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English 1940: Roosevelt Continues Policy of Indepe
How to Use Our Neutrality After His Re-election and a F
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War in Europe expands as Germany defeats Denmark, Norway and
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France. Transcript of radio broadcast: Corrup
Radio Programs 18 October 2006
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By Subject The Ap
By Program VOICE ONE: Proces
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MP3 Germany's attack on Poland and the start of World War Two Childre
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presented a serious problem to Americans in September nineteen
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The United States -- by law -- was neutral. From P
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Watch And few Americans had any desire to fight Pumpk
Weekly TV Feed in another world war. But Americans did not Seaso
Services like Germany's Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler. They Two S
Stories by E-mail hoped for victory for Britain, France, and in New
Feeds Conne
the other Allied powers. History
Podcasts Grame
English Learning Adolf Hitler President Franklin Roosevelt made this clear Proves
Words and in a radio talk to Americans soon after the war began. Are W
Their Stories
Wordmaster He praised the British and other allies. Finally, the president called Richar
Games With on Congress to change the neutrality laws that prevented him 1902-
Words from sending arms to the Allies to help them fight the Nazis. a Thou
Other Resources Congress agreed to change the laws so foreign nations could buy
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American arms. Put US
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VOICE TWO:
'Nine P
In the months that followed, Hitler and his allies won one victory Desire
after another. German and Soviet troops captured Poland quickly Brings
in September nineteen thirty-nine. Then Soviet forces invaded the of Iraq
Making
small Baltic nations of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania. In late
Trade
November, they attacked Finland. Fighting between Finland and the
Soviet Union continued through the winter, until Finland accepted
Russia's demands.

VOICE ONE:

Fighting grew even more fierce the following spring, in early

nineteen forty.

Germany attacked Denmark and Norway, defeating them easily. In

May, Nazi forces struck like lightning through Belgium and Holland.
Within one day, they were in France. British and French forces
were unable to stop the Germans from moving deep into northern
France. The British forces finally were forced to flee from the
European continent in small boats. They sailed from the French
town of Dunkerque back to Britain.
German soldiers marched through France. And Italian forces joined
them by invading France from the south. Soon, Paris fell. A
German supporter, Marshal Petain, took control of the French
government. And France -- beaten and crushed -- was forced to
sign a peace treaty with Hitler.

VOICE TWO:

Now it was just Britain alone against Hitler and his allies. Only the
English Channel separated the British people from a German army
that seemed unbeatable.

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

was forced to resign. The British people
turned to a new leader, Winston Churchill.
Churchill would prove to be strong and
brave in the long months ahead.

The British would need strong leadership.

Hitler wasted no time in launching a fierce air
attack on Britain. Throughout the summer,
German and British planes fought above the
Winston Churchill
English Channel.

VOICE ONE:

All this military action had an important effect on American popular

opinion. War and neutrality were no longer just ideas to be
discussed in a classroom or political debate. Now they were real
concerns, real events. Fascist troops led by a dictator in Berlin
were defeating one friendly democracy after another. And Soviet
forces were on the march, too.

Most Americans still desired neutrality. But how long could America
remain at peace. And was peace worth the cost of just sitting by
and watching friends like France and Britain be bombed and
invaded.

VOICE TWO:

Other issues melted away as Americans began to consider what to

do about the darkening world situation.

Some Americans, led by newspaper publisher William Allen White,

called for the United States to help Britain immediately. But other
groups, like the America First Committee, demanded that the
United States stay out of another bloody European conflict.

VOICE ONE:

The struggle between those who wanted to

help Britain, and those who wanted to remain
neutral, did not follow traditional party lines.
Some of the closest supporters of
Roosevelt's foreign policies were Republicans.
And some members of his own Democratic
Party opposed his policies.

Even so, foreign policy was one of the main

issues in the presidential election campaign of
Franklin Roosevelt
nineteen forty. The Democrats, once again,
nominated Franklin Roosevelt for president.

The Republicans had several popular candidates who were

interested in campaigning against Roosevelt. At first, it seemed
that these candidates would fight it out in a bitter nominating
convention in Philadelphia. But to everyone's surprise, a
little-known candidate named Wendell Willkie suddenly gained a
great deal of support and won the nomination.

VOICE TWO:

Wendell Willkie was a tough candidate.

He was friendly, a good businessman, and a strong

speaker. He seemed honest. And he seemed to
understand foreign policy. Most important, Willkie
had a progressive record on many social issues. He
was not the kind of traditional conservative
Republican that Roosevelt had defeated so easily in
Wendell Willkie
his first two campaigns.

Instead, Willkie could claim to represent the common man just as

well as Roosevelt. And he offered the excitement of a change in
leadership.

While Willkie and Roosevelt began campaign battles with words,

German and British planes were fighting real battles with bullets
over the English channel. Winston Churchill sent a desperate
message to Roosevelt. The British prime minister said Britain could
not fight alone much longer. It needed help immediately.

VOICE ONE:

Roosevelt did not want to take steps toward war just before an
election. But neither could he refuse such an urgent appeal from
the British.

Roosevelt and Willkie discussed the situation. Willkie agreed not to

criticize Roosevelt when the president sent fifty ships to the British
navy. He also supported Roosevelt's order for American young
men to give their names to army officials so they could be called if
fighting began.

In this way, Roosevelt and Willkie tried to keep America's growing

involvement in the war from becoming a major political issue in the
election.

VOICE TWO:

President Roosevelt won the election of nineteen forty. Roosevelt

won twenty-seven million votes to twenty-two million for Willkie.
This made Roosevelt the first and only man in American history to
win a third term in the White House.

Soon after the election, President Roosevelt received a letter from

Winston Churchill. The British prime minister wrote that Britain
urgently needed more arms and planes to fight Germany.

Roosevelt agreed. He went to the Congress to plead for more aid

to Britain. He said the United States should change its neutral
policy, because Britain was fighting a common enemy of
democracy. Roosevelt also said the United States could avoid war
if Britain was strong enough to defeat Germany by herself.

VOICE ONE:

Congress agreed, after a fierce debate, to increase aid to London.

And in the weeks and months that followed, the United States
moved closer and closer to open war with Germany.

In March nineteen forty-one, Roosevelt allowed British ships to

come to American ports to be fixed. In June, the United States
seized ships under German control. It also took over German and
Italian funds in American banks.

VOICE TWO:

Open fighting could not be prevented with this increase in tension

between Germany and the United States. In September nineteen
forty-one, a German submarine fired at an American ship. The ship
was not damaged. But a number of American troops were killed in
other naval incidents that followed.

VOICE ONE:

By the end of nineteen forty-one, the United States and Germany

were almost at war. Even so, most Americans continued to hope
for peace. In fact, few Americans could guess that war was just
days away. The first blow would come -- not from Germany -- but
from Japan.

That will be our story next week.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

You have been listening to THE MAKING OF A NATION, a program

in Special English by the Voice of America. Your narrators have
been Harry Monroe and Jack Weitzel. Our program was written by
David Jarmul.

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