other times Virginia would send its practitioners to the Hygienic Laboratory for some brushing up or further training. Draper's time as Virginia's Health Commissioner ended in 1934 when he returned to the headquarters of the Public Health Service. One of the big initiatives within this organization in the next two years, spearheaded by Dr. Parran, was to bring the plight of venereal diseases into the public domain where it could be discussed and handled openly. A humorous outcome of this occurred when Draper was selected to speak to a woman's organization, and he called the secretary of the group ahead of time to find out if he could discuss venereal diseases. The secretary responded, "...indeed! We want you to discuss them. You know, you in the Public Health Service have made syphilis respectable." World War II With one four-year term behind him, Franklin Roosevelt had just been elected to his second term as the President of the United States in 1936. The same year he selected Dr. Thomas Parran to be the Surgeon General of the United States. Three years later, in 1939, Draper was selected as the Deputy Surgeon General, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1947, working under Dr. Parran for the entire duration. The division within the Surgeon General's headquarters responsible for liaison with the states, where Draper had been in charge, was then turned over to Dr. Joseph Walter Mountin. As the Second World War progressed in Europe from 1939 to 1941, the direct involvement of the United States appeared imminent. While isolationists clamored against U.S. involvement, the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 put an end to such sentiments, and the subsequent declaration of war against the United States by Germany and Italy allowed for a clean entry by the Americans into the European Theater. Planning for the invasion of Europe began almost immediately, but the organization of the invasion force did not materialize until early in 1944. On January 15 of that year the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) was created with the mission to invade Europe and destroy the German armed forces. Reports from Europe indicated that the public health situation was dire, and that prompt action was imperative. A highly qualified medical officer was needed to direct the Public Health Division of the Civil Affairs Branch (G-5) of the newly formed headquarters. Because all of the senior