America Moves Toward War ML Chap 16: Section 4

Moving Away from Neutrality In Sept ‘39 FDR persuaded Congress to pass the “cash-and-carry” provision that would allow nations to buy US arms so long as they paid cash and transported them in their own ships Isolationists attacked FDR for this but he argued this would help Brits & Fr defeat Hitler and keep the US out of war

US Increasingly Less Neutral US began to supply rifles and machine guns US traded 50 old destroyers for leases on Brit military bases in the Caribbean Churchill commented that this was a “decidedly unneutral act.”

Tripartite Pact Pact was announced between Germany, Japan and Italy in Sept 1940 3 countries became known as Axis Powers It was aimed at keeping US out of war Each Axis power was commited to come to the defense of the other So if US declared one on one it would find itself involved in a much dreaded 2-front war

Increased US Defense Spending Nazi victories changed US thinking Congress passed the Selective Training & Service Act FDR decides to run for 3rd term but his challenger, Wendall Willkie, supported FDRs policy of aiding Brit which disappointed isolationists

Great Arsenal of Democracy FDR said during fireside chat that it would be impossible to negotiate peace with Hitler. FDR proposed lend-lease policy which would lend/lease arms to “any country whose defense was vital to the US.” Passed in 1941 & FDR compared it to lending a neighbor a hose to put out a fire.

Lend-lease to Stalin Hitler violated his agreement with Stalin and attacked the USSR in June 1941 FDR supplied Soviets with arms as well

Response to Wolf Pack Attacks FDR granted the navy permission to attack German U-boats in self-defense By late ‘43 the submarine menace was contained by electronic detection techniques such as: radar and airborne antisubmarine patrols operating from aircraft carriers.

Atlantic Charter FDR & Churchill met secretly on the battleship USS Augusta They issued joint declaration known as the Atlantic Charter which pledged: Collective security Economic cooperation Disarmament Self-Determination Became the basis for a new doc called “A Declaration of the United Nations” Name UN was chosen to express common purpose of Allies, signed by 26 nations

Japan Attacks the US As Europeans were preoccupied with Hitler their colonies were invaded in Asia Hideki Tojo, launched an invasion of China in 1937 When Japan took over Fr Indochina the US protested this event with a trade embargo (e.g. oil) Japan needed oil to continue its war of aggression

Peace Talks Are Questioned Tojo promised the Japanese emperor, Hirohito, that he would try and preserve the peace with the US but later ordered the Japanese navy to prepare an attack. US had broken Japan’s secret communication codes & learned that Japan was planning an attack. US just didn’t know when and where FDR sent out “war warning”

Pearl Harbor 180 Japanese planes attacked the largest US naval base in the Pacific 2403 killed Losses constituted more than was lost in all WWI 3 aircraft carriers just happened to be away that day. Their survival will prove crucial to the war’s outcome

Reaction to Pearl Harbor Congress quickly approved FDR’s request for dec of war 3 days later Germany & Italy declared war on US Many who had been isolationists clearly changed their positions such as Senator Burton Wheeler who proclaimed “The only thing now to do is to lick the hell out of them.”