The United States at War
Development and Administration of the War Program
by the Federal Government

Prepared Under the Auspices of
The Committee of Records of War Administration
by the
War Records Section
Bureau of the Budget


Historical Reports on War Administration
Bureau of the Budget
No. 1


Contents

  Foreword iii
  Preface

vii
Chapter     Page
Part 1. Prelude to War
I. Facing the Failure of Neutrality 5
    The Incubation of World Conflict 5
    Limited Preparedness 10
    Strengthening Administrative Foundations 14
II. Preparing for Defense 17
    The Nazis Move Westward 20
    Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense 21
    Issues in Getting Production Under Way 25
    Emergency Organization for External Affairs 31
    Peacetime Selective Service 35
    The Cumulation of Events 38
III. Laying Administrative Foundations 43
    Lend-Lease Enacted 44
    Agencies Evolving from the Advisory Commission 50
    Growing Pains of the Production Program 60
    Broadening of Economic Defense 63
IV. Rounding Out Defense Organization 71
    Centering Responsibility for Priorities 73
    Speeding the Production Tempo 80
    Further Steps in Economic Defense Organization 84
    Beginnings of Information Coordination 89
    The State of Affairs on December 7, 1941 91
Part 2. Defensive War
V. Accelerating Production 103
    Immediate Administrative Adjustments 104
    Transition to War Production Board 109
    The Impact of Unlimited Procurement 112
    Reorganization of War Production Board 120
    Operating Policies of WPB 125
    The Army and the Economy 129
    Allied Cooperation 131
VI. Transporting the Goods 135
    Shipbuilding 135
    Allocating Shipping Space 143
    Domestic Transportation 155
    General Considerations 170
VII. Mobilizing Labor 173
    Early Labor Supply Organization 176
    Creation of the War Manpower Commission 182
    Evolution of the War Manpower Commission, May-November, 1942 184
    Adjustment of Industrial Disputes 190
VIII. Informing the Public 203
    Censorship 206
    Domestic Information Agencies and the War 210
    Foreign Information 217
    Establishment of OWI 220
    OWI as a Coordinating Agency 23
IX. Fighting Inflation 235
    Emergency Price Control Act of 1942 239
    Formulation of Stabilization Policy 248
    Seven-Point Anti-inflation Program 253
    Stabilization Act of 1942 265
Part 3. Full Tide of War
X. Regulating the Flow of Materials 279
    Proposals for Military Control 280
    War Production Czars 281
    Comprehensive and Integrated Controls 298
    Reorganization of WPB 304
XI. Food for War 321
    Administrative Developments Prior to December 1942 326
    Operations Under the Food Order of December 5, 1942 337
    Control of Distribution 358
XII. Coordinating the War Agencies 371
    Policing the Battle for Resources 374
    Managing the Anti-inflation Program 382
    Toward More Inclusive Overhead Management 391
    The Office of War Mobilization 397
XIII. Reorganizing the International Agencies 403
    War and the Traditional Machinery of Foreign Relations 406
    Establishment of OFRRO 409
    Coordination by the Department of State 411
    Friction Between BEW and RFC 421
    Reorganization 425
XIV. Allocating Labor Supply 429
    Emergence of a Labor Allocation System 431
    Selective Service Policy and National Service 445
XV. Preparing for Peace 461
    Early Planning 463
    Planning World Peace 467
    Demobilization--the Human Side 469
    Demobilization--the Financial Responsibility of Government 473
    Planning the Reconversion of Industry 482
    Lifting Controls 491
    The Fight Against Inflation 492
    Reconversion and Demobilization of the Executive Establishment 498
XVI. Assaying the Record 503
    Development of Policy 506
    Programming for War 511
    Execution of the Program 515
 
APPENDICES
I. The War Agencies of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government 521
II. List of Charts 537
III. List of Abbreviations 539
 
Index 541


Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation