War Assets Administration

The War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factories had produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II. Hundreds of thousands of tons of surplus military equipment, from mess kits to tanks, airplanes, machine guns, artillery, and even warships, were now being offered for sale as scrap by the War Assets Administration (WAA).

Predecessor Agencies

• Petroleum Reserves Corporation (PRC), Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC, June–July 1943)
• PRC, Office of Economic Warfare (OEW, July–September 1943)
• PRC, Foreign Economic Administration (FEA, September 1943-September 1945)
• PRC, RFC (September–November 1945)
• War Assets Corporation (WAC), RFC (November 1945-March 1946)
• Surplus War Property Administration (SWPA), Office of War Mobilization (OWM, February–October 1944)
• Surplus Property Board (SPB), Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion (OWMR, October 1944-September 1945)
• Surplus Property Administration (SPA), OWMR (September 1945-March 1946)

Functions

Disposed of surplus consumer, capital, and producer goods; industrial and maritime real property; and airports and aircraft located in the United States and its territories.

Abolished

By the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act (63 Stat. 738), June 30, 1949.

Successor Agencies

General Services Administration, as liquidator.

References

Records of the War Assets Administration (WAA) in the holdings of the US National Archives and Records Administration.

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