H.W. Brands describes how, in early 1941, Roosevelt introduced the Lend-Lease Act (HR 1776), a bill that ironically shared its name with the year of American independence but intended to "marry America's future to Britain's future." Because Britain was ru

H.W. Brands describes how, in early 1941, Roosevelt introduced the Lend-Lease Act (HR 1776), a bill that ironically shared its name with the year of American independence but intended to "marry America's future to Britain's future." Because Britain was running out of cash, Roosevelt argued that the U.S. should lend or lease weaponry to ensure they didn't go down for lack of funds. He was aided by a sentimental shift in American public opinion, driven by Edward R. Murrow's broadcasts which portrayed the "stubborn British" as heroic underdogs fighting for democracy. Simultaneously, a covert information war was being waged by William Stephenson, the director of British propaganda in America, who worked with William "Wild Bill" Donovan to manipulate U.S. opinion with the administration's blessing. While Roosevelt publicly complained about German propaganda, his own administration used unacknowledged stories and rumors to move Americans toward war. Lindbergh called out this hypocrisy, arguing that aiding Churchill—an "unreconstructed" imperialist—was not a defense of democracy but a defense of British rule in places like India. Roosevelt even utilized a forged map, allegedly showing a German plan to reorganize Latin America and replace the Bible with Mein Kampf, to stir fear. Lindbergh's diary reveals his deep intuition that every step away from neutrality was a calculated move toward war, regardless of the president's stated desire for peace. (5)
1941