1 See History of the Determination of Supply Requirements, prepared by the Requirements Div, ASF, OCMH.
2 Annual Rpt of ASF, 1943, p. 16.
3 Ibid., pp. 18-19.
4 Industrial Mobilization for War, pp. 275-85.
5 Memo, Somervell for Nathan, Chm Planning Com, WPB, 12 Sep 42, CG ASE
6 Min, WPB, 6 Oct 42; The Feasibility Dispute: Determination of War Production Objectives for 1942 and 1943, Com on Public Adm Cases, 3 Thomas Circle, Washington 5, D. C., 1950, pp. 90-95.
7 Memo, Patterson for Somervell, 7 Oct 42, Hq ASF, USW
8 Min, 35t1i Mtg, WPB, 13 Oct 42.
9 Industrial Mobilization for War, p. 289.
10 Memo, D. M. Nelson for JCS, 19 Oct 42, w/incls, Hq ASF, WPB.
11 Ltr, Leahy to JCS and D. M. Nelson, 24 Nov 42, CG ASE
12 Ltr, Somervell to Wilson, 28 Oct 42, Hq ASF, WPB.
13 Min, 41st Mtg, WPB 24 Nov 42.
14 Industrial Mobilization for War, pp. 512-13.
15 Memo, Somervell, S. M. Robinson, and Davison for Wilson, 16 Nov 42, Hq ASF, WPB.
16 Copies of both draft orders are in Hq ASF, WPB.
17 The Headquarters, ASF, reading file contains a letter to Mr. Hopkins beginning "Dear Harry" dated 21 November 1942, which indicates that Somervell had talked previously about the issue with him. The papers forwarded with this letter are found in Hq ASF, WPB, with these notations on them: "Somervell Digest of Clay Memo," "Clay Digest of Clay Memo," and "Clay Memo."
18 Industrial Mobilization for War, pp. 514-15.
19 Ltr, D. M. Nelson to Stimson, 26 Nov 42, Hq ASF, WPB.
20 Ltr, D. M. Nelson to SW, 26 Nov 42, Hq ASF, WPB.
21 Min, WPB, 27 Nov 42.
22 Ltr, Stimson to D. M. Nelson, 28 Nov 42, Hq ASF, WPB. See Appen. G for the Stimson-Knox statement.
23 Min, WPB, 1 Dec 42. A copy of Production Progress and Scheduling may be found in Hq ASF files.
24 It is impossible to reconcile Nelson's own account of this controversy with his correspondence to the War Department. He does not mention the draft orders or the intention to abrogate the 12 March agreement. He reports that Mr. Wilson's task was first, to increase the supply of critical components and second, to set up an orderly scheduling program. This intention alone, he suggests, stirred up "the bitterest fight I ever had with the War Department people. The fundamental principles underlying the scheduling and allocation of critical components were involved." He adds that he was convinced that the WPB should take over the allocation of raw materials. Mr. Nelson even says that Secretary Stimson decided that he, Nelson, was right, and directed the Army to "go along." See D. M. Nelson, Arsenal of Democracy, pp. 382-85.
25 Leahy, l Was There, pp. 130-31. Admiral Leahy recalls the proposal but entirely misplaces the episode in time. He confuses the issue with the dismissal of Mr. Eberstadt the following February. See p. 211.
26 This press release is quoted in full in D. M. Nelson, Arsenal of Democracy, pp. 386-87.
27 Ltr, Patterson to D. M. Nelson, 17 Dec 42. A Copy of this letter is in Hq ASF files with the handwritten notation at the bottom: "Delivered in person to Mr. Nelson Dec 17 by the USW, Mr. Nelson agreeing fully to the principles, L.D.C." These are Gen Clay's initials.
28 D. M. Nelson, Arsenal of Democracy, p. 392.
29 The New York Times, October 7, 1943.
30 Additional Report of the Special Committee Investigating the National Defense Program, Senate, 78th Cong, 1st Sess, 5 Nov 43, Senate Rpt 10, Pt. 12.
31 Min, WPB, 30 Nov 43.
32 Industrial Mobilization for War, p. 721.
33 Min, WPB, 11 Jan 44.
34 Bernard M. Baruch and John M. Hancock, Report on War and Post-War Adjustment Policy, Senate,78th Cong, 2d Sess, 15 Feb 44, Senate Doc. 154.
35 The New York Times, February 22, 1944.
36 Additional Report of the Special Committee Investigating the National Defense Program, Senate, 78th Cong, 2d Sess, 4 Mar 44, Senate Rpt 10, Pt. 16.
37 The New York Times, May 23, 30, 1944.
38 Ibid. , June 18, 1944.
39 Min, WPB, 4 Jul 44.
40 The New York Times, July 9, 1944.
41 The New York Times, July 5, 1944.
42 Industrial Mobilization for War, p. 808.
43 The New York Times, July 11, 16, 23, 29, 1944.
44 D. M. Nelson, Arsenal of Democracy, pp. 401-02; The New York Times, August 15, 1944.
45 The New York Times, August 20, 21, 24, 1944.
46 Industrial Mobilization for War, pp. 731-41 Harold Stein, ed., Public Administration and Policy Development (New York, Harcourt, Brace and Company, Inc., 1952), p. 215.
47 D. M. Nelson, Arsenal of Democracy, p. 402.
48 Ibid., p. 402.
49 Ibid., p. 407.
50 Ibid., p. 408.
51 Annual Rpt of ASF, 1945, p. 192.
52 The historian of the OWMR, noting Mr. Nelson's reference to his reconversion disagreements with the Army as "the bitterest of all arguments with the Army," remarks that Nelson "might have said with equal accuracy 'the bitterest of arguments with WMC,' or 'the bitterest of arguments with WPB."' This historian adds later that Mr. Nelson "regarded the entire issue as a 'long and bitter controversy with the military over control of America's civilian economy' rather than a difference over the timing of reconversion steps, and whether such steps would interfere with the war." See Herman M. Somers, Presidential Agency, The Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion (Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1940), pp. 183, 188.
53 Memo of Agreement, Conf between Krug and Batcheller, Somervell, Bruce, Col. Frank R. Denton, and Col. Maurice R. Scharff, 23 Nov 44, Hq ASF, WPB.
54 Industrial Mobilization for War, p. 812.
55 The New York Times, December 2-4, 1944.
56 Stein, Public Administration and Policy Development; The Reconversion Controversy, Corn on Public Adm Cases, 3 Thomas Circle, Washington 5 D. C., passim.
57 Hearings before a Special Committee Investigating the National Defense Program, Senate, 78th Cong, 2d Sess, Pt. 26, pp. 11989-93.
58 WD press release, 6 Dec 44, address by Somervell before the NAM.
59 Ltr, Dir OWMR to Clay, 4 Dec 44, Industrial Rec Div, National Archives.
60 Problems of Mobilization and Reconversion: First Report to the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives by the Director of War Mobilization and Reconversion, January I, 1945 (Washington, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1945). See also below, pp. 588-89.
61 The Reconversion Controversy, passim., cited in n. 56; The New York Times, March 29, 1945.
62 This section is based largely on the ASF monograph, Purchasing Policies and Practices, prepared by the Purchases Division, ASF, pp. 106-09, Hist Rec, ASK See also Hearings before the Special Committee to Study and Survey Problems of Small Business Enterprises, Senate, 77th Cong, 2d Sess, Testimony of Gen Somervell, 7 Dec 42, Pt. 11, p. 1479.
63 Annual Rpt of ASF, 1945, p. 216.
64 Files, CG ASE