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, and may undertake the development or administration of any such project for the federal government. In order to assure the availability of safe and sanitary housing for persons engaged in national defense activities, a housing authority may sell (in whole or in part) to the federal government any housing project developed for persons of low income but not yet occupied by such persons; such sale shall be at such price and upon such terms as the housing authority shall prescribe, and shall include provision for the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities of the authority relating to such project.