The War Production Board typewriters

[All Typewriter Sales Halt! World War II:] Search results
[Typewriter production World War II:] Search results

http://www.exploredc.org/pdfs/boomtown.pdf
boomtown.pdf (application/pdf オブジェクト)
A Narrative
Circumstantial Boom Town
Washington, D.C. in World War II

Supplying the Paper Trail of War
Equipment to support all of the new workers who were filling wartime jobs was hard to get as
well. The government hired thousands and thousands of typists, many of them women, who for
the first time were working in federal offices. These “government girls” were crucial to the war
effort, but they had a huge problem. Not enough typewriters. By 1942, the agencies of the city
were 600,000 short. Typewriter companies had been changed over to war production, so the
shortage would not be eased soon. Private citizens were urged to turn in their typewriters to
support the war effort, but few did. In Washington at War, David Brinkley explained how the
head of the Office of Price Administration came up with an inventive idea. He had men with
pushcarts sweep through empty offices at night, having them swipe one of every seven
typewriters. He waited to see how many complained of missing machines. Amazingly, few did,
so he had his office’s typewriter shortage cured. All that typing produced the inevitable paper
shortage. The federal government created more records in the World War II than it had in its
entire previous history. This led to “records managers,” thus the federal government grew even
bigger.6
-------------------
An Activity
The Home Front
Background:
The United States government sent a clear message to American citizens who remained at home
while others went to fight in World War II: even though you’re not in combat, you must do your
part. The writers of American History note that even by the time Hitler invaded Poland in 1939,
a United States government report had stated:
War is no longer simply a battle between armed forces in the field. It is a struggle in
which each side strives to bring to bear against the enemy the coordinated power of every
individual and of every material resource at its command. The conflict extends from the
soldier in the front line to the citizen in the remotest hamlet in the rear.

In some cases, individuals on the “home front” were required by law to do their part. Consider
these examples:

The War Production Board controlled the output of industry. Many companies that had
been in the business of producing typewriters or sewing machines were soon told to
convert to building tanks or planes. The board even mandated what came to be called “A
Victory Suit.” It had cuffless trousers and narrower lapels. Reductions in the amount of
cloth allowed also led to shorter, pleatless skirts, and two-piece bathing suits for women.

The War Production Board　typewriters
[The War Production Board　typewriters] Search results