LEND-LEASE APPROVED

Though President Roosevelt had recently won re-election on a promise of non-intervention in what was perceived as Europe’s war, the Lend-lease Act was passed by the US Congress on 11 March. This was a critical moment in the build up to the US participation in the war, and allowed ammunition, tanks and supplies worth around $7 billion to be sent to Europe. Speaking in support of the Act, Secretary of War Henry L Stimson told the Senate: “We are buying… not lending. We are buying our own security while we prepare.”