A housing authority may exercise any or all of its powers for the purpose of cooperating with, or acting as agent for, the federal government in the development or administration of projects by the federal government to assure the availability of safe and sanitary dwellings for persons engaged in national defense activities or veterans and may undertake the development or administration of any such projects for the federal government. In order to assure the availability of safe and sanitary housing for persons engaged in national defense activities or for veterans, a housing authority may sell, in whole or in part, to the federal government any housing project developed for such persons but not yet occupied by such persons. Such sale must be at a price and upon those terms the housing authority prescribes and must include provision for the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities of the authority relating to the project.