Treasures of Congress/Page 20

by National Archives and Records Administration

Congress, Neutrality, and Lend-Lease

Between 1935 and 1937 Congress passed three "Neutrality Acts" that tried to keep the United States out of war

An American bomber, provided through Lend-Lease, is loaded on to a ship bound for Allied ports, ca. 1943

Photograph by Gruber for the Office of War Information

National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the Foreign Economic Administration

Postcard for amending the Neutrality Act, November 1939

National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the House of Representatives

Postcard against amending the Neutrality Act, November 1939

National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the House of Representatives

Postcard against amending the Neutrality Act, November 1939

National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the House of Representatives

Supporters on both sides of the neutrality issue lobbied Congress with great intensity. Congressional offices received hundreds of letters, postcards, and petitions promoting their position. These postcards were sent to Representative Sol Bloom of New York, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in the fall of 1939 as the Committee considered neutrality legislation. One postcard evokes isolationist arguments that war was supported by wealthy industrialists. A second recalls George Washington’s admonition that the United States should avoid entangling itself in European affairs. The third backs the "cash and carry" idea arguing that selling munitions to Britain and France will make it less likely that Americans will become directly involved in war.

"H.R. 1776, A Bill Further to promote the defense of the United States and for other purposes." January 10, 1941

National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the U.S. House of Representatives

By late 1940 Great Britain was increasingly unable to pay for and transport the war materials it needed in its fight against Nazi Germany. Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill appealed to President Roosevelt to find a way for the United States to continue to aid Britain. FDR proposed providing war materials to Britain without the immediate payment called for in the Neutrality Act. A bill, assigned the patriotic bill number "1776," was introduced in the House on January 10, 1941, by Representative John McCormack of Massachusetts. After extensive hearings and debate, Congress passed "Lend-Lease" and President Roosevelt signed the Act on March 11, 1941. After the United States entered the war, Lend-Lease became the most important means for supplying the Allies with military aid.

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“If we repeal it, we are helping England and France. If we fail to repeal it, we will be helping Hitler and his allies. Absolute neutrality is an impossibility.”

Senator George W. Norris on the repeal of the Neutrality Acts, 1939

Between 1935 and 1937 Congress passed three "Neutrality Acts" that tried to keep the United States out of war, by making it illegal for Americans to sell or transport arms, or other war materials to belligerent nations. Supporters of neutrality, called "isolationists" by their critics, argued that America should avoid entangling itself in European wars. "Internationalists" rejected the idea that the United States could remain aloof from Europe and held that the nation should aid countries threatened with aggression.

In the spring of 1939, as Germany, Japan, and Italy pursued militaristic policies, President Roosevelt wanted more flexibility to meet the Fascist challenge. FDR suggested amending the act to allow warring nations to purchase munitions if they paid cash and transported the goods on non-American ships, a policy that favored Britain and France. Initially, this proposal failed, but after Germany invaded Poland in September, Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1939 ending the munitions embargo on a "cash and carry" basis.

The passage of the 1939 Neutrality Act marked the beginning of a congressional shift away from isolationism. Over the next 2 years, Congress took further steps to oppose fascism. One of the most important was the 1941 approval of Lend-Lease, which allowed the United States to transfer arms to nations vital to the national defense.