Chapter 24, Section 4
America Moves toward War
The United States Musters its Forces
 September 1939 – Cash & Carry policy was passed – said any warring nation could buy
US arms as long as they paid in cash and could transport them themselves
o Justification: It would help BR & FR defeat GM, which would keep US out of
war
o It was controversial & isolationists against it, but ultimately it passed & went into
effect
The Axis Threat
 Too little, too late?
 Just a few months later, FR had fallen & BR under heavy attack
 FDR tried to support BR “all aid short of war”
o Lease 50 destroyers
o Sent thousands of rifles & machine guns
 Sept. 27, 1940 – Tripartite pact was signed
o GM, IT, & JP signed a mutual defense treaty & became known as Axis Powers
o Axis Powers’ goal: keep US out of war
o If US were to declare war on any 1 of the 3, the other 2 would come to their
defense
o So US would face worst-case scenario – have to fight a 2 front war (Atlantic &
Pacific)
Building US Defenses
 Although still neutral, FDR asked Congress to increase spending for national defense &
passed the 1st peacetime military draft
o Selective Training & Service Act – 16 million men were registered (ages 21-35)
“This nation will remain a neutral nation, but I cannot ask that every American remain neutral
in thought as well…Even a neutral cannot be asked to close his mind or his conscience…I have
said not once, but many times, that I have seen war and I hate war…As long as it is my power to
prevent, there will ne no blackout of peace in the US.” (FDR, radio speech, Sept. 1939)
Roosevelt Runs for 3rd Term
 In the past, no president had ever run for a 3rd term, but FDR changed that
 Isolationists (who opposed FDR) were disappointed with Republican opponent because
he was so similar
o Wendell Wilkie also supported BR, while keeping US out of war

America went with familiarity & FDR won with 55% of popular vote
The Great Arsenal of Democracy
 After reelection, FDR used one of his fireside chats to explain to America that we could
not stand by and let Hitler terrorize Europe – because if we did, we’d be in danger next
 Late 1940 – BR is out of cash, so cash-carry policy not so effective anymore
 Cash-Carry policy was replaced with “lend-lease” policy
o Garden hose/neighbor analogy
 March, 1941 – Lend Lease Act was passed
Supporting Stalin
 June 1941 – Hitler broke his non-aggression pact with Stalin & invaded the SU
 FDR extended Lend-Lease to Stalin
 Some opposed, but anyone fighting Hitler would be helped
o “If Hitler invaded hell, [the British] would be prepared to work with the Devil
himself.” (Churchill)
German Wolfpacks
 GM realized that if they lurked & attacked in the Atlantic Ocean, supplies/arms, being
lent or leased, could not reach BR or SU safely
o Hitler deployed GM submarines (U-boats) to attack supply ships
 Mid-1941 – “Wolf Pack attack” – became common
o Nighttime – up to 40 U-boats patrolled North Atlantic where convoys were
o 350,000 tons of shipments were sunk in 1 month
o Sept. 1941 – US Navy given permission to attack GM U-boats, in self defense
 Late 1943 – sonar & other methods were used to detect approaching U-boats in advance
FDR Plans for War
 Although still out of war, FDR knew it was just a matter of time
o The draft head been extended too
 Secretly, FDR & Churchill met in the Atlantic Ocean on the battleship USS Augusta
o There, they signed the Atlantic Charter
o Atlantic Charter – both countries pledged collective security, disarmament, selfdetermination, economic cooperation, and freedom of the seas
 FDR basically told Churchill that while he couldn’t declare war on GM,
he’d do just about anything else
 It was during the Atlantic Charter meeting that the term Allies was coined
 Allies – nations that fought the Axis Powers
Shoot on Sight
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Sept. 4, 1941 – USS Greer was destroyed by GM
FDR’s response: Shoot GM U-boats on sight
As the next month unfolded, more sunken ships & deaths took their toll
o “History has recorded who fired the first shot”
o Formal war was about to be declared
Japan Attacks the United States
 July, 1937 – Hideki Tojo – Chief of Staff to JP’s Army that invaded CH & took
Manchuria
 JP watched as Hitler absorbed lands & realized that various FR, BR, & Dutch colonies
were vulnerable
 JP seized those colonies, knowing BR was too busy in a war with Hitler to do anything
about it
 US & its Pacific islands were only obstacle
 July 1941 – US cut off trade relations with JP in response to JP taking over bases in
Indochina
o This was big deal because JP needed oil for its war materials/efforts
o JP military: we need oil or we defeat ourselves
 JP’s decision? Either persuade US to end oil ban or seize oil fields in Dutch East Indies
Peace Talks are Questioned
 Meanwhile Hideki Tojo had become Prime Minister in JP
o Tojo met with Emperor Hirohito
o Tojo told Hirohito he’d try to keep peace with US
o Nov. 5, 1941 – Tojo ordered JP Navy to prepare to attack US
 US intelligence had deciphered JP’s secret communication codes and knew JP was
preparing for attack, but didn’t know where
o A “war warning” was put out to bases in Hawaii, Guam, & Philippines
o Then peace talks went on for about a month
o Dec. 6, 1941 – FDR gets decoded message saying JP will reject any/all peace
proposals
 Pearl Harbor – largest US naval base in the Pacific
 Dec. 7, 1941 – early AM – JP bomber plane swooped low through Pearl Harbor, followed
by 180 JP warplanes
o The attack lasted for about 90 minutes and was pretty much completely one-sided
o Americans killed: 2,403
o Americans wounded: 1,178
o 21 ships were either sunk or damaged (8 battleships)
o 300+ aircraft ruined
o More damage at Pearl Harbor than altogether during WWI (for Navy)
o 3 aircraft carriers were safe because they were out to sea at time of the attack
Reaction to Pearl Harbor
 Washington: outrage and then panic
 Remember: 2-Front War was worst case scenario
 Dec. 8, 1941 – FDR addressed Congress & asked for declaration of war – quickly
approved
 Dec. 11, 1941 – GM & IT declared war on US
 Isolationists were now on board with war as well
o “The only thing now to do is to lick the hell out of them.” (Sen. Burton Wheeler –
isolationist)
 Economically, WW2 ended Great Depression, not the New Deal
o Factories opened
o Arms/ammunition being made around the clock
o Jobs = end of depression