World War II: The Arsenal of Democracy
Presented by Leon Reed
Monday, March 11

6:30PM

From a middle rate military power with an army that moved at the speed of a marching soldier in the mid-1930s, the United States had become a modern, mechanized force that overwhelmed Hitler’s and Hirohito’s militaries. Similarly, a country that produced a few hundred military aircraft and a handful of tanks each year cranked up to flood the world with dry manner of American produced products: heavy bombers, tanks, jets, and every manner of vehicle, bullets, uniforms, bandages, K rations — everything to sustain our own 16 million men under arms and a large fraction of the needs of the Allies. This involved acquiring and training an army, developing the industrial capacity, finding and training the workforce, and controlling the flow of materials. 
Leon Reed, a former legislative aide and defense consultant who worked on industrial mobilization plans, will discuss this marvel.