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Roosevelt could not ignore the 50% of the population who were against involvement, but he did everything he could to assist Britain, short of declaring war. That included the "Lendlease" act, which allowed Britain to take ownership of war armaments without paying for them, the gift of 50 Destroyers, (crucial to the defence of the convoy routes) in exchange for bases in the Caribbean, etc. Without U.S. help, Britain would not have survived.
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He did more than just lend moral and material support. American lives were lost defending his policies.
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Upon the outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939, she joined the Neutrality Patrol, and guarded the Atlantic and Caribbean approaches to the American coast. In March 1941, Reuben James joined the convoy escort force established to promote the safe arrival of materiel to the United Kingdom. This escort force guarded convoys as far as Iceland, after which they became the responsibility of British escorts.
Based at Hvalfjordur, Iceland, she sailed from Naval Station Argentia, Newfoundland on 23 October, with four other destroyers to escort eastbound convoy HX-156. At about 05:25 on 31 October, while escorting that convoy, Reuben James was torpedoed by U-552 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Erich Topp near Iceland. Reuben James had positioned herself between an ammunition ship in the convoy and the known position of a "wolfpack", a group of submarines that preyed on Allied shipping. Reuben James was hit forward by a torpedo and her entire bow was blown off when a magazine exploded. The bow sank immediately. The aft section floated for five minutes before going down. Of the 159-man crew, only 44 survived.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Reu...s_%28DD-245%29
His feelings towards Britain was not popular in the United States and for good reason. Many US citizens looked to the past wars the United States fought with Great Britain over the treatment of our ships and sailors.
Britain's own actions made life difficult for Roosevelt to lend support. It was not until the Japanese attack that the US public really even cared to join England in a fight against Germany.
British policy was to detain US ships and crew as well violate our neutrality. It is interesting to note how arrogant and dismissal the British Admiralty is of United States protest until they really start losing the war.
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* February 1, Thursday 1940
President Roosevelt writes First Lord of the Admiralty Winston S. Churchill, concerning the detention of U.S. merchantmen, and frankly informs him of adverse American reaction to the British policy. "The general feeling is," Roosevelt informs Churchill, "that the net benefit to your people and the French is hardly worth the definite annoyance caused to us.
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http://asisbiz.com/il2/US-Navy-History-WWII-1940.html