The Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II 235The Lend-Lease Bill was introduced in Congress in early January
1941 , and after a long and full debate it passed both houses overwhelm-
ingly by March 11. Roo sevelt signed it immediately and then asked for $ 7
billion to purchase the materials; his request was approved. The
Lend-Lease Act of 1941 allowed any nation whose defense the President
deemed vital to American interests to receive arms, munitions, and any
other supplies and equipment by sale, transfer, exchange, or lease. The
President also asked Congress for support of those nations who were
fighting in defense of what he called the Four Freedoms: freedom of
speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
Although Roo sevelt still hoped to keep the United States out of the
war, he was certainly willing to do whatever was necessary to ensure
Germany’s defeat. Even when German U-boats attacked and sank
American destroyers with a loss of lives, he did not go to Congress and
ask for a declaration of war. But he did publicly denounce the “pirati-
cal” acts of German submarines, and he ordered American naval ves-
sels to shoot on sight any U-boat that appeared in waters west of
Iceland. Furthermore, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union on
June 21 , 1941 , he immediately assured the Soviets that they would re-
ceive lend-lease assistance with all due dispatch. Roo sevelt gave Hitler
every excuse possible to declare war against the United States, but the
dictator did not have the will or the armies to take on such an adver-
sary. His forces were fully occupied elsewhere.
In August 1941 , Roo sevelt and Churchill met aboard the USS Au-
gusta off the coast of Newfoundland and agreed on eight principles
that would form a better future for mankind. This Atlantic Charter,
as it was labeled, called for a restoration of the people’s right to govern
themselves without dictators. It also called for freedom of the seas, a
peace with justice, equal access to raw materials for all nations, and an
end of the armaments race.
As ea rly a s 1931 Japan began its military aggression against China
and took control of the southern region of Manchuria. It then set up a
puppet regime in September 1932 called Manchukuo. After entering an
alliance with Germany and Italy (the Triple Alliance), thereby becom-
ing a member of the Axis powers, it pledged mutual assistance in the