World War II: The Causes of US Entry US History: Spiconardi

Isolation & Neutrality US wanted to focus on coming out of the Great Depression Senate investigation of US entry into WWI –Encouraged by financiers & armament makers US could be secure despite the events going on in Europe –Protected by an ocean

Isolation & Neutrality Neutrality Acts of 1935 & 1936 –USA would withhold weapons and loans of money from all nations at war and that U.S. citizens who traveled on ships belonging to nations at war did so at their own risk. –FDR promised to keep US out of WWII

Isolation & Neutrality

“Cash and Carry” Neutrality Act of 1937 –If belligerents in WWII wanted to trade with US… Had to pay cash for non-military goods Carry the goods from US back to Europe on their own ships –Why would FDR allow this in 1937?

Lend-Lease Act Roosevelt finds a way around the neutrality acts –Lend-Lease Act states that US can sell or loan war materials to “any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States.” –FDR proclaims that the U.S. would become the “arsenal of democracy.”

Lend-Lease Act “If your neighbor’s house is on fire, you don’t sell him a hose. You lend it to him and take it back after the fire is out.”

Pearl Harbor Japan makes Tripartite Pact with Italy & Germany –If a country not involved in the war attacks one of the three, then the others would come to that country’s aid US takes stern stance against Japanese imperialism after being lax for years –Froze Japanese assets in USA –No longer sold resource deprived Japan oil

Pearl Harbor –December 7, 1941, Japanese war planes attacked the U.S. Navy fleet at Pearl Harbor. 2,403 died and 1,178 wounded On December 8, 1941 FDR makes his “a date which will live in infamy” speech. He asks Congress to declare war on Japan. –Unanimous vote in Senate and vote in House. –Three days later Germany and Italy declare war on US, honoring the Tripartite Pact they had signed with Japan –With the U.S. now in the war, Winston Churchill remarked, “Hitler’s fate was sealed. Mussolini’s fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder…I went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved and thankful.”

Pearl Harbor

Did the US Government know? –If so, when? –If so, why not prevent the attack?