Office of the Historian

Minutes of Meeting XVII of the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board, December 12, 19411

December 12, 1941
[Excerpt]

Present

Board Members, Alternates, and Staff

  • Vice President Henry A. Wallace, Chairman of the Economic Defense Board, who presided as chairman of the meeting
  • Mr. William S. Knudsen, Director General of the Office of Production Management
  • Mr. Sidney Hillman, Associate Director General of the Office of Production Management
  • Mr. Robert P. Patterson, Under Secretary of War, acting for the Secretary of War
  • Mr. Ralph Bard, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, acting for the Secretary of the Navy
  • Mr. Leon Henderson, Administrator of the Office of Price Administration
  • Mr. Harry L. Hopkins, Special Assistant to the President Supervising the Defense Aid Program
  • Mr. Donald M. Nelson, Executive Director of the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board
  • Mr. John Lord O’Brian, General Counsel
  • Mr. Herbert Emmerich, Secretary

By Invitation

  • Mr. Isador Lubin, Economic Adviser to the President
  • Mr. M. G. de Chazeau, Consultant, Division of Civilian Supply, Office of Production Management
  • Mr. W. L. Batt, Director, Division of Materials, Office of Production Management (For discussion of items 1 through 7)
  • Mr. Floyd B. Odium, Director, Division of Contract Distribution, Office of Production Management (For discussion of item 5)
  • Mr. Howard C. Sykes, Chief, Commodity, Stockpile and Shipping Imports Branch, Division of Materials, Office of Production Management (For discussion of items 1 through 4)
  • Mr. William Y. Elliott, Deputy Chief, Commodity, Stockpile and Shipping Imports Branch, Division of Materials, Office of Production Management (For discussion of items 1 through 4)
  • Mr. J. H. Eisenhart, Jr., Assistant Director of Transportation, Office of Price Administration
  • Mr. Hamilton K. Smith, Executive Secretary to Small Businessmen’s Advisory Committee, Division of Contract Distribution, Office of Production Management (For discussion of item 5)
  • Mr. Emerson Ross, Chief, Statistics Section, Bureau of Research and Statistics, Office of Production Management (For discussion of item 5)
  • Col. G. S. Brady, Chief, Import Section, Division of Civilian Supply, Office of Production Management
  • Col. J. W. Greene, Assistant Chief, Import Section, Division of Civilian Supply, Office of Production Management

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. International Control of Raw Materials

The Executive Director and Mr. Elliott pointed out the need at the present time for joint agreements with the British and other foreign governments regarding international control of raw materials. Upon motion duly made, it was agreed without objection that:

“The Executive Director shall confer with Mr. W. L. Batt, Director, Division of Materials, Office of Production Management; Mr. Milo Perkins, Executive Director, Economic Defense Board; Mr. Jesse H. Jones, Federal Loan Administrator; and Mr. W. L. Clayton, Deputy Federal Loan Administrator, Federal Loan Agency; the Department of State, and such others as may be interested in the formulation of a plan, for the holding of a joint conference of high ranking officials of the United States Government, the British Government, and such other governments as may be invited, for the purpose of discussing the international control of raw materials during the emergency.”

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  1. Printed from Civilian Production Administration, Bureau of Demobilization, Minutes of the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board, September 2, 1941, to January 15, 1942, Historical Reports on War Administration, War Production Board, Documentary Publication No. 3 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946).↩