Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the War Production Board Records

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0341
Creators:
United States. War Production Board.
Dates:
1943-1945
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2.5 Cubic feet
7 boxes
Repository:
Records of the War Production Board concerning watches (including clocks and timers) so that both the civilian population and the military would be supplied with adequate and reliable timepieces.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection consists of records of the War Production Board concerning watches (including clocks and timers) so that both the civilian and the military would be supplied with adequate and reliable time mechanisms as well as timers for military purposes. The activities ranged from control over aspects of production to allocation of material used in manufacturing along with references to foreign importation of watches and a technical survey of clock and watch factories in Europe.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is divided into five series.
Series 1: Watches by Type
Series 2: Correspondence: Manufacturers
Series 3: Reports for Watch Industry
Series 4: War Production Board Records/Reports
Series 5: War production Board Requirements

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The War Production Board (WPB) was established in the Office for Emergency Management by an Executive order of January 16, 1942, which transferred to it the functions of the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board and the Office of Production Management (both established in 1941).
The function of the WPB was to exercise general direction over the war procurement and production programs of all federal departments and agencies. The WPB was terminated November 3, 1945.
The Consumers Durable Goods Division of the War Production Board was concerned with the regulation, production, and allocation of timepieces during World War II.
Source
Guide to the National Archives and Record Services, General Service Administration, Washington: 1974, PP. 687 689).

Administration

Author
Robert W. Ageton
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Custodial History
This collection was donated to the NMAH's Division of Mechanics (now Division of Work and Industry) sometime prior to 1974, and was transferred to the Archives Center shortly after it opened in 1983.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Robert Ageton, 1989

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
War Production Board Collection, 1943-1945, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Clocks and watches Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reports -- 1940-1950 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence -- 1940-1950 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Statistics Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
World War, 1939-1945 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu