Lend Lease Class Presentation

Public Law (77-11) Lend-Lease (Public Law 77-11) was the name of the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, France and other Allied nations with vast amounts of war material between 1941 and 1945 in return for, in the case of Britain, military bases in Newfoundland, Bermuda, and the British West Indies. It began in March 1941, over 18 months after the outbreak of the war in September 1939.

Public Law (77-11): Questions 1.Which law established the “Lend Lease” program? Public Law What exactly did America provide to the Allies under the “Lend Lease” program? War materials were provided to the Allies in exchange for land to establish American military bases 3.Which countries made up the “Allied Powers”? The United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, and France

American Policy Changes This program is seen as a decisive step away from American non-interventionism since the end of World War I and towards international involvement. In sharp contrast to the American loans to the Allies in World War I, there were no provisions for postwar repayments. Some historians consider it an attempt to bolster Britain and the other allies as a buffer to forestall American involvement in the war against Nazi Germany.

American Policy Changes: Questions 1.What was America’s policies toward armed conflict in the years leading up to WWI? Isolationism and non-interventionism 2.What did America hope to gain from the lend- lease program? They hoped that they could merely bolster the Allies with military goods, while staying completely out of the armed conflict. 3.Was this strategy successful? No (Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941, and Hitler declared war on the U.S.)

Political Background Lend-Lease came into existence with the passage of the Lend Lease Act of 11 March 1941, which permitted the President of the United States to "sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of, to any such government (whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States) any defense article". In April, this policy was extended to China as well. Roosevelt approved US $1 billion in Lend-Lease aid to Britain at the end of October, 1941.

Political Background: Questions 1.When was lend lease officially established? March 11, What did the language of the law actually say? It permitted the President of the United States to "sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of, to any such government (whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States) any defense article".

The Success of Lend Lease Lend-Lease was a critical factor in the eventual success of the Allies in World War II, particularly in the early years when the United States was not directly involved and the entire burden of the fighting fell on other nations, notably those of the British Commonwealth and, after June 1941, the Soviet Union. Although Pearl Harbor and the Axis Declarations of War brought the US into the war in December 1941, the task of recruiting, training, equipping U.S. forces and transporting them to war zones could not be completed immediately. Through 1942, and to a lesser extent 1943, the other Allies continued to be responsible for most of the fighting and the supply of military equipment under Lend-Lease.

The Success of Lend Lease In , about a fourth of all British munitions came through Lend-Lease. Aircraft (in particular transport aircraft) comprised about one-fourth of the shipments to Britain, followed by food, land vehicles and ships. Lend Lease was a critical factor that brought the US into the war, especially on the European front. Hitler cited the Lend-Lease program and its significance in aiding the Allied war effort when he declared war on the US on 11 December 1941.

The Success of Lend Lease: Questions 1.How did the lend lease program help the allies to achieve victory in World War II? During the crucial years of the war ( ), the Allies had a ready supply of weapons, ammunition, and military hardware. 2.How did lend lease actually wind up bringing America into the war? Hitler cited the Lend-Lease program and its significance in aiding the Allied war effort when he declared war on the US on December 11, Was America actually ever fully repaid by the Allied nations for the military support provided by lend-lease? No