Combined Raw Materials Board

Combined Raw Materials Board. The Combined Raw Materials Board was a critical World War II Allied agency established in early 1942 to coordinate the acquisition, allocation, and distribution of essential strategic materials between the United States and the United Kingdom. Its creation was a direct outcome of the Arcadia Conference and was part of a broader system of Combined Boards designed to unify the Anglo-American war economy. The board played a pivotal role in managing scarce resources like rubber, tin, and jute to maximize industrial production for the Allied war effort.

History and establishment

The board was formally established on January 26, 1942, following agreements made by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill at the Arcadia Conference in Washington, D.C.. This conference laid the groundwork for the Combined Chiefs of Staff and a series of Combined Boards to achieve complete economic coordination. The urgent need for such a body was underscored by Japanese conquests in Southeast Asia, which cut off Allied access to vital supplies of rubber from Malaya and tin from the Dutch East Indies. The inaugural Combined Raw Materials Board meeting was held in February 1942, with William L. Batt representing the United States and Arthur B. Purvis representing the United Kingdom.

Objectives and functions

The primary objective was to ensure the most efficient development and use of the raw material resources of the United States and the British Empire for the prosecution of the war. Its key functions included surveying global supplies of critical materials, estimating requirements for both military and essential civilian needs, and recommending allocations between the two nations and other Allied powers. The board focused on non-food, non-munitions raw materials, working in tandem with the Combined Food Board and the Munitions Assignments Board. It aimed to prevent competitive bidding, control inflation, and direct materials to the most urgent strategic programs, such as the production of aircraft and warships.

Organizational structure

The board was a bilateral body with co-chairmen, one American and one British, who made decisions jointly. The American chairman was William L. Batt, a prominent industrialist and member of the War Production Board. The first British chairman was Arthur B. Purvis, head of the British Purchasing Commission, but after his tragic death in the BOAC Flight 777 incident, he was succeeded by Clive Baillieu. It operated with a small secretariat in Washington, D.C. and relied heavily on the existing agencies of both countries, such as the War Production Board in the United States and the Ministry of Supply and the Ministry of Aircraft Production in the United Kingdom. Key decisions were often made in consultation with the Combined Chiefs of Staff.

Key activities and operations

A major early crisis addressed was the severe rubber shortage following the Battle of Singapore and the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. The board helped manage the frantic development of the American synthetic rubber program and allocated scarce natural rubber from Brazil and Africa. It also managed global supplies of tin, diverting shipments from Bolivia and the Belgian Congo to essential uses. Other critical materials under its purview included jute for sandbags from British India, mica for electronics, graphite, industrial diamonds, and abaca for marine cordage. The board worked to secure materials from Latin America and coordinated with the USSR through the Protocols system.

Impact and legacy

The board significantly contributed to Allied victory by rationalizing the global supply chain for strategic materials, preventing wasteful competition, and ensuring that critical industrial inputs reached priority weapons programs. Its work exemplified the unprecedented level of Anglo-American economic integration achieved during World War II. While it was dissolved shortly after the Surrender of Japan, its model of international resource allocation influenced post-war planning, including discussions for the International Materials Conference during the Korean War. The board's records provide a detailed view of the economic dimensions of the Allied war effort and the challenges of total war logistics.

Category:World War II alliances Category:World War II economic history Category:1942 establishments in the United States Category:1945 disestablishments in the United States