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Originally posted by Spanky
As usual you have totally missed the point. We (or at least) I don't blame FDR for manipulating us into WWII. I think it was a good thing. But we find it hypocritical that you get all up in arms for Bush allegedly lying to get us into war when that is exactly what FDR did. From documents and memos from his administration it was clear before the 1940 election FDR was really worried about Hitler and wanted to help England but most Americans, being encourage by Lindberg and Kennedy, didn't want any part of it. FDR, in the election of 1940 promised to do everything in his power to keep us out of the war in Europe. And then he did everything he could to get us involved. Even though we were neutral Roosevelt had U.S. destroyers escort U.S. and british cargo ships that were bringing ammunition to England. They escorted these ships half way across the Atlantic and if any German U boat showed up we fired on it.
We pretty much an entire fleet of old destroyers to England. We did get to lease some bases we did not need, but England got supplies that were clearly critical to the war effort. Right after he was elected he instituted the largest peace time draft in US history and jacked up military spending immediately in preparation for war.
And he had strategy meetings with Chruchill all time. He pretty much made us an alley of Great Britain in everything but name. If FDR had no used US destroyers to protect British shipping, had not done the Lend Lease act, and sold good to any ship that showed up at a US port - as a true neutral should - Germany probably would have not declared war on us.
But when FDR in the 1940 campaign said that he would do everything in his power to keep our sons and daughters at home, new he was going to do the opposite. In other words he lied. But I for one am glad that he did. If he hadn't done what he did we might all be speaking German right now.
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My WWII history is severely lacking, so I'll defer to the rest of you historians on this -- but if the trigger to our jumping into the war as an active participant was Pearl Harbor, then wouldn't the rest of the actions you describe above be characterized as secretive support of Britain instead of the "opposite" of keeping our sons and daughters at home?
