Destroyers-for-bases deal
The Destroyers-for-Bases deal was a significant agreement made during World War II between the United States and Great Britain. As the war escalated, the U.S. shifted from a neutral stance to supporting the Allies, responding to Britain's urgent need for naval support against German aggression. On September 2, 1940, the U.S. agreed to provide Britain with fifty old naval destroyers in exchange for the rights to establish American military bases in eight British territories across the Atlantic and the Caribbean. This arrangement not only aimed to bolster British naval capabilities but also reflected the growing collaboration between the two nations in the face of the Nazi threat.
While the immediate impact of the deal was limited—many destroyers required repairs before being deployed—it symbolized a pivotal moment in U.S.-British relations, marking the beginning of a closer wartime alliance. This agreement laid the groundwork for subsequent actions, such as the Lend-Lease Agreement and the Atlantic Charter, further intertwining the fates of the two countries during the conflict. Ultimately, the Destroyers-for-Bases deal played a crucial role in shaping the strategic landscape of World War II and demonstrated the shifting dynamics of international relations during a time of global crisis.
Destroyers-for-bases deal
The Event The United States traded fifty World War I-vintage naval destroyers to Great Britain in return for valuable basing rights in eight British territories in the Western Hemisphere
Date Signed on September 2, 1940
The destroyers-for-bases deal marked the end of American neutrality in World War II. The destroyers increased the capabilities of the British Royal Navy in escorting and protecting the shipping of supplies from the United States across the Atlantic Ocean. The United States gained valuable military bases in the Western Hemisphere.
At the beginning of World War II, the United States pursued a policy of neutrality in the conflict between Nazi Germany and the West. However, on November 4, 1939, the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration passed the Neutrality Act of 1939, allowing the United States to carry out arms trades with nations at war on a cash-and-carry basis. This legislation favored trade with Great Britain and France in the war in Europe. As a result, German surface raiders attacked and sank British cargo ships transporting war goods from the United States to Britain. Throughout the early stages of the war, German attacks disrupted the vital supply lines to a point where, after the German invasion of France in May, 1940, Prime MinisterWinston Churchill informed Roosevelt of the British need for American assistance in the war effort. He told Roosevelt that the immediate needs of Britain included a loan of forty to fifty old naval destroyers to provide protection for British ships crossing the Atlantic. Roosevelt appreciated Britain’s situation but had to consider American security in the Atlantic first, as well as congressional opposition from isolationists.
After the fall of France in June, 1940, the United States gradually began to support British war efforts. Americans began to view Britain as the first line of defense against the German threat to the Western Hemisphere. Negotiations took place during the height of the Battle of Britain between the Roosevelt administration and British ambassador Lord Lothian in Washington, D.C. The Destroyers-for-Bases Agreement was signed by U.S. secretary of state Cordell Hull and Lord Lothian on September 2, 1940. In the agreement, the United States would provide Britain fifty old naval destroyers in exchange for the rights to build American bases in eight British territories in the western Atlantic and Caribbean region. Moreover, Britain pledged that the British fleet would never surrender to Germany. As a result, the U.S. Navy transferred forty-three destroyers to the British Royal Navy and seven more to the Canadian Royal Navy. The United States gained bases in Antigua, Bermuda, British Guiana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad in the British West Indies, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada.
Impact
The destroyers-for-bases deal had limited immediate impact. Many of the destroyers needed repair before they were considered operational for convoy duty. However, the deal had significant symbolic importance because it signified the start of closer cooperation between the United States and Britain. The destroyers-for-bases deal was one of the first steps that the United States took toward establishing a wartime alliance with Britain. It was followed by the Lend-Lease Agreement in March, 1941, followed by the Atlantic Charter in August and the Arcadia Conference in December.
Bibliography
Heinrichs, Waldo. The Threshold of War: Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Entry into World War II. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Kimball, Warren F. Forged in War: Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Second World War. New York: William Morrow, 1997.
Reynolds, David. The Creation of the Anglo-American Alliance, 1937-1941. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1982.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. From World War to Cold War: Churchill, Roosevelt, and the International History of the 1940’s. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.