Donald Marr Nelson (1888–1959) was an American business executive and public servant, serving as the executive vice president of Sears Roebuck before accepting the position of director of priorities of the United States Office of Production Management (1941–1942). In 1942 Nelson became chairman of the War Production Board (1942–1944) when it replaced the OPM. He later served for two years (1945–1947) as president of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers .
22-659: WPB may refer to: War Production Board , a US government agency in WWII War Propaganda Bureau of Britain's Foreign Office in WWI Weekly Playboy , Japanese men's magazine Weibel–Palade body , storage granules of endothelial cells West Palm Beach, Florida , United States, a city World Painted Blood , a 2009 album by the thrash metal band Slayer Waste paper basket The hull classification symbol of an Island-class patrol boat of
44-422: A great turnaround. Military aircraft production, which totaled 6,000 in 1940, jumped to 85,000 in 1943. Factories that made silk ribbons now produced parachutes, automobile factories built tanks, typewriter companies converted to rifles, undergarment manufacturers sewed mosquito netting, and a rollercoaster manufacturer converted to the production of bomber repair platforms. The WPB ensured that each factory received
66-521: A national scrap metal drive in October 1942 resulted in an average of almost 82 pounds (37 kg) of scrap per American. WPB order M-9-C related to the conservation of copper and, in May 1942, The Film Daily reported that this would apply to the production of new motion picture sound and projection equipment but not to the delivery of items already produced. The WPB and the nation's factories effected
88-540: A total production of $ 185 billion (equivalent to $ 2.48 trillion in 2023 ) worth of armaments and supplies. At war's end, most production restrictions were quickly lifted, and the WPB was abolished on November 3, 1945, with its remaining functions transferred to the Civilian Production Administration. Executive Order 9638 created the Civilian Production Administration and terminated
110-615: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages War Production Board 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 January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board and
132-469: The Office of Production Management . The WPB directed conversion of companies engaged in activities relevant to war 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
154-538: The defeat of Japan in 1945 and was replaced by the Civilian Production Administration in late 1945. In 1942–1945, WPB supervised the production of $ 183 billion (equivalent to $ 2.46 trillion in 2023 ) worth of weapons and supplies, about 40 percent of the world output of munitions. The UK, the USSR, and other allies produced an additional 30 percent, while the Axis produced only 30 percent. One fourth of
176-535: The US Coast Guard Port Bergé Airport , Madagascar World Prison Brief , database of prison systems throughout the world Whizz Pop Bang , a science magazine for children Political parties [ edit ] Workers Party of Bangladesh Workers' Party of Belgium Workers Party of Britain See also [ edit ] WP:B (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
198-559: The US output was warplanes; one fourth was warships. Meanwhile, the civilian standard of living was about level. The first chair of the board was Donald Nelson , who served from 1942 to 1944. He was succeeded by Julius Albert 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,
220-479: The War Department. Patterson typically demanded that civilian needs be given lower priority because military supplies were essential to winning the war, and that argument usually prevailed. In February 1943, Roosevelt invited Bernard Baruch to replace Nelson as WPB head, but was persuaded to change his mind by advisor Harry Hopkins , and Nelson remained in the post. From 1942 to 1945 the WPB directed
242-606: The War Production Board on October 4, 1945. The Civilian Production Board was consolidated with other agencies to form the Office of Temporary Controls—an agency in the Office for Emergency Management of the executive office of the president. The latter had previously been established pursuant to the Reorganization Act of 1939. The executive order provided a Temporary Controls Administrator, appointed by
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#1732772594648264-479: The conflicting requests from various agencies. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson regularly criticized Nelson for his "inability to take charge". He argued endlessly with Robert P. Patterson of the War Department. Patterson typically demanded that civilian needs be given lower priority because military supplies were essential to winning the war, and that argument usually prevailed. In February 1943, Roosevelt invited Bernard Baruch to replace Nelson as WPB head, but
286-510: The defense industry were reorganized into a central procurement agency, the Office of Production Management, with Nelson the director of priorities. As American war preparations continued to expand during 1941, new inefficiencies in the supply process were exposed, and in July a new agency, the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board (SPAB) was created to deal with them. Nelson was named its director. In January, 1942, following America's entry into
308-593: 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. The WPB employed mathematicians who were responsible for constructing and maintaining multilevel models of resources needed for
330-700: The executive committee by 1939. It was Nelson's experience at Sears, buying more than 135,000 different products while gaining an unparalleled knowledge of American industry, that led President Franklin Roosevelt to give him several jobs overseeing production of war material for the United States and its allies in World War II. In May 1940, Roosevelt appointed Nelson to a post at the Treasury Department where he served as acting director of
352-574: The materials it needed to produce the most war goods in the shortest time. Without American production the Allies could never have won the war. Nelson faced extensive criticism from the military during his tenure. Described by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin as "habitually indecisive", Nelson had difficulty sorting the conflicting requests from various agencies. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson regularly criticized Nelson for his "inability to take charge". He argued endlessly with Robert P. Patterson of
374-709: The president, to head the Office of Temporary Controls and vested in him, among other things, the functions of the Price Administrator. Donald Nelson Nelson was born in Hannibal, Missouri , the son of a locomotive engineer. He went to the University of Missouri, graduating in 1911 with a degree in chemical engineering. In 1912 he took a job as a chemist with Sears, Roebuck and Company. There he steadily advanced, becoming vice-president in 1930 and being named executive vice president and vice chairman of
396-458: The procurement division, managing sales of raw materials to Britain and its allies for use in their fight against the Axis. During the second half of 1940, Axis successes and the possibility of American involvement in the spreading war heightened concerns about the nation's military readiness. With an eye to improving the efficiency of war production, in January, 1941 several agencies responsible for purchasing billions of dollars of war materials for
418-403: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title WPB . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WPB&oldid=1199879989 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
440-681: The war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt abolished both the OPM and the SPAB, replacing them with a new agency, the War Production Board . Once again, FDR asked Nelson to lead it. Nelson proved a poor leader who feuded with the Army and failed to make timely decisions. Nelson faced extensive criticism from the military during his tenure. Described by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin as "habitually indecisive", Nelson had difficulty sorting
462-573: The war effort. Their models included manufacturing defects, materials lost when ships were sunk at sea, &c. Upon analyzing field reports which revealed systematic shortages, the mathematicians decided to increase allocations submitted to the board by a factor of 10. The WPB managed 12 regional offices and operated 120 field offices throughout the nation. They worked alongside state war production boards, which maintained records on state war production facilities and also helped state businesses obtain war contracts and loans. The national WPB's primary task
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#1732772594648484-506: Was converting civilian industry to war production. The WPB assigned priorities and allocated scarce materials such as steel, aluminum, and rubber, prohibited nonessential industrial production such as that of nylons and refrigerators, controlled wages and prices, and mobilized the people through patriotic propaganda such as "give your scrap metal and help Oklahoma boys save our way of life". It initiated events such as scrap metal drives, which were carried out locally to great success. For example,
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