STEP #4 - Cash and Carry
In the spring of 1939, Germany, Japan, and Italy continue militaristic policies and expansion. President Roosevelt wants more flexibility to meet the challenges in both hemispheres, so he suggested amending the Neutrality Acts to allow warring nations to purchase munitions if they paid cash and transported the goods on non-American ships.
This policy, called “Cash and Carry”, obviously favors Britain and France. Roosevelt feels that the best way to keep America out of the war is by providing the arms to help France and Britain defeat Hitler. Senator George W. Norris agrees, stating “If we repeal it, we are helping England and France. If we fail to repeal it, we will be helping Hitler and his allies. Absolute neutrality is an impossibility.” Isolationists in Congress, such as Senator Arthur Vandenberg, argued just the opposite, however. "I do not believe that we can become an arsenal for one belligerent without becoming a target for another," Vandenberg said. Supporters on both sides of the neutrality issue are lobbying Congress with great intensity. Congressional offices have received hundreds of letters, postcards, and petitions promoting their position. One postcard evokes isolationist arguments that war was supported by wealthy industrialists. A second recalls George Washington’s admonition that the United States should avoid entangling itself in European affairs. The third backs the "cash and carry" idea arguing that selling munitions to Britain and France will make it less likely that Americans will become directly involved in war. |
Information and images from “Congress, Neutrality, and Lend Lease”. Treasures of Congress. 2000. The Library of Congress. 17 April 2006 < http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/treasures_of_congress/page_20.html>
Originally, Congress did not pass the bill. Once Germany invaded Poland, however, Congress reconsidered. After six weeks of heated debate, Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1939, and cash- and-carry went into effect. The passage of the 1939 Neutrality Act marked the beginning of a congressional shift away from isolationism.