The World at War - Part XII - Lend-Lease and the Arsenal of Democracy (Myth20c - Ep306)

Over the course of WWII, the United States, having no territory attacked or taken save a few islands in the Pacific, managed to supply nearly 50% of Britain's food, almost all of its petroleum, and upwards of 40% of various strategic raw materials and food stuffs the Soviet Union needed in their respective fights with Nazi Germany. This program, authorized almost a year before the attacks on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in late 1941, was entitled Lend-Lease, and by the end of the war funneled 90% of its budget of war material towards the European Theatre - despite America not having been attacked by a European power. Roosevelt wanted war with Germany, and he was going to do it with or without the Japanese attack. Tonight, we are joined by returning guest Dark Enlightenment to discuss how America's involvement in WWII decisively tipped the scales in favor of an Allied victory, and how unlikely that feat would be possible again in a future war given our current demographic, governance and industrial deficits.

The World at War Episodes covered in this episode:

7 - "On Our Way: U.S.A. (1939-1942)" - The opposition by factions to the United States of America's entry into the war, Lend Lease, U-boat attacks on Atlantic convoys and American responses, the mobilization of America after Pearl Harbor, the loss of the Philippines, the Doolittle Raid, Midway and Guadalcanal. Interviewees include W. Averell Harriman, George Ball, Norman Corwin, Ken Galbraith, John J. McCloy, Edison Uno, Paul Samuelson
33 - "From War to Peace" - Professor Stephen Ambrose interviewed

-- Brought to you by --

Very special guest Dark Enlightenment

some of Dark's previous appearances on Myth:

- The American Dream - Cities, Promise and Peril - https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2017/07/18/the-american-dream-cities-promise-and-peril/
- Critical Infrastructure - Scale Up, Power Down - https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2018/05/30/critical-infrastructure-scale-up-power-down/
- The Powerbroker - Urban Planning and the Battle for New York City - https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2020/09/24/the-powerbroker-urban-planning-and-the-battle-for-new-york-city/
- Prisoners of Geography - https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2024/09/29/prisoners-of-geography/

with Adam Smith

New: Hard Copies of Exit Strategy now Available! http://www.lulu.com/shop/adam-smith/exit-strategy/paperback/product-24191334.html

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-- References --

- A Bridge Too Far, Attenborough (1977)
- Falling Down, Schumacher (1993)
- Starship Troopers, Verhoeven (1997)
- Ford V Ferrari, Mangold (2019)
- Soldiers of Reason - The RAND Corporation - with Thomas777, Myth of the 20th Century (2024) - https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2024/07/15/soldiers-of-reason-the-rand-corporation-with-thomas777/
- Nuclear Expert Predicts How Launching a Single Nuke Could Wipe Out All of Humanity, Tucker Carlson (2025) - https://tuckercarlson.com/tucker-show-ivana-hughes
- Have Women Ruined Everything? - Interview with Helen Andrews, Meghan Daum (2025) - https://www.theunspeakablepodcast.com/p/have-women-ruined-everything
- The World at War - Part XI - Kamikaze - Unconditional Surrender, Myth of the 20th Century (2025) - https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2025/10/15/the-world-at-war-part-xi-kamikaze-unconditional-surrender-myth20c-ep305/
- Official munitions production of the United States by months, July 1, 1940 - August 31, 1945, Civilian Production Administration - https://www.source-closet.com/source/41
- The Morgenthau Plan Would Have Resulted In the Deaths of 25 Million Germans - https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/morgenthau-plan.html
- Membership of the 118th Congress: A Profile - https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47470
- Ryan McBeth YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/RyanMcBethProgramming
- Buffalo Airways - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Airways
- Lend-Lease - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease