Wallace was sworn in as Vice President on January 20, 1941.
He quickly grew frustrated with his ceremonial role as the presiding officer of the United States Senate, the one duty assigned to the Vice President by the Constitution.
Roosevelt named Wallace chairman of the Board of Economic Warfare (BEW) and of the Supply Priorities and Allocation Board (SPAB) in 1941.
These appointments gave Wallace a key role in organizing Roosevelt's program of military mobilization.
One journalist noted that Roosevelt made Wallace the first "Vice President to work really as the number two man in government–a conception of the vice presidency popularly held but never realized."
Reflecting Wallace's role in organizing mobilization efforts, many journalists began referring to him as the "Assistant President."
Wallace was also named to the Top Policy Group, which advised Roosevelt on the development of nuclear weapons, an initiative Wallace supported.
He did not hold any official role in the subsequent Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons, but he was informed of its progress.

The United States entered World War II after the December 7, 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan.
In early 1942, Roosevelt established the War Production Board to coordinate war-time production, and named Donald Nelson, rather than Wallace, as the head of the board.
Wallace became a member of the War Production Board and continued to serve as head of the BEW, which was charged with procuring and protecting the natural resources necessary for war production.
Wallace struggled to carve out authority for the BEW, clashing with both the State Department and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC).
On May 8, 1942, Wallace delivered what became his best remembered speech, known for containing the phrase "the Century of the Common Man".
He cast World War II as a war between a "free world" and a "slave world," and held that "peace must mean a better standard of living for the common man, not merely in the United States and England, but also in India, Russia, China, and Latin America–not merely in the United Nations, but also in Germany and Italy and Japan".
Though some conservatives disliked the speech, it was translated into twenty languages, and millions of copies were distributed around the world.

In early 1943, Wallace was dispatched on a goodwill tour of Latin America; he made twenty-four stops across Central America and South America.
Partly due to his ability to deliver speeches in Spanish, Wallace received a warm reception; one State Department official noted that "never in Chilean history has any foreigner ever been received with such extravagance and evidently sincere enthusiasm".
During his trip, several Latin American countries declared war against Germany.
After a long, public battle between Wallace and RFC head Jesse H. Jones, in July 1943 Roosevelt abolished the BEW and replaced it with the newly-created Office of Economic Warfare, led by Leo Crowley.
The abolition of the BEW was widely viewed as a major blow to Wallace's standing within the administration, but Wallace remained a loyal supporter of the president.
He continued to deliver speeches, stating after the Detroit race riot of 1943 that "we cannot fight to crush Nazi brutality abroad and condone race riots at home".
Though Roosevelt's domestic agenda was largely blocked by Congress, Wallace continued to call for the passage of progressive programs; one newspaper wrote that "the New Deal today is Henry Wallace ... the New Deal banner in his hands is not yet furled".

In mid-1944, Wallace embarked on a tour of the Soviet Union and China.
The Soviet Union presented a fully sanitized version of labor camps in Magadan and Kolyma to their American guests, claiming that all the work was done by volunteers.
Wallace was impressed by the camp at Magadan, describing it as a "combination Tennessee Valley Authority and Hudson's Bay Company".
He received a warm reception in the Soviet Union, but was largely unsuccessful in his efforts to negotiate with Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek.
Wallace was sworn in as Vice President on January 20, 1941. He quickly grew frustrated with his ceremonial role as the presiding officer of the United States Senate, the one duty assigned to the Vice President by the Constitution. Roosevelt named Wallace chairman of the Board of Economic Warfare (BEW) and of the Supply Priorities and Allocation Board (SPAB) in 1941. These appointments gave Wallace a key role in organizing Roosevelt's program of military mobilization. One journalist noted that Roosevelt made Wallace the first "Vice President to work really as the number two man in government–a conception of the vice presidency popularly held but never realized." Reflecting Wallace's role in organizing mobilization efforts, many journalists began referring to him as the "Assistant President." Wallace was also named to the Top Policy Group, which advised Roosevelt on the development of nuclear weapons, an initiative Wallace supported. He did not hold any official role in the subsequent Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons, but he was informed of its progress.
The United States entered World War II after the December 7, 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan. In early 1942, Roosevelt established the War Production Board to coordinate war-time production, and named Donald Nelson, rather than Wallace, as the head of the board. Wallace became a member of the War Production Board and continued to serve as head of the BEW, which was charged with procuring and protecting the natural resources necessary for war production. Wallace struggled to carve out authority for the BEW, clashing with both the State Department and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC). On May 8, 1942, Wallace delivered what became his best remembered speech, known for containing the phrase "the Century of the Common Man". He cast World War II as a war between a "free world" and a "slave world," and held that "peace must mean a better standard of living for the common man, not merely in the United States and England, but also in India, Russia, China, and Latin America–not merely in the United Nations, but also in Germany and Italy and Japan". Though some conservatives disliked the speech, it was translated into twenty languages, and millions of copies were distributed around the world.
In early 1943, Wallace was dispatched on a goodwill tour of Latin America; he made twenty-four stops across Central America and South America. Partly due to his ability to deliver speeches in Spanish, Wallace received a warm reception; one State Department official noted that "never in Chilean history has any foreigner ever been received with such extravagance and evidently sincere enthusiasm". During his trip, several Latin American countries declared war against Germany. After a long, public battle between Wallace and RFC head Jesse H. Jones, in July 1943 Roosevelt abolished the BEW and replaced it with the newly-created Office of Economic Warfare, led by Leo Crowley. The abolition of the BEW was widely viewed as a major blow to Wallace's standing within the administration, but Wallace remained a loyal supporter of the president. He continued to deliver speeches, stating after the Detroit race riot of 1943 that "we cannot fight to crush Nazi brutality abroad and condone race riots at home". Though Roosevelt's domestic agenda was largely blocked by Congress, Wallace continued to call for the passage of progressive programs; one newspaper wrote that "the New Deal today is Henry Wallace ... the New Deal banner in his hands is not yet furled".
In mid-1944, Wallace embarked on a tour of the Soviet Union and China. The Soviet Union presented a fully sanitized version of labor camps in Magadan and Kolyma to their American guests, claiming that all the work was done by volunteers. Wallace was impressed by the camp at Magadan, describing it as a "combination Tennessee Valley Authority and Hudson's Bay Company". He received a warm reception in the Soviet Union, but was largely unsuccessful in his efforts to negotiate with Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek.
Henry A. Wallace