The end of the 1930s saw a major shift in the foreign policy of the United States.

While the early 20th century saw the rise of American imperialism under President’s

McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, the third decade saw a nation weary of war and in the

midst of an economic depression pull back from world affairs to pursue a policy of

isolationism. Pursuant to this newfound national feeling, Congress passed several

legislative acts aimed at regulating the nation’s economic and political interaction with

Europe, emphasizing nonintervention. However, this shift in policy lasted only several

years before the Japanese navy attacked Pearl Harbor, and thrust the United States to the

forefront of world affairs once again.

Between the years of 1935 and 1941, Congress passed a battery of legislation

aimed at reducing American involvement in foreign affairs and untangling its numerous

foreign liabilities such as Cuba and the Philippines. The first of these acts came in 1935,

with the passage of the Neutrality Acts, which were subsequently amended in 1936 and

1937, and again in 1939 reflecting a more interventionist view by allowing a loan of $30

million to Finland. These documents served as the first time that Congress has tried to

legislate neutrality, and has been criticized as immoral and shortsighted. They established

a system of regulatory laws that went into effect should the president declare the

existence of a foreign war. This included the prohibition of American travel aboard ships

belonging to belligerents, trade in arms with that nation, or loans granted thereto. Another

act passed in pursuit of neutrality was the Johnson Debt Default Act in 1939. Seeking to

reduce U.S. involvement in the economic intricacies of other nations, which occasionally

resulted in involvement in their military conflicts, the Johnson act acknowledged that

many nations had unpaid loans, many dating back even to World War One. It further
stipulated that while the U.S. would not aggressively pursue indemnification, no nation

with an outstanding loan from the U.S. government could take out another loan. This act

ensured that the United States would not actively pursue unpaid debts, thus avoiding any

of the inevitable and unnecessary entanglements. In perhaps the biggest deviation from

the banner of noninterventionism, besides the forthcoming declaration of war against

Japan, Congress approved the Lend Lease Act of 1940. It provided for the lease of

essential war supplies to nations that had fallen victim to German expansion, most

notably the Soviet Union, under the condition that they either be returned or purchased

after the cessation of hostilities. Its passage resulted in heated debate both for and against

it, with noninterventionists rejoicing for a newfound policy of “Guns not Sons,” and

“Billions not Bodies.” However, it caught a lot of criticism from anti-Roosevelt

Republicans, notably Senator Burton K. Wheelor, who bashed it as “The new Triple-A”

(Agricultural Adjustment Act).

United States foreign policy at the time was largely shaped on the nations recent,

and ongoing domestic quandaries. The passage of the Neutrality Acts marked the

beginning of a Wilson-esque era of noninterventionism, while its amendment in 1939 and

the start of the Lend Lease program marked a significant shift back to interventionism,

and foreshadowed U.S. involvement in yet another World War. In the mid 1930s the

Great Depression was still in full swing, and the people had not forgotten the sacrifices

and changes that came about as a result of the First World War, the supposed “war to end

all wars.” These factors helped to usher in a feeling of isolationism as the American

people expected the government to focus on rebuilding the economy and creating jobs

rather than European affairs. Thus, while President Franklin Roosevelt was focused on
pushing his New Deal economic recovery plans upon the nation, the rise of Hitler and

other dictators in Europe, as well as the looming threat of another “war to end wars,”

slipped past the otherwise diverted eyes of the United States. However, while reams of

noninterventionist legislation attempted to isolate the United States from the impending

chaos in Europe, it eventually fared little better than its predecessors under Wilson. With

a quick redefinition of the Neutrality Act in 1939, Congress sent $30 million to the soon-

to-be Soviet occupied Finland for “Non-Military supplies.” Furthermore, the Destroyer

Deal between Roosevelt and Churchill again betrayed the Administration’s leaning

towards the allies, and saw the transfer of over fifty combat vessels to the Royal Navy.

The subtleties eventually gave way to open preparation for US intervention on behalf of

the Allies with the passage of the Conscription act of 1940 and Lend Lease Act of 1940,

preparing the nation’s military for global war and supplying nations considered “victims

of aggression” with a lease on an incessant supply of war materials, respectively. Later in

1941, the Japanese Navy bombed the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and decimated

the U.S. Navy’s Pacific fleet while in port, leading to a Declaration of War with Japan on

December 8th and subsequent declarations three days later.

In conclusion, the period of time between 1935 and 1941 was a tumultuous age of

competing foreign policy. The United States certainly took great pains to avoid

intervention in world affairs, especially with its domestic affairs not yet in order.

However, the Roosevelt Administration was caught making the same fundamental

mistakes that Wilson had in the years leading up to World War One, and thus once again

the policy shifted back to interventionism as the U.S. readied itself to fight one of the

bloodiest wars in history on foreign soil, World War II.