The Lend-Lease Act
11 March 1941
President Roosevelt signing the Lend-Lease
Act
One and half years after the start of World War II, President Roosevelt signed an act dubbed the “Lend-Lease Act”, that would support Britain with supplies between the years of 1941 and 1945, in exchange for 99-year leases on British bases in Newfoundland (later known as Canada) and in the Caribbean. This idea of the Lend-Lease Act breached the neutrality statement that Roosevelt had given previously during his election, which led to a massive break out of foreign policy debate on whether or not the U.S. should maintain their strict neutrality, or aid Great Britain. Following two months of trying debate, the Act was passed in Congress, and the U.S. met Great Britain’s need of supplies while still keeping the US officially “neutral”. The Lend-Lease Act eventually sent over $51 Billion worth of supplies, and these supplies were sent to countries such as Britain, France, and China. After hostilities exploding around the globe by countries such as Germany and Japan, Roosevelt affirmed that the Lend-Lease Act was simply a preemptive act of defense, stating that he was only “helping to put out the fire in your neighbor’s house before your own house caught fire and burned down.” This act, with all of its neutral formalities, was the beginning of a vast amount of hostile feelings and actions towards the U.S. from the Axis powers, which led to the U.S. joining the war on the side of the allies 9 months later.