Bernard Baruch would spend much more time in Washington D.C. during World War Two. With his practice of meeting reporter and politicians at his unofficial office, which was a park bench, Bernard Baruch became known as “The Park Bench Statesman.” Back in Hobcaw, Belle’s aircraft were commandeered by the U.S. Army, and the area had mandatory “black outs” at night. Belle would regularly scout the beach area at night, and her vigilance even led to the arrest of a Nazi saboteur. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected for his fourth term, but fell ill, and took a retreat to Hobcaw Barony, at the offering from Bernard.
Many of the young African-American men who served during World War II did not wish to work for the Baruchs, and left Hobcaw with their families. The world was changing, and this made Bernard Baruch uneasy. Minnie Kennedy, who was once a resident of Hobcaw Barony, made a life for herself in New York as a school principal. By 1952, all the African Americans living in Hobcaw had left.
