“The peace, the freedom, and the security of ninety percent of the population of the world is being jeopardized by the remaining ten percent who are threatening a breakdown of all international order and law.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt, October 5, 1937

Hitler has successfully taken over nearly all of Europe at this point in the war, yet the United States continues to maintain their neutral stance on the war... Why might this be? What ideas/mentalities/domestic issues might be contributing to this? What event will eventually lead to U.S. involvement in World War II?

 Many Americans were still questioning what the Allies’ costly victory in WWI had actually achieved  Both liberals and conservatives supported isolationism; this is why we did not join the League of Nations  Isolations are not necessarily pacifists !

 Pacifists are people who do not believe in the use of military force  Most Americans remained ready to defend their country and its interests, we simply wanted to choose the time and place for such action

 FDR was NOT an isolationist; in fact, he had supported the League of Nations after WWI, but his primary focus was the Great Depression › Foreign affairs had to take a back seat

 Congress remained isolationist, and passed measures to prevent involvement in foreign affairs › The Neutrality Act  Passed in 1935, this law was meant to prevent the nation from being drawn into war  Among other things, this legislation outlawed making loans or exporting tools of war to any warring nations or their ports

 Circumstances overseas had started to take an alarming turn, and it was difficult not to take notice  When Mussolini invaded Ethiopia, Roosevelt was deeply concerned, and cut off arms sales with Italy  During the Spanish Civil War, strict neutrality meant not supplying either side with arms › This gave a decisive advantage to the Fascists, who were being heavily supplied by the Italians and Germans

 When Japan invaded China in 1937, FDR decided it was time, at the very least, to speak out  FDR compared the spread of war to the spread of a contagious disease; urged United States to work with “peace- loving” countries to quarantine aggressive nations › Quarantine Speech

 Many Americans were upset with the Quarantine Speech; they felt it encouraged war  Accused FDR of calling upon the U.S. to “police a world that chooses to follow insane leaders”  Cash and Carry Laws › Passed after Hitler invaded Poland › Allowed countries at war to purchase American goods again, so long as they used cash › Congress hoped this would slow Hitler’s advance  It did not... we then resorted to providing “all aid short of war”

 FDR runs for an unprecedented third term  The Lend-Lease Act is passed › The U.S. began supplying G.B. with weapons whether they could pay for them or not  The Atlantic Charter › Winston Churchill and FDR meet in secret › Agree that the shared goal of the U.S. & G.B. is to oppose Hitler and his allies

 Americans were becoming increasingly alarmed with FDR’s actions  The U.S. is looking more and more like a nation at war  Germany is taking notice as well and begins attacking American destroyers attempting to deliver supplies under the LLA › USS Kearny (eleven Americans died) › USS Reuben (100 + Americans died)

 By 1941, war with Japan is looking very likely  Not only are we still at odds over the Indochina dispute; but Japan has joined the Axis Powers, and their new prime minister, Hideki Tojo, was openly hostile towards the U.S.  It’s no longer a question of if... but when... and where  American officials believed that Japan might attack bases in the Philippines or British bases in Southeast Asia  We continued to attempt negotiations with Japan, but were fairly sure an attack was on the horizon

 For months, Japan had been planning a surprise attack on the U.S. › Pearl Harbor  Home to the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet  Called for Japanese aircraft carriers to approach the island of Oahu; Japanese war planes would lift off from the carriers and destroy as many ships and planes as possible  At the time, Pearl Harbor was not under the control of a specific commander and was inadequately prepared to defend an attack › Japan was able to approach Pearl Harbor undetected

 The attack began as the sun rose on Sunday morning; complete surprise  Most American fighter planes didn’t even make it off the ground; they were destroyed before they ever moved, along with the warships anchored in the harbor  The Japanese attack lasted barely two hours; by the time it was over, the Pacific Fleet was destroyed Pearl Harbor

 Four of eight battleships were sunk; the remaining four were severely damaged  Almost 200 aircraft were destroyed; many more were damaged  2,400 + Americans were dead  This was a complete defeat for the U.S. › Japan lost fewer than thirty aircraft and only a handful of submarines

 Americans responded with fear and outrage  Rumors began to spread that Japan was going to invade the west coast; barbed wire was strung down the beaches of California  Xenophobia permeated America; people began to fear Japanese Americans would secretly assist in an invasion  On December 8, 1941, a furious FDR asked Congress for a declaration of war, since Japan couldn’t be bothered to issue one prior to their surprise attack  Three days later, Italy and Germany declared war on the United States › The United States is now officially a member of the Allied Powers