The vast sea of prisoners is demonstrated by this “photograph” of 30,000 Russian prisoners of war standing in the compound of an unidentified German prison camp. This picture is actually a montage of several photographs produced by the American YMCA (note the disproportion of sizes between the groups of men) to show the cramped conditions of prison life during the war. Source: Armed Services Box 55, Kautz Family YMCA Archives, University of Minnesota.

Photograph of Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), President of the United States and “leader of democracy.” Source: Holt, From the First Shot, 1918, 3.

Portrait of William Graves Sharp (1859–1922), United States ambassador to France from 1914 to 1919; he strongly supported the American YMCA in the establishment and expansion of the WPA program. Source: Review of Reviews, 50 (August 1914): 149.

This is an exterior view of the World's Alliance of YMCA's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland in 1922. The Association would soon move from this building to new facilities on the Quai Wilson on Lake Geneva. Source: The Red Triangle: British YMCA Monthly, 6:10 (October 1922): 239.

This thirty-plus car train carries thousands of Russian prisoners of war into Austro-Hungarian captivity. The train is crossing a river in the Carpathian Mountains. Both the box cars and open cars are crammed with Russian POW's. The Austrian guards have sentry boxes, which provide them with some relief from the elements. Source: The Great War in Pictures, No. 8 (1915): 6.

This is a view of one of the fifteen Association halls the American YMCA constructed in German prison camps during World War I. Source: Association Men, 41 (January 1916): 193.

An unidentified YMCA secretary meets with three Russian prisoners of war in the compound of a German prison camp. The three Russians may be members of the camp's YMCA committee. Source: WPA Photo Collection, Kautz Family YMCA Archives, Photo 71F, Minneapolis, MN.

Portait of John R. Mott (1865–1955), General Secretary of the International Committee of the American YMCA from 1915 and General Secretary of the World's Committee of the World's Alliance in 1926. Source: YMCA Biographical Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives, University of Minnesota.

Painting of a young Sir George Williams (1821–1905), founder of the Young Men's Christian Association in London in 1844. Source: YMCA Biographical Records—World's Alliance, Kautz Family YMCA Archives.

Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875) was an American evangelist and leader in the Second Great Awakening Movement in the 19th century; he strongly supported the expansion of the YMCA. Source: New England Magazine, 23 (September 1900): 67.

Portait of Jean Henri Dunant (1828–1910), an early leader in the YMCA movement in Switzerland and founder of the International Red Cross in 1863. Source: YMCA Photograph Collection—Foreign Work, Kautz Family YMCA Archives.

This is a drawing of the YMCA building, located at 347 Madison Avenue in New York City. It served as the headquarters of the International Committee of the North American YMCA and the War Work Council. These organizations supervised the funding and operation of the War Prisoners' Aid servivces in Europe during World War I. Source: Association Men, 43 (May 1918): 699.

Luther Wishard (1854–1925) was an American missionary and supporting sending YMCA secretaries to Japan, India, China, Ceylon, Brazil, and Mexico. Source: YMCA Biographical B Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives, University of Minnesota.

Members of the World's Committee met in Geneva in May 1910 for a plenary session. This photograph was taken on the steps of the World's Alliance headquarters. Source: YMCA Photograph Collection, Foreign Work-World's Committee, U of Minnesota.

Portrait of Richard Cary Morse (1841–1926), General Secretary of the International Committee of the American YMCA from 1871 to 1915. Source: YMCA Biographical Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives, University of Minnesota.

Portrait of Edward C. Jenkins (1875–1956), originally John R. Mott's private secretary, Jenkins became the executive of the Foreign Work Department of the International Committee in 1917. Source: YMCA Biographical Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives, University of Minnesota.

Portrait of Fletcher S. Brockman (1867–1944), an American YMCA Field Secretary in China who became the Associate General Secretary of the National War Work Council during the First World War. Source: YMCA Biographical Records, Kautz Family YMCA Archives, University of Minnesota.

Composite photograph of James Stokes (1841–1918), an American philanthropist and supporter of the American YMCA and buildings he purchased in Paris and Rome to expand Association operations in Europe. Source: YMCA Biographical Records—World's Alliance, Kautz Family YMCA Archives.

Portait of Pastor Friedrich von Schluembach (d. 1901) around 1880; he was instrumental in organizing the German National YMCA in 1882 and establishing the Berlin Association in 1883 on the American model. Source: YMCA Biographical Records—World's Alliance, Kautz Family YMCA Archives.

Photograph of Christian Phildius (d. 1937), first General Secretary of the German National YMCA who later became the General Secretary of the World's Alliance from 1896 to 1922; he conducted negotiations to establish WPA programs in Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey during the war. Source: YMCA Biographical Records—World's Alliance, Kautz Family YMCA Archives.