[citation needed] The Council co-operated with the Office of War Information (OWI) and other government agencies, but was itself a voluntary, unpaid, non-governmental organization.
[citation needed] The Council attempted to achieve its goals by acting as a clearinghouse for book-related ideas, by being an intermediary between the book-trade industry and government agencies, by offering advice to publishers, and by handling all forms of public relations including distribution of reading lists and pamphlets, lectures, radio programs,[2] newsreels, and book promotion and publication.
These titles were republished by Council member publishers with a seal of approval, a large "I" on the front cover meaning an "Imperative" book.
The Armed Services Editions brought high-end books to a mass audience, and helped popularize the emerging paperback format.
With the end of World War II, the Council on Books in Wartime ceased active operations on Jan 31, 1946 but maintained its corporate entities to deal with the dispersal of remaining funds and the safekeeping of records.