Ch 19, Sec 4: America Enters the War

Goals for Today:

• Explain how Roosevelt helped Britain while maintaining official neutrality.

• Identify the events that led to increasing tensions, and ultimately war, between the U.S. and Japan.

Neutrality Act of 1939

• Roosevelt said the U.S. was neutral in the war– Declared this after Britain and France declared

war on Germany after it invaded Poland• Allowed warring countries to buy weapons

from the U.S.– Wanted to help Britain/France legally– Those countries had to send their own ships and

pay for supplies in cash

Loophole in the Neutrality Act

• Britain needed warships/Roosevelt wanted to help

• U.S. gave 50 destroyers for British land to build U.S. bases in the Caribbean and in Newfoundland– No sale=American Neutrality

• Supported by most Americans

Election of 1940

• Roosevelt ran for a 3rd term vs. Wendell Willkie

• Both candidates wanted to support the war but not get dragged into it

• FDR won

Lend-Lease Act

• Another loop-hole in the Neutrality Act• Britain was out of money to pay for guns• Now, the U.S. could lend arms to countries if

the deal is helping in the defense of the U.S.• Countries (Britain/later Russia) would borrow

weapons or get weapons and pay for them later– $40 billion of supplies were given out

Hemispheric Defense Zone

• U.S. supplies had to get to the war• German subs were still sinking ships• U.S. ships were used to spot German subs and

report their location to British warships• Led to tensions between the U.S. and

Germany

Export Control Act• Limited the sale of war materials to other

countries• Used against Japan in 1940– Japan got 80% of their oil, iron, and steel from the

U.S.

• Resulted in Japan joining the alliance with Germany and Italy

Lend-Lease aid to China• U.S. sent ships to help British colonies in Asia• U.S. sent military supplies to China– U.S. wanted to tie up Japan so they could not fight

in the war (idea did not work)– Japan forced to attack British colonies for

supplies/started to plan an attack on the U.S.

• FDR sent Gen. MacArthur to build up an army in the Philippines for protection

Japan Threatens to Attack

• Nov 26, 1941- 6 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships, and several other ships left Japan for Hawaii

• U.S. intel uncovered Japan’s threat– Nov 27-Washington sent out a warning to West

Coast naval bases (Hawaii was not on the list)– Other military branches did not get any intel

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Attacked

• Japanese fleet attacked on Dec 7, 1941– 21 ships were damaged/sunk, 188 planes were

destroyed, and 2,403 were killed along with 1,178 people injured

– FDR called for war the next day

U.S. at War

• Dec 8, 1941-U.S. is officially in the war against Japan

• Dec 11, 1941-Germany/Italy declared war on the U.S.

Why did Germany/Italy declare war on the U.S.?

• They did not have to go to war with U.S.• Terms of the alliance said both countries only

had to go to war if Japan was attacked• Germany declared war due to the U.S. sub

policy in the Atlantic Ocean• Germany hoped to defeat the U.S. quickly and

for help from Japan to defeat Russia