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How American business won WWII

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    FDR's secret weapon

  • Duration 4:11
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Sing.

Along you are -- they are hardly.

That is the basis on which we and our way plan money material.

Double and quadruple production.

Ever increasing.

Most Americans believe military spending during World War II with the economic stimulus that -- the Great Depression but our next guest says.

It was private business and enterprise and not to government.

That brought us back to prosperity joining us right now is historian author of freedoms -- how business is how American business Purdue's victory in World War II are Thurman.

Welcome to catch borders enormous pleasure to be FDR -- the Erica the economy in tatters he blames the rich bowl we go to war he needs the rich would -- -- do -- Even before we go to war you gotta put yourself in Roosevelt situations explain in the book.

He's sitting in the Oval Office.

His advisors are telling -- we're going to be at war in two years.

-- -- them -- -- in Europe are collapsing it's not seen one machine is on the Rampage.

George Marshall says to him we've got that eighteenth largest army in world.

1818.

Holland had a bigger army and we didn't.

We've got an air force of eight at 15100 planes most of them are obsolete trainers.

We've got a navy which is built around World War I era battleships.

If Hitler lands five divisions on the American coast he'd go anywhere he wants the can do nothing to stop.

And FDR had been you know -- Lee anti business he totally anti an anti capitalists and some guy came up -- -- Mr.

President the only way out of this is if you go to big business and you asked them to mobilize for the war and he can't even though his wife -- don't do it frank don't do it.

Got to understand this too we have.

No defense industry in those days have all been demand dismantled after World War I member that was the war was gonna end all wars -- And so he's got to start from scratch to build planes and tanks and aircraft engines and machine guns and artillery shells.

Nobody knows how to do it the war department and the navy department -- clueless here.

And the only place you can go if you are looking for someone to have large scale solutions to problems he goes to -- would the American business too stiff arm because they've gotten -- -- since -- took over or.

Well to -- he calls the head GM president -- bill -- This Danish immigrant.

He'd worked his way up from literally from -- factory floor to become first president of Chevrolet turn that company around.

And then.

President of G is -- Steve Jobs of the stake in effect.

And what he does when he gets the call from the president he's Republican.

Roosevelt spent two terms campaign against business.

But he says when his boss Alfred Sloan says he didn't go to Washington -- work with Roosevelt he says this country.

Has given me so much.

I when my president calls I answer and how he trained for -- -- our business actually do in terms of tanks ammunition.

Weapons what -- he'd -- Commutes and does he goes to Roosevelt is his -- try to do this from top down if you try to do this like he ran the new deal.

With lots of government spending for jobs programs -- -- shovel ready.

Project you've already spent almost seven and get in today's dollars 750 -- billion dollars on this -- some familiar.

And let's do it bottom up.

Let's call the businesses the most innovative and productive businesses and -- industry sectors.

Get them to start gearing up and converted to wartime production I promise you give me eighteen months.

And you will have more planes tanks machine guns ever -- -- -- -- -- date anti American business and really mobilize turned everything around we were producing tanks and airplanes of bullets and all that stuff with the end of the war.

What did -- -- to business.

He went right back to his old ideas to -- Democrat that is -- it renewed so I mean.

Is explained in the book to explain how he did this could Joliet Illinois it it is a great book and it's a great lesson -- -- pressing states if you were Smart you agree that -- -- some of the stuff in your book called -- Ford.

Are there who think -- -- real pleasure to have you here in the knowledge I think that's -- --

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