Roosevelt and Lend-Lease

The words

1. Arsenal

   In his December 29, 1940, radio address, Roosevelt called for America’s factories to supply nations resisting the Axis. The arsenal image turned industrial production into a means of national defense.

   pp. 7–8 · Roosevelt: December 1940 radio address (opens a new tab)

2. Britain

   By late 1940, Britain’s currency and gold reserves were nearly exhausted. Its difficulty paying cash for American supplies helped prompt Roosevelt to seek another way of providing aid.

   FDR Library: managing Lend-Lease (opens a new tab)

3. Congress

   Congress passed the legislation and authorized funding. The law also required the president to report to Congress at least once every ninety days.

   Did you know?

   The bill carried the number H.R. 1776. Its formal title was An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States.

   Secs. 5–6 · National Archives: the Lend-Lease Act (opens a new tab) · FDR Library: managing Lend-Lease (opens a new tab)

4. Democracy

   Roosevelt presented aid to countries resisting the Axis as a way to protect American freedom. In the December 1940 address, democracy described the cause he urged Americans to support.

   pp. 5–6, 8 · Roosevelt: December 1940 radio address (opens a new tab)

5. Economic Aid

   Lend-Lease supplied more than weapons. Food, clothing, machine tools and raw materials supported Allied forces and civilians, linking American agriculture and industry to the wider war effort.

   FDR Library: managing Lend-Lease (opens a new tab)

6. Fireside

   This word points to Roosevelt’s December 29, 1940, radio address. He spoke to the American public about national security and called for faster production of supplies for countries resisting the Axis.

   pp. 1, 5–8 · Roosevelt: December 1940 radio address (opens a new tab)

7. Garden Hose

   At his December 17, 1940, press conference, Roosevelt imagined lending a hose to a neighbor whose house was burning. Returning or replacing the hose illustrated aid without requiring an immediate cash sale.

   pp. 2–3 · Roosevelt: the garden-hose analogy (opens a new tab)

8. Hopkins

   Harry Hopkins was the program’s first administrator, serving from March to August 1941. He helped manage the early phase of an aid effort that posed major supply and transport challenges.

   FDR Library: managing Lend-Lease (opens a new tab)

9. Lend-Lease

   The March 1941 law allowed defense supplies to reach countries whose defense the president considered vital to American security. It authorized several kinds of transfer, including lending, leasing and transferring ownership.

   Secs. 2–3 · National Archives: the Lend-Lease Act (opens a new tab)

10. Murmansk

    Murmansk was an ice-free Soviet port reached by Arctic supply convoys. Their cargo helped sustain the Soviet war effort, but crews faced freezing seas, German submarines and aircraft operating from Norway.

    Park Service: the Murmansk convoys (opens a new tab)

11. President

    The act gave the president authority to select eligible recipient countries and set acceptable aid terms. Congress retained a role through funding and required reports on the program.

    Secs. 3, 5–6 · National Archives: the Lend-Lease Act (opens a new tab)

12. Resources

    Roosevelt’s appeal included skilled workers, managers, engineers, machines and raw materials. He argued that supplying defense needs required coordinated human effort as well as money and factory space.

    pp. 6–7 · Roosevelt: December 1940 radio address (opens a new tab)

13. Roosevelt

    President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed the aid bill and signed it on March 11, 1941. He argued that supporting Britain would help protect the United States.

    Introduction; approval line · National Archives: the Lend-Lease Act (opens a new tab)

14. War Economy

    Aid shipments competed with American factories for scarce equipment. In November 1941, Roosevelt sought a study of machine-tool exports because domestic munitions plants also needed those tools.

    FDR Library: managing Lend-Lease (opens a new tab)

15. War Production

    Roosevelt urged manufacturers to expand capacity and put defense needs ahead of some consumer goods. His December 1940 speech called for a larger effort while production was still increasing.

    p. 7 · Roosevelt: December 1940 radio address (opens a new tab)