War Production Board (WPB)

Definition

The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. It was established on January 16, 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Analogy

Think of the WPB as a football coach during a big game (World War II). The coach doesn't play in the game but makes strategic decisions about who plays what position and when, just like how the WPB didn't produce goods itself but decided which companies would make what war materials.

Related terms

Lend-Lease Act: This was a law passed in 1941 that allowed the U.S to ship arms and other supplies without immediate payment to nations fighting against Axis powers.

Arsenal of Democracy: A slogan used by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, promising to help the UK fight Nazi Germany by giving them military supplies while staying out of the actual fighting.

Manhattan Project: A research and development project during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons.