The New Deal Goes to War: The Role of the Alphabet Agencies in World War II Mobilization

Abstract

Although the New Deal alphabet agencies are best known for their roles in combating the economic emergency of the 1930s, many of these agencies served important strategic functions during the military emergency of the 1940s. This paper examines the important strategic contributions of the alphabet agencies—particularly those in the newly created Federal Works Agency—during the Second World War.   "When the Federal Works Agency went to war the chief weapons it employed were those forged by more than 10 years of experience in large scale public works." Federal Works Agency 1942 Annual Report (p. 2)