End of the Boom

WPB Chairman Donald Marr Nelson reported: 1942's war production reached $59 billion ($9 billion under the original goal); 1943's goal is $106 billion and is "most formidable." But the nub of his report was on civilian prospects.

In 1942, said Nelson, the consumer got more goods and services than he had ever had before--except for slap-happy 1941, when the war program took a far smaller share of total output than its 40% bite by the end of 1942. This year there is no more slack to take up in manpower and materials; civilian production will nosedive as war production rises. Overall per-capita consumption will probably be off 20% from last year.

Don Nelson's lesson was crystal clear: the U.S. civilian's personal war boom is just about over for the duration.

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