Where is America?
Neutral
• When Hitler went into the Low Countries, FDR asked for $4
billion
• Two front navy
• 1940-Peacetime Draft
• June,1940—
• 75% of Americans stated they wanted to do more to help Great
Britain that suffered from German air raids. But did not want to
go.
• Cash and Carry
• Come get the guns, pay cash and take them home.
Election of 1940
• D-FDR
• R-Who cares!
• (Willkie)
• Unprecedented 3rd term
America First Committee
• Senator Nye
• Charles Lindbergh
• Hermann Goering in charge of the Luftwaffe
• First visit to Germany-the opening day of the 1936 Olympics
• Germany was "now able to produce military aircraft faster than any European
country. Possibly even faster than we could in the United States Certainly we have
nothing to compare in size to either the Heinkel or Junker factories. A spirit in
Germany also exists, which I have not seen in any other country. There is
certainly great ability and I am inclined to think more intelligent leadership than is
generally recognized. A person would have to be blind not to realize that they
already built up tremendous strength.“
• Read about the 1936 Olympics and Jesse Owens
Lucky Lindy?
• War in Europe would be a catastrophe for Western
Civilization!
• either a German victory or that Russia would become the
dominant power in Europe
• He hoped that if Hitler did launch a war it would be against the
Soviet Union.
• He felt that the United States, France and Great Britain should
remain neutral and build up their strength so that they could
dictate the terms of peace to an exhausted Germany and Russia.
Fall 1940
• Britain no longer able to afford Cash and Carry
• So FDR traded 50 World War I destroyers
• For…
What did US get?
• Britain would exchange naval bases in the Caribbean and
on the Pacific Coast to the Americans
• Was this constitutional?
Fireside Chat again!
• “Wemust be the great Arsenal of Democracy.”
Lend Lease
• Suppose my neighbor's home catches on fire, and I have a
length of garden hose four or five hundred feet away. If he
can take my garden hose and connect it up with his
hydrant, I may help him put out the fire. Now what do I
do? I don't say to him before that operation, 'Neighbor,
my garden hose cost me fifteen dollars; you have to pay
me fifteen dollars for it.' No! What is the transaction that
goes on? I don't want fifteen dollars—I want my garden
hose after the fire is over."
Discrimination won’t be tolerated!
• Jobs are opening to whites
• A. Philip Randoph will ask for changes
Hitler invades Russia
• June, 1941
• Blitzkrieg in western Russia
• October,1941
• Lend lease is extended to Russia
• End of1941
• Germany had conquered vast areas of Russia but had
failed to bring them to their knees.
Killing everyone in sight
How did US become involved in WWII?