* Second World War II campaigns -- isolationist America








World War II: American Interventionists

World War II isolationist America
Figure 1.--.

While there is a long lists of isolationists, the list of Intervenionists is much shorter. This is because it was political suiside to suggest that the United States should participate in another European War. President Roosevelt was Intervenionist number one, but he did not dare so. So huis approach was pomote preparedness and suppott for Britain and France. His appeal was that the United States should be the Arsenal of Femocracy--not the hield or sword. And he assured the American public that he was not going to send merucan boys to fight in foreign wars, 'unless we are attacked'. Other interveniinists attacked Hitler and NAZI brutality, but fell short of advocating Americam military action. Even after the War began, the intervenionist mostly advocated aid to Britain and France, not military involvemnt. This basically continued until Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt eentually tool the vinprecedented and illegalmstep of launching an undeclared naval war in the Atlantatic. Despite the strident Isolationist movement, the press did not pick up on this.

Individuals


Eleanor Roosevelt

Mrs Roosevelt communicated with the American people through her syndicated newspaper column, “My Day,” which she began in 1935. She mostly focused in domestic social issues. Before the War, She rarely commrnted on foreign affairs, with ine exception--the plight bof refugees--esoecially child refugees. The President often used her column as a soundung voard for ideas. This included the unsucessful efforts to increase immigration quotas allow more refugees to enter the country. .

Franklin Roosevelt

President Roosevelt was Intervenionist number one, but he did not dare so. So huis approach was pomote preparedness and suppott for Britain and France. His appeal was that the United States should be the Arsenal of Femocracy--not the hield or sword. And he assured the American public that he was not going to send merucan boys to fight in foreign wars, 'unless we are attacked'. Other interveniinists attacked Hitler and NAZI brutality, but fell short of advocating Americam military action. Even after the War began, the intervenionist mostly advocated aid to Britain and France, not military involvemnt. This basically continued until Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt eentually tool the vinprecedented and illegalmstep of launching an undeclared naval war in the Atlanttic. Despite the strident Isolationist movement, the press did not pick up on this.

Dorthy Thompson

Dorthy Thompson had a synducated column second only to Mrs. Roosevelt among women journalists. Her column, 'On the Record' ran in 170 newspapers and reached roughly 8 million readers. She is a fasciunating woman, actually the insoiration for the Katherin Hepburn-Spencer Tracy film, 'Woman of the Year' (1942). She and a suffragist friend, Barbara De Porte, after college took off for London and embarked upon careers as foreign correspondents-withiut any experience or backing. This was at a tim, that reporters were ak=lmost allmmen--especially foreign correspondents. Somehow she managed it. Hervfluency in German heloed as well an unsuceesful marriage to a Hungarian. She manaaged to get a contract with American publications becomung 'the first woman to head a foreign news bureau of any importance.' [Kurth] She hated Hitler with pashion and mounted a one-woman crusade against the NAZIs. She denounced the German government frequently and vigorously in her syndicated column, describing the brutality in great detail long before the War and continued doing so from London during the War. .

Groups

There were groups that advocated intervention after Hitler and Stalin launched Wirkd War II (September 1939), but they did so mostly in print, unlike the Isolationists who stahed mass rallies with headline speakers like Charles Lindberg. There was so little support for intervention that there were no such mass rallies, although there were events with speakers. All of tge groups were only organized after the War begana nd the need for American to enter it became increasingly obvious. There were no orgabized intervebtiinist ge=rouos in the 1930s.

Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies

William Allen White, a prominent Republican publisher in Kansas, founded the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies (May 1940). Clark Eichelberger, the head of the League of Nations Association, over =saw the effort. The CDAAA ultimately claimed 750 local chapters and an estimated membership of 750,000. hey staged oubkic evebts and performances. They took out full-page newspaper ads, and handed out flyers in an effort to gain support for aiding Britain and France. When Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union (June 1941), the Committee dropped 'by Aiding the Allies'. France had fallen (1940) and many supporters had no interest in aidung the Cmmunist Soviet Union.

Fight for Freedom

Journalist Ulric Bell ran the Fight for Freedom founded in April 1941. He aggressively advocated entering World War II to defend both Briitain and America's democratic values. Fight for Freedom managed to aquire many prominent supporters, including journalists, writers, movie stars, and politicians. Walt Disney Studios produced a program cover for a FFF rally featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy.

Joint Effort

The Committee to Defend America and thevFight For Freedom frequently worked together. They often coordinated with thevWhute House. And wirked with British agents. President Roosevelt and the FBI was aware of this, but did not intervehe, These organizations reported on Axis atrocities in the occupied countries. they occupied. In November 1941, for example, the CDAAA sponsored evebts protested NAZI mass murder (Novenber 1941). The pribken for the President and these groups wa that the British had exagerated German brutality in World War I. (Notice the wordexagerated. There werevvery real German atricities in World War I.) There was no neec to exagerate in World War II, but nuch of the pubkic did not beliec=ve the reports. It was difficuklt tonbeliece that anyone, even Hitker and the NAZIs could actually be commiting thevatriciuties being reported. Tragically we now know that the reports were all to real, if anything not fully reporting the horrendous atrocities underway.

Sources

Kurth, Peter.







CIH








Navigate the CIH World War II Section
[Return to the Main World War II isolationism page]
[Return to the Main World War II neutrality page]
[Return to the Main U.S. World War II page]
[Return to Main World War II campaign page]
[Return to Main World War II page]
[Biographies] [Campaigns] [Children] [Countries] [Deciding factors] [Diplomacy] [Geo-political crisis] [Economics] [Home front] [Intelligence]
[POWs] [Resistance] [Race] [Refugees] [Technology]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Return to Main World War II page]
[Return to Main war essay page]





Created: 4:21 AM 8/17/2020
Last updated: 4:21 AM 8/17/2020