Keep from all thoughtful men : how U.S. economists won World War II / Jim Lacey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lacey, Jim, 1958-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects--United States.

World War, 1939-1945.

United States. War Production Board.

United States.

Industrial mobilization.

History.

United States--Economic policy--1933-1945.

Economic policy.

Industrial mobilization--United States--History--20th century.

Physical Description:

266 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Annapolis, Md. : Naval Institute Press, [2011]

Summary:

Lacey, a retired US Army infantry officer, defense analyst, and writer who teaches strategy, war, and policy at the Marine War College, examines how economics drove Allied strategic decision making in World War II, especially how economists Simon Kuznets, Robert Nathan, and Stacy May determined when the Normandy invasion would occur. He challenges several ideas about the war, including that a large amount of munitions from American factories defeated Axis powers, that General Albert Wedemeyer devised the strategic and industrial plan that would win the war, and that Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall went to the Casablanca conference to push for a 1943 invasion of Northern Europe. He also explains how President Roosevelt's goals for munitions came close to seizing up the production program and ending the chance of invading Northern Europe in 1944, and addresses the myth that Americans sacrificed so that consumer production facilities could convert to war production. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

Economics and war

Unmaking the victory program

The real victory program

The economists' war

The production organizations

The war production board and two wars

War and feasibility

The great feasibility debate

Marshall's commitment to a 1943 invasion of Europe

Why Marshall changed his mind

Appendix 1. The feasibility concept

Appendix 2. The first feasibility study (14 March 1942)

Appendix 3. Wedemeyer's victory program

Appendix 4. Nathan's 6 October memorandum for War Production Board meeting

Appendix 5. General Somervell's comments to War Production Board proposals of 31 August 1942

Appendix 6. Simon Kuznets' reply to Somervell's comments on his feasibility proposal (sent under Robert Nathan's hand)

Appendix 7. Letter from Robert P. Patterson (under secretary of war) to General Somervell, post 6 October feasibility meeting

Appendix 8. Minutes of War Production Board 6 October meeting.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781591144915

1591144914

OCLC:

670481775