The Dallas Story
The North American Aviation Plant and Industrial Mobilization during World War II
Terrance Furgerson
University of North Texas Press, Denton, 2023, 416 pages
Book Review published on: May 31, 2024
In this comprehensive history of the North American Aviation (NAA) plant in Dallas, Terrance Furgerson expertly weaves together the history of wartime production, labor issues, economics, and politics to provide an important look into the history of the defense industry during war. This microhistory provides valuable insight into the complex relationship between government and business during World War II and, arguably, offers a glimpse into the foundation of the ever-growing military-industrial complex. Furgerson uses microhistory to understand the depths and logistics of the “Arsenal of Democracy” as the United States became embroiled in the war. Furgerson argues that industrial mobilization hinged on the cooperation between the national government and business leaders, which also makes this study a useful analysis into the early stages of the military-industrial complex.
Furgerson introduces the Dallas NAA plant within the larger history of wartime mobilization in the opening years of World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State of the Union address on 3 January 1938 called for increased military spending because the United States “must keep ourselves adequately strong in self-defense" (8). Roosevelt’s national declaration spurred the expansion of defense production that directly contributed to the creation of the NAA plant in Dallas since his request for increased military spending specifically called for more aircraft. Between 1938 and the ceremonial groundbreaking in Dallas on 28 September 1940, aircraft manufacturers and the Army produced reports regarding the state of U.S. aviation capabilities and aircraft manufacturing capacity that all revealed a woefully inadequate inventory and the immediate need for increased production for the United States and its allies. This need, according to Furgerson, provided a catalyst for drastic expansion of aircraft production capabilities throughout the United States and led directly to the opening of the Dallas plant.
This history, however, is more than just a chronology of aircraft manufacturing during wartime. The decision to build a plant in Dallas centered on many factors including access to airfields and airports to transport finished aircraft, a plentiful workforce, and geographic location. Security concerns had the government looking to locate production plants away from the coasts, which pushed them to look at the central United States for plant development rather than only expanding production capabilities at existing plants. In addition to these practical considerations, politics also influenced the decision. Furgerson is careful not to overstate the degree that politics played in the expansion of the defense industry, but he does present the political players who directly participated in the discussions to bring defense spending to Dallas. Texas was politically connected thanks to Vice President John Nance Garner and House Majority Leader Sam Rayburn, both Texans. And the Dallas Chamber of Commerce lobbied the plant with promises of manpower, land, and room for rapid growth. The economic stimulus the plant promised also factored greatly into the lobbying efforts because it meant jobs and more money in the local economy, both valuable as the nation grappled with effects of the Great Depression. Ultimately, the decision to build an airplane manufacturing plant in Dallas hinged on defense, political, social, labor, and economic decisions.
The plant was in operation for fifty-three months and produced three types of aircraft: trainers, fighters, and multiengine bombers. The plant delivered 18,784 planes, or just over 6 percent of all military aircraft acquired from 1939 to 1945. Furgerson makes sure to cover the direct contribution the plant made to the war effort. But the real strength of the book focuses on the effect the plant had on the Dallas area. At its peak, the plant provided employment to 38,658 workers. Housing shortages, labor strikes, and the effects of wartime rationing presented obstacles for wartime production. Furgerson looks at how these different issues were interconnected throughout the plant’s operation and demonstrates how war production hinged on infrastructure beyond the walls of the plant.
Most of the book closely examines the series of events that brought the NAA plant to Dallas and the obstacles faced throughout its wartime operation, including strikes, housing issues, and rationing, but Furgerson does provide a brief glimpse into the post-war legacy of the plant in Dallas after it closed at the end of 1945. The epilogue briefly covers the expansion of the defense industry in Dallas as various corporations sought to utilize the trained workforce and built facilities. TEMCO took up residence in A-plant. The U.S. Navy took over part of the facility in 1947, rebranding the facility as the Naval Industrial Reserve Plant Dallas. But the biggest move following the closure of NAA was the announcement that Vought would relocate its headquarters from Connecticut to Dallas. With both TEMCO and Vought occupying the space, the military-industrial complex was in full-swing. The history of the NAA plant in Dallas reveals not only the complex history of wartime mobilization during World War II but provides a foundation for understanding the intertwined relationship between industry and the military that continues into the present.
Book Review written by: Hayley Michael Hasik, PhD, Austin, Texas