Images of World War II
Man of the Year 1938
Images of World War II
Images of World War II
Images of World War II
Images of World War II
Images of World War II
Images of World War II
Images of World War II
Images of World War II
Images of World War II
Images of World War II
From Neutrality to War
1933-1941
Introduction
3 U.S. Isolationism
3 Tradition since G. Washington
3 From WWI: Why?
Foreign Policy in the 1920’s
• International Finance
– U.S. leading creditor nation
– Dawes and Young Plans for Germany
• Washington Naval Conference, 1921-22
– 5:5:3:1.67
– Japan unhappy but…
• Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)
– Ratified 85-1 by the Senate…
1930’s
• Stimson Doctrine (1931)
– Japan invades Manchuria
– Non-recognition
– Based on “Open Door”
• FDR’s Foreign Policy
The Neutrality Acts
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1935, 1936, 1937
The Origin:
– The Nye Committee
– Walter Millis’ “The Road to War”
Neutrality Act of 1935 (August)
• Response to Italy’s attack on
Ethiopia
• President empowered to
– Declare when a war exists and
identify the “belligerents”
– Declare an embargo on arms
sales to all belligerents
– Tell U.S. citizens they travel “at
their own risk” on ships of
belligerent nations
Neutrality Act of 1936 (Feb)
• Expands 1935 law to include
– Loans
– Credits
Neutrality Act of 1937
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Continued ban on arms, loans and credit
Included civil wars (Spain)
President authorized to embargo
“strategic materials”
– Oil
– Aviation gas
– Steel and scrap iron
Neutrality Act of 1937
• U.S. Citizens Forbidden to travel on the
ships of belligerent nations
The Neutrality Acts in Review
• Origin in concern over involvement in WWI
• Fueled by Isolationists’ desire to avoid
“another WWI”
• Forbid U.S. trade, especially in arms and
“strategic materials” to “belligerent” nations
• Made no distinction between “aggressor”
and “victim”.
The Road to War
1937-1941
• Outbreak of war complicated the U.S.
neutrality and the Neutrality Acts
July, 1937: Japan Invades China
No doubt whose side we were on
Open Door Policy
Japanese expansion threatens U.S. interests in
the Pacific: Philippines, Hawaii, etc
The Road to War
1937-1941
• Neutrality Acts prohibited aid to
both sides
–No distinction between aggressor and
victim
The Road to War
1937-1941
• FDR Refuses to “recognize” a state of war
– Japan never declared war officially
– U.S. can send aid to China
– Unintended consequence: Japan can buy
whatever it wants from the U.S.
The Road to War
1937-1941
• September 1, 1939: Germany Invades
Poland – “Blitzkrieg”!
– Beginning of WWII in Europe
– Britain and France declare war on Germany
– No doubt whose side U.S. is on
• Knew much – but not all – about Hitler and Nazi
Germany
• Knew it was a genuine case of “making the world
safe for democracy”
The Road to War
1937-1941
• Congress Amends Neutrality Acts
$ “Cash and Carry”
$ First for “non-military” goods
$ Nov. 1939: military goods too
$ No loans or credits
$ Buyer must pick it up
$ Helps Britain and France w/o endangering
neutrality (easier for them to “carry”)
$ No “financial interest” in the outcome
$ No U.S. ships become targets of U-Boats
The Road to War
1937-1941
• Begins huge debate in the U.S. between
“Internationalists” and “Isolationists”
– Isolationists in Congress propose Constitutional
amendment
• National referendum required before Congress could declare
war
• Defeated by a vote of 209-188
– “America First” Committee
• U.S. should focus on preparedness for war, not wasting aid
on Allies
• Led by Charles Lindbergh: “admirer” of German power
The Road to War
1937-1941
Internationalists
Led more and more by FDR
Advocate helping Allies so U.S. doesn’t have
to fight
Also advocates “preparedness”
The Road to War
1939-1941
War complicates U.S.
position (again)
May 1940: Germany
attacks
Belgium
Netherlands
Denmark
Norway
France
June, 1940: France
Falls!
The Road to War
1939-1941
 82% of Americans still
favor staying out
 Britain alone against “The
Blitz”
 1940 election: war AND
third term issue
•
The Road to War
1939-1941
U.S Begin to Prepare
FDR asks Congress to increase
preparedness
Multi-billion military appropriations
bill
Congress passes $5 billion naval bill
First ever peacetime draft: Sept 16,
1940
Politics also complicates
1940 is Presidential Election Year
Two Term Tradition is a Big Issue
The Road to War
1940-1941
• FDR WINS THIRD
TERM
– 449-82 In Electoral
College
– Plans to expand aid to
Britain: U.S. As the
“Arsenal of Democracy”
(Dec. 29, 1940)
– Begins to form
bipartisan support
• Names Republicans to
cabinet
The Election of 1940
The Road to War
1940-1941
Roosevelt’s “State of the Union” Address
January 6, 1941
The Four Freedoms
The Four Freedoms
The Four Freedoms
The Four Freedoms
The Four Freedoms
The Arsenal Of Democracy
The Lend Lease Act:
"An Act to Promote the Defense of the United
States"
March 1941
President authorized to
“Sell, Transfer, Exchange, Lease, Lend or
otherwise dispose of”
“any defense article for the government of any
country whose defense the President deems vital
to the defense of the United States.”
The Lend Lease Act
$50 billion between 1941 and 1945
($720,596,368,644.55 at 2009 prices)
60% to Great Britain: $31.4 BILLION
20% to Soviet Union (June 1941)
20% to others (France $3.2 billion; China $1.6
billion)
Lend Lease to U.S.S.R.
$11.3 Billion
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Aircraft 14,795
Tanks 7,056
Jeeps 51,503
Trucks 375,883
Motorcycles 35,170
Tractors 8,071
Guns 8,218
Machine guns 131,633
Explosives 345,735 tons
Building equipment valued
$10,910,000
Railroad freight cars 11,155
Locomotives 1,981
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Cargo ships90
Submarine hunters105
Torpedo boats197
Ship engines7,784
Food supplies4,478,000 tons
Machines and
equipment$1,078,965,000
Non-ferrous metals802,000 tons
Petroleum products2,670,000 tons
Chemicals842,000 tons
Cotton106,893,000 tons
Leather49,860 tons
Tires3,786,000
Army boots15,417,001 pairs
The Road to War
• FDR Moves Nation Toward War
claims “right of hemispheric defense” and
declares “neutral zone” halfway across the
Atlantic
Orders Navy to report U-Boats to GBR
Executive Agreement with Danish
“government in exile” for bases in Greenland
September 1941: “Shoot on sight” order
against German U-boats after U.S.S. Greer
attacked
The Road to War
Part II: The Pacific
1937 Invasion of China
FDR doesn’t “recognize” as war to avoid
Neutrality acts
We still provide 50% of Japan’s oil, steel and
iron
The Road to War
Part II: The Pacific
June, 1940: Japan occupies French
Indochina
Sept 27, 1940 - Tripartite Pact signed by
Germany, Italy and Japan
July 26, 1941 - Roosevelt freezes
Japanese assets in United States and
suspends relations
The Road to War
Part II: The Pacific
• Japan’s Dilemma
– Needs raw materials from U.S.: oil, scrap iron,
steel, aviation gas
– U.S. imposes embargo: Get out of China!
– Either get embargo lifted OR find other
sources (East/South East Asia)
– Japan begins to plan for war v. U.S.
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl
Harbor