, holds a series of National Defense Forums in Washington, D.C. as part of its Board of Directors meeting. More than 1,000 women attend the sessions that are led by national leaders in all areas related to the committees within the new department: Agriculture, Americanization, Aviation, Conservation, Consumer Problems, Housing, Industry, Library, Nursing, Nutrition, Organization, Recreation, Registration, and U.S. Stamps and Bonds. After the January meeting, GFWC converted the historic second floor of GFWC Headquarters into office space for the newly—named War Service Department. The department developed a lending library and provided valuable information in support of the war effort.