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Teachable Documents - National Archives at Chicago

"Keep 'em Shooting": The Twin Cities Ordnance Plant

Within months of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, factories across the United States were retooled or built for war production. The Twin Cities Ordnance Plant (TCOP) began producing ammunition for the war effort on February 5, 1942 at the newly built factory near Brighton, Minnesota. The documents listed below appeared in the plant's monthly newsletter, the TCOP Bulletin.

Document

Record Group 156, Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, Records of the Twin Cities Arsenal, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 1946-1951.

Twin Cities Ordnance Plant Newsletter (TCOP Bulletin), April 1, 1942.

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Guided Questions

TCOP Bulletin Letter
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Who wrote the letter before you? To whom is it addressed?
What is the main message of the letter?
Why do you think it was crafted? Quote from the document to support your answer.
Do you think it was necessary? Why/Why not?

Extension Activities

Compare and Contrast:
Using National Archives records from World War I, such as Military Intelligence Division Plant Protection reports from Record Group 165, compare and contrast mobilization efforts.

Further Research:
Examine additional records (press releases, photographs, memorandums, historial narrative, time line) from the Twin Cities Ordnance Plant. Evaluate the persuasive techniques used and the plant's accomplishments compared to others.