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I. America Enters the War 2 FDR Supports England A. Destroyers-for-Bases Deal 1. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill asked President Roosevelt to transfer old American destroyers to Britain, which had lost nearly half its destroyers. 2. Roosevelt used a loophole in the neutrality act that required cash for purchases to provide Churchill with the destroyers. 3. In exchange for the right to build American bases on British-controlled Newfoundland, Bermuda, and islands in the Caribbean, Roosevelt sent 50 old destroyers to Britain. Because the deal did not involve an actual sale, the neutrality act did not apply. America Enters the War 3 B. The Isolationist Debate 1. At one extreme was the Fight for Freedom Committee, a group that urged the repeal of all neutrality laws and stronger action against Germany. 2. At the other extreme was the America First Committee that was a staunchly isolationist group opposed to any American intervention or aid to the Allies. 3. Closer to the center, the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies, pressed for increased American aid to the Allies but opposed armed intervention. 4. Roosevelt decided to run for a third term against the Republican nominee, Wendell Willkie. The voters reelected Roosevelt by a wide margin, preferring to keep a president they knew during the crisis period. This broke the two-term tradition established by George Washington. America Enters the War 4 C. Edging Toward War 1. The Lend-Lease Act allowed the United States to lend or lease arms to any country considered “vital to the defense of the United States.” The act allowed Roosevelt to send weapons to Britain if the British government promised to return or pay rent for them after the war. 2. After Germany invaded the Soviet union in June 1941, The United States send lend-lease aid to the Soviet Union. D. A Hemispheric Defense Zone 1. Roosevelt declared that the entire western half of the Atlantic was part of the Western Hemisphere and, therefore, neutral. 2. Roosevelt then ordered the U.S. Navy to patrol the western Atlantic and reveal the location of German submarines to the British. American Enters The War 5 E. The Atlantic Charter 1. In August 1941, Roosevelt and Churchill met on board American and British warships near Newfoundland. 2. The Atlantic Charter was an agreement between the U.S. and Britain that committed both nations to a postwar world of democracy, nonaggression, free trade, economic advancement, and freedom of the seas. 3. The U.S. and Germany were fighting an unofficial war in the Atlantic. The worse incident was when a German U-Boat torpedoed the Reuben James which resulted in the death of 115 American sailors. America Enters The War 6 II. Japan Attacks A. America Embargoes Japan 1. To hinder Japanese aggression, Roosevelt began applying economic pressure by blocking the sale of airplane fuel and scrap iron to Japan. 2. In 1941 Roosevelt began sending lend-lease aid to China. 3. After Japan sent military forces in to southern Indochina, Roosevelt froze all Japanese assets in the U.S. and reduced the amount of oil being shipped to Japan. 4. Roosevelt also sent Douglas MacArthur to the Philippines. America Enters the War 7 B. Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor 1. American intelligence had decoded Japanese communications that made it clear that Japan was preparing to go to war against the United States. The Americans did not know where the Japanese planned to attack. 2. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor resulting in the deaths of 2,403 Americans and destruction to eight battleships, three cruisers, four destroyers, and six other vessels. Another 1,178 Americans were injured. 3. President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war the next day. The United States entered WWII. America Enters the War C. Germany Declares War 1. Hitler greatly underestimated the strength of the United States. 2. On December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy both declared war on the United States.