After the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, in February 1942 the Almanacs went into the studio to record a set of songs supporting the American war effort.[1] This was partly because with American entrance into World War II all American unions adopted a no-strike pledge.[2] Another contributing factor was that, after Hitler invaded the USSR in June 1941, Moscow had reversed its previous anti-intervention stance as expressed in the group's earlier album, Songs for John Doe. This lost the Almanacs a sizeable chunk of their working repertoire.[2]
