By late November, 1941, only children and the clinically optimistic were of the mind that America would be able to keep out of a war – as you’ll be able to assume when you read the attached article that appeared on the newsstands just ten days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. It extolls the industrial prowess of the United States as the country prepared for war:
• “William S. Knudson (1879 – 1948), Director of the OPM, declared U.S. arms output will soon ‘assure Hitler’s defeat’. Proof of this claim was seen in the celebration in New Haven, Connecticut, of one company’s production of it’s 10,000th machine-gun within a year of the time the contract was signed to build a plant.”
• “The launching of the 35,000-ton battleship INDIANA at Newport News, Virginia, the third battleship to come off the ways this year, indicated the increased tempo of defense production, which Admiral Land, of the Maritime Commission, said neared ‘superhuman’.”
1941 increased military industrial production2 ocean navy billtwo ocean navy billbattleship USS INDIANA constructed 1941Roosevelt's pre-war precautionsWilliam S Knudson Director of OPMRear Admiral Greenslade USN on US shipbuilding capabilitiesUS factories in WW2US industrial workers at warUS industrial workers in WW2US shipbuilding in WW2military industrial production in 1941ww2 defense industry production in 1941arsenal of democracy production 1941war materiel production in 1941
1941 increased military industrial production2 ocean navy billtwo ocean navy billbattleship USS INDIANA constructed 1941Roosevelt's pre-war precautionsWilliam S Knudson Director of OPMRear Admiral Greenslade USN on US shipbuilding capabilitiesUS factories in WW2US industrial workers at warUS industrial workers in WW2US shipbuilding in WW2military industrial production in 1941ww2 defense industry production in 1941arsenal of democracy production 1941war materiel production in 1941
