Dive Through the Window Before It Closes

“Analyzing the enormous range of major commitments Kaiser made between 1944 and 1946, one is struck by the fact that while many were outgrowths of months, even years of planning, others were almost whimsical. Insiders knew he meticulously planned a major effort to expand steel operations; and he hired automotive designers years before he plunged into the business in 1945. On the other hand, although he had explored postwar prospects in light metals, few in the organization foresaw the magnitude of his commitment to aluminum. The federal government opened a small window of opportunity in that field in 1946, and Kaiser and a few associates were brave enough to dive through. Had circumstances in half a dozen other fields been slightly altered, the organization might well have emphasized entirely different product lines in the postwar period. The years 1944 to 1946 thus marked a critical period, during which Kaiser made many of the commitments shaping the future of his burgeoning corporate empire.”

“With typical exuberance, Kaiser did not wait for final approval to get started. Fourteen months earlier he had commandeered the services of Clay Bedford in setting up the Richmond shipyards. In mid-February 1942, he called chief engineer George Havas and rumbled, “George, you’re going to build me a steel mill.” Havas, as familiar as Bedford with his boss’s style, asked, “What kind of a steel mill?” Kaiser replied, “Oh, just a steel mill, a small one.” Yet from the beginning, Kaiser had no intention of being limited to a “small” mill. The initial RFC loan was a modest $ 22 million, but Kaiser was back in Jones’ office within weeks, seeking another $ 100 million for plant expansion.”