Piles of books at the International Bureau of Education in Switzerland

The photograph is showing a worker surrounded by piles of books and other packages at the International Bureau of Education Archives in Switzerland. Exact date is unknown. We do know it is sometime during World War II, between 1939 and 1945.

In 1939, the International Bureau of Education(an educational organization from Geneva) created the Service of Intellectual Assistance to Prisoners of War (SIAP). The Service distributed over 500.000 books to prisoners and organized different educational activities and opportunities in various prison camps.

The Swiss Federal Council and the International Committee of the Red Cross also assisted the initiative.

Book suggestion ⤵️

📖 Target Switzerland: Swiss Armed Neutrality In World War II (Stephen P. Halbrook, 1997)