On this day in U.S. History: FDR Signs the Lend-Lease Act on March 11, 1941. The Lend Lease Act states that the U.S. government could lend or lease war supplies, rather than sell. However, the Act further states that these supplies may only be leased to a nation deemed “vital to the defense of the United States.” Most importantly, passage of the Act enabled a struggling Great Britain to continue to fight Nazi Germany in WWII.
The Road to the Act
In July 1940, Great Britain lost 11 destroyers to the German Navy over a 10-day period. After that, newly elected Prime Minister Winston Churchill requested help from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Luckily, Roosevelt was able to help by exchanging 50 destroyers for 99-year leases on British bases throughout the Caribbean and Newfoundland. However, this gesture caused a major foreign policy debate, as up until then the U.S. carried a strictly neutral position in the ongoing conflict.
Though FDR promised that the U.S. soldiers would never fight in a foreign war, he still wanted to support Britain. Therefore, in January 1941, FDR proposed to Congress a new military aid bill. Secretary of War Henry L. Stinson backed FDR in this bill. Stinson stated that “we are buying…not lending. We are buying our own security…” Finally, after two months of debate, Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act of 1941.
Impact and Legacy of the Lend-Lease Act
By the end of WWII, the United States provided some $50 billion in aid to more than 30 nations. Truly, for FDR, the Lend-Lease Act wasn’t just about generosity. Actually, the Act was meant to serve the interest of the United States, allowing the country to be prepared for war, only if necessary. Further, through the Act the U.S. was able to become the “arsenal of democracy” during WWII. This ensured a secure place for the U.S. in the international economic and political order once the war ended.
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Sources: History.com; National Archive; Image
