Hi there, my name is Captain Craig Buddy from the History of Pirates Podcast.

I'm honored to be speaking to you all today on behalf of Ray Harris Jr.

Ray is graciously allowed me to introduce this, the latest episode of his epic History of World War 2 podcast.

Since it started, I've been enjoying every episode and has been a habit of mine since early on to check for a new episode on an almost daily basis.

Ray covers a history of World War 2 with such clarity and from all sides of the war that I constantly find myself learning from every episode.

His understanding of the subject matter is obvious and as listeners I think we're all lucky to have such a teacher.

I'm proud to introduce my friend and yours, Sir Ray Harris Jr.

Hello and thank you for listening to the History of World War 2 podcast, episode 130, slight of hand.

Last time at President Roosevelt was able to get the neutrality acts changed in August of 39 so that short term loans could be made to belligerent countries.

But that was a long way off from what Britain and France would need.

Still, it was a start and hoping victory was in their future, it was time to lay the groundwork.

Thus was created the British Purchasing Commission or BPC and though based in New York it was under the British

Supply Board based in Canada. This would hopefully calm the isolationist's crowd.

The French also set up their Purchasing Commission in the same building as the BPC and the two department heads met informally each day.

Before long the US Secretaries of War and of the Navy realized they weren't a part of this picture and started howling to the skies.

The President calmly responded that as more than 50% of the purchases would be of non-military material and that the liaison committee responsible for

working with the BPC would have military representatives on a subcommittee.

Everything they would normally do was already being handled. America could rearm as it helped the allies.

In reality, FDR knew that if the war and navy departments were in charge, they would together swallow up all US produced goods leaving nothing for Britain or France.

So through short term credits and British gold, the allies started buying machine tools to build up their war production capability.

That is throughout the first half of 1940. But after Norway and Denmark were attacked and then the low countries, the Purchasing turned to fish goods.

Guns and such were needed now.

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