The Salem Public Safety Committee (SPSC) was organized under Mayor Henry P. Benson on April 1, 1917, in Salem, Massachusetts, to cooperate with the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety in their efforts to prepare the country for involvement in World War I. David M. Little was appointed Chairman, with David N. Cook and James J. Welch appointed as assistants. A total of 27 committees were formed to handle daily business within the organization, including the Finance Committee, the Food Production and Conservation Committee, and the Hygiene, Medicine and Sanitation Committee. Arthur H. Phippen, Chairman of the SPSC in 1918, compiled the records of the SPSC for presentation to Mayor Denis J. Sullivan and the citizens of Salem. With the submission of the committee and sub-committee records, Phippen tendered his resignation and recommended the dissolution of the SPSC, claiming that the committee's work had been completed.