America Will Win the War!

America is going to win the war!
Make no mistake about that.
If you have been in Washington "since Pearl Harbor" and talked to any or all of the heads of departments concerned with the procurement of the many and varied implements of war, you won't have the least scintilla of doubt as to this country's determination to win the war.
Everything else in the country's life and comfort is secondary.
Materials, productive equipment and men are being considered first as to their need in our war efforts. The President has established a tremendous program but evervone identified with Governmental activities is determined that nothing shall interfere with the successful attainment of that program.
Materials of all types that have even the least part to play in war production are being diverted from civilian channels and will be continued to be used for the necessities of war until our Government is positive that sufficient has been diverted for this purpose.
Factories are being investigated as to the availability of their machinery and equipment for war production and war orders are being distributed among these plants just as quickly as "paper work" permits.
The appointment of Donald Nelson as Chairman of the War Production Board with greater powers than any civilian has ever had in this country is conclusive evidence of the Administration's determination to go full speed ahead with the war program.
The 18 to 65-year registration of the man power of this country will place some 42,000,000 males at the disposition of the Selective Service Board and each of these men will be considered on the basis of his availability to the war program. But a small fraction of these men will be used in the armed services but regardless of age, each will have to be at the disposal of his country wherever it is determined he is best fitted. And there will be no industry-wide exemptions, similar to the shipyard workers of the first world war. Each man is to be considered individually.\\

While the Government is for war first, last and always, it is still cognizant of the needs of our civilian population and is especially concerned with the requirements of small industry. Special Bureaus have been established, to take care of the latter, and once they start functioning there is no doubt that materials and supplies will be made available to the producers of civilian goods. Of course, we cannot expect and none of us wants "business as usual" and the availability of materials and supplies for civilian purposes will be drastically reduced.
Just how much will be available and when it will be available will be determined as soon as President Roosevelt's war production program gets into full swing. But to allay the fears of small industries that they will have to go out of business, we can tell them that the Government knows what they need and will find some means of supplying their needs.

Luggage & Leather Goods February 1942, page 21

Categories: 1942