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Hello, and thank you for listening to the history of World War II podcast,

Episode 193, Churchill and Chiang Kai Shek, FDR's Warriors.

Last time, we saw that with the passage of Lennon's lease,

the great debate of the United States' future in regards to the war was mostly over.

There would be holdouts, but the average American citizen succumbed to the idea

that it was just a matter of time before American boys were fighting fascism.

Yet that wasn't good enough for President Roosevelt.

He honestly believed that in order for the democracies to win,

one, the US had to take an active part, and two, as he was the only qualified one,

given his eight years in the White House, he had to be the one to lead the country

during the coming trouble time.

As such, American naval vessels were patrolling further out than international law,

normally recognized. A draft had been instituted,

US military expenditure had risen sharply, and lastly, FDR would remain president for another four years.

Deciding he needed to stretch his sea legs, the president headed out in late March of 1941

...