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War Production Board

War Production Board
US-WarProductionBoard-Seal.svg
Agency overview
Formed August 1941 (1941-08)
Preceding
Dissolved November 3, 1945 (1945-11-03)
Superseding agency
  • Civilian Production Board
Jurisdiction United States Government
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Agency executives

The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in August 1939, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Supply Priorities and Allocation Board and the Office of Production Management.

The WPB directed conversion of industries from peacetime work to war needs, allocated scarce materials, established priorities in the distribution of materials and services, and prohibited nonessential production. It rationed such commodities as gasoline, heating oil, metals, rubber, paper and plastics. It was dissolved shortly after the defeat of Japan in 1945, and was replaced by the Civilian Production Administration in late 1945.

In 1942-45, WPB supervised the production of $183 billion worth of weapons and supplies, about 40% of the world output of munitions. Britain, the USSR and other allies produced an addition 30%, while the Axis produced only 30%. One fourth of the US output was warplanes; one fourth was warships. Meanwhile, the civilian standard of living was about level.

The first chairman of the Board was Donald M. Nelson, who served from 1942 to 1944. He was succeeded by Julius A. Krug, who served from 1944 until the Board was dissolved.

The national WPB constituted the chair, the Secretaries of War, Navy, and Agriculture, the lieutenant general in charge of War Department procurement, the director of the Office of Price Administration, the Federal Loan Administrator, the chair of the Board of Economic Warfare, and the special assistant to the President for the defense aid program. The WPB had advisory, policy-making, and progress-reporting divisions.


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Wikipedia

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