 Roosevelt was an admirer of La Guardia; after meeting Winston Churchill for the first time he described him as "an English Mayor La Guardia".The OCD was the national agency responsible for preparing for blackouts, air raid wardens, sirens, and shelters in case of German air raids.The government knew that such air raids were impossible, but the goal was to psychologically mobilize many thousands of middle class volunteers to make them feel part of the war effort.