By June 1940, Europe was in turmoil. France had fallen to the Nazi blitzkrieg, and Hitler’s vision of world domination loomed large. Britain stood as the last bastion of resistance against Germany. The German general staff even had a secret plan, Operation Sea Lion, to invade England.

Behind the scenes, FDR was actively working to join the struggle against Hitler. FDR engaged in personal correspondence with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, secretly planning the shipment of surplus war materials to Great Britain. This lecture is about how FDR skillfully navigated the complex political landscape to prepare the United States for its eventual involvement in World War II.

FDR, a Democrat, appointed pro-interventionist Republicans, Henry Stimson and Frank Knox, as secretaries of war and the Navy. These high-profile appointments signaled the administration’s commitment to rearmament and aid for Britain. The groundwork laid between November 1940 and December 7, 1941—a full year before the attack on Pearl Harbor and our declaration of war against Germany and Japan, became the cornerstone for American participation in WWII.

This story includes the Civil Conservation Corps, Lend Lease, convoy protection efforts, long-range bomber production, loans of patrol planes with American flight crews to England, and the draft.