Editing Rockefeller Center (section)

===World War II era===
Even before the U.S. officially entered [[World War II]] in 1941, Rockefeller Center was affected by the war.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=403}} The Dutch government had been slated to take up one-fifth of the space at 10 Rockefeller Plaza, but could not do so because of World War II.{{sfn|Adams|1985|p=219}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=408}} Seven of the complex's eight travel agencies had to move elsewhere because of the war, and [[William Rhodes Davis]], a tenant who shipped oil to Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, was denied a lease renewal in 1941.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=410}} After the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on December 7, 1941, Rockefeller Center Inc. terminated all lease agreements with German, Italian, and Japanese tenants because their respective countries comprised the [[Axis powers]], whom the United States were fighting against.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=411}} Art on [[Palazzo d'Italia]] was taken down because they were seen as being fascist,{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=411}} and the [[Rainbow Room]] was closed to the public from 1943 to 1950.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=413}} Instructions for blackouts and sandbags for extinguishing fires were placed throughout the complex.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=412}} During the war, the RCA Building's Room 3603 became the primary location of the U.S. operations of [[Secret Intelligence Service|British Intelligence]]'s [[British Security Co-ordination]], organized by [[William Stephenson]]. It also served as the office of [[Allen Dulles]], who would later head the [[Central Intelligence Agency]].{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=411}}<ref name="srodes">{{harvnb|ps=.|Srodes|1999|pages=207, 210}}</ref>

Rockefeller Center only became profitable after the last building in the original complex was completed. The complex had incurred $26 million in debt by 1935, which had increased to $39 million by 1940. However, the complex was already 87% rented by 1940, and by the next year, Rockefeller Center was nearly fully rented, making a profit for the first time in its history.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=100}} By 1944, the complex's existing rentable area totaled {{Convert|5,290,000|ft2|m2}}, with 99.7% of the space being leased.<ref name="NYTimes-Plans-Buildings-1944">{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1944/05/04/88600495.pdf|title=Rockefeller Center Plans New Buildings After War; Rockefeller City Plans Expansion|date=May 4, 1944|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 22, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Because the complex was almost completely rented, Rockefeller Center's managers kept waiting lists of potential tenants, and as a result of the waiting lists, the complex's office space became more desirable to these tenants.{{sfn|Krinsky|1978|p=103}}{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=417}} Two years later, there were 400 companies who wanted to rent space in Rockefeller Center, and the complex's managers determined that they would need to add {{convert|1,000,000|ft2|m2}} of space in order to house all the prospective tenants. Rockefeller Center was also popular among visitors: for instance, the lines to enter one of the Music Hall's five daily shows stretched from Sixth Avenue and 50th Street to Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street, a distance of four blocks.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=417}}

In light of the abundance of possible renters, John Rockefeller Jr. transferred his ownership of the complex to his sons.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=418}} The father collected the $57.5 million loan that Rockefeller Center Inc. owed him, then distributed it to his sons in the form of a tax break. Rockefeller Center eventually became the family's "single largest repository" of wealth.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=422}} In 1950, Rockefeller Center Inc. paid the last installment of the $65 million mortgage owed to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Three years later, the complex was making $5 million per year in profit, excluding the tax breaks.{{sfn|Okrent|2003|p=424}}