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In the months that followed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, the United States began the transition from a peace economy to a war economy. Production of household items such as refrigerators and cars had to change to tanks, trucks, guns, and planes.
It was not an easy transition. Eight months later, President Roosevelt in Washington was receiving reports on the failure of the production war. Everything was behind schedule, including the production of B 24 Liberator bombers at the Willow Run Bomber Plant, built by the Ford Motor Company just outside of Ypsilanti. President Roosevelt decided that he wanted to see these issues first-hand.
In this episode, we learn about President Roosevelt’s secret visit to Ypsilanti in 1942 from local historian, James Mann.
More about our speaker
James Mann
James Mann is a local historian and writer. His books include Wicked Washtenaw County, Wicked Ann Arbor, Wicked Ypsilanti and Murder and Mayhem in Washtenaw County. He is a regular contributor to the Ypsilanti Gleanings, the publication of the Ypsilanti Historical Society. He is also the host of the Highland Cemetery Lantern tours. He is working on his next book on local history, The Torch Murders.
Images
All of these images are courtesy of The Henry Ford. They are covered under a Creative Commons license.
Henry Ford and President Franklin Roosevelt Touring Willow Run Bomber Plant with Charles Sorensen, September 18, 1942.
President and Mrs Roosevelt in the rear seat with Henry Ford, Charles Sorensen and Edsel Ford in the middle seat with an unidentified man, 1942.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the Sunshine Special leading a Parade of Cars at Willow Run Airport, 1942.