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The [[Soviet Union]], locked in a struggle with the invading German [[Wehrmacht]] greatly benefited from the US war materials; they were delivered via Arctic seaports of Archangel and Murmansk, over land across Persia (Iran), and via Vladivostok. While Soviets historians downplayed the importance of the aid, recent scholarship has discovered how essential it was to the Soviet war effort.

The [[Soviet Union]], locked in a struggle with the invading German [[Wehrmacht]] greatly benefited from the US war materials; they were delivered via Arctic seaports of Archangel and Murmansk, over land across Persia (Iran), and via Vladivostok. While Soviets historians downplayed the importance of the aid, recent scholarship has discovered how essential it was to the Soviet war effort.

===China===

===China===

Shortly before [[Pearl Harbor]], Hopkins took on President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]'s adviser [[Lauchlin Currie]] as deputy for Lend-Lease aid to the  Chinese [[KMT]]. The hope was that Lend-Lease aid would enable the Chinese to tie down large Japanese armies.  

Shortly before [[Pearl Harbor]], Hopkins took on President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]'s adviser [[Lauchlin Currie]] as deputy for Lend-Lease aid to the  Chinese [[KMT]]. The hope was that Lend-Lease aid would enable the Chinese to tie down large Japanese armies. Some 5000 Studebaker 2.5 tons were used to transport supplies along the [[Burma Road]] into China from India.

==Termination==

==Termination==

As a war measure, Lend-Lease was terminated by President [[Harry S. Truman]] in September 1945. Termination was hasty and unexpected and severely upset the Soviet Union and Britain; however the U.S. had also started up an entirely separate program of postwar relief and loans. Thus the U.S. loaned France $500 million in 1945 and Britain $3.75 billion at 2% interest, three years before the [[Marshall Plan]] aid started.  Truman ignored Stalin's request for a $6 billion loan.

As a war measure, Lend-Lease was terminated by President [[Harry S. Truman]] in September 1945. Termination was hasty and unexpected and severely upset the Soviet Union and Britain; however the U.S. had also started up an entirely separate program of postwar relief and loans. Thus the U.S. loaned France $500 million in 1945 and Britain $3.75 billion at 2% interest, three years before the [[Marshall Plan]] aid started.  Truman ignored Stalin's request for a $6 billion loan.

No repayment was required of aid given during the war. Originally ships were to be returned to the U.S., but in practice the U.S. had a huge surplus of ships and did not ask for them to be returned. Supplies that were en-route when the program ended were sold to the Allies on favorable terms at low prices and long-term loans.

No repayment was required of aid given during the war. Originally ships were to be returned to the U.S., but in practice the U.S. had a huge surplus of ships and did not ask for them to be returned. Supplies that were en-route when the program ended were sold to the Allies on favorable terms at low prices and long-term loans.

[[Image:Studebaker.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Thousands of Studebaker trucks went to the Soviet Union]]

[[Image:Studebaker.jpg|thumb|300px|left|Thousands of Studebaker 2.5 ton trucks went to the Soviet Union; another 5000 of these went to China]]

==Historiography==

==Historiography==

Gaddis Smith, A. J. P Taylor, Warren Kimball, and David Reynolds have speculated at length on Roosevelt's motives in the lend-lease matter. British historian Taylor implies that the U.S. intended from the first to use Britain's predicament to drain it of gold and dollars, weaken its overseas financial position, and undermine its capacity to compete with the United States in the  

Gaddis Smith, A. J. P Taylor, Warren Kimball, and David Reynolds have speculated at length on Roosevelt's motives in the lend-lease matter. British historian Taylor implies that the U.S. intended from the first to use Britain's predicament to drain it of gold and dollars, weaken its overseas financial position, and undermine its capacity to compete with the United States in the  

markets of the world. Others argue that, while Britain's replacement by the United States as the dominant economic power in the world was a result of lend-lease, it was not a cause. The president concluded that the European members of the Axis alliance were bent on world domination and that, after the fall of France, Hitler posed a direct threat to the Western Hemisphere. Quite aside from a natural sympathy for Britain and a desire to see it survive, Roosevelt, Secretary of State [[Cordell Hull]], Secretary of the Treasury [[Henry Morgenthau]], Secretary of War [[Henry Stimson]], and FDR advisor [[Harry Hopkins]] company saw Britain in early 1941 as America's first line of defense. These historians admit that Morgenthau forced the sale of American Viscose Corporation, a subsidiary of the British textile combine, Courtalds, at approximately half its  

markets of the world. Others argue that, while Britain's replacement by the United States as the dominant economic power in the world was a result of lend-lease, it was not a cause. The president concluded that the European members of the Axis alliance were bent on world domination and that, after the fall of France, Hitler posed a direct threat to the Western Hemisphere. Quite aside from a natural sympathy for Britain and a desire to see it survive, Roosevelt, Secretary of State [[Cordell Hull]], Secretary of the Treasury [[Henry Morgenthau]], Secretary of War [[Henry Stimson]], and FDR advisor [[Harry Hopkins]] company saw Britain in early 1941 as America's first line of defense. These historians admit that Morgenthau forced the sale of American Viscose Corporation, a subsidiary of the British textile combine, Courtalds, at approximately half its  

market value of $56 million, but point out that this was trivial compared to the reduction of British holdings the U.S. could have demanded. Morgenthau believed that Congress would never agree to the unprecedented subsidy that lend-lease involved unless the administration could neutralize widely held notions of British opulence by demonstrating that the Exchequer was out of dollars and gold. These latter scholars tend to neglect an important point, however.<ref> Woods (1990) pp 9-10.</ref>

market value of $56 million, but point out that this was trivial compared to the reduction of British holdings the U.S. could have demanded. Morgenthau believed that Congress would never agree to the unprecedented subsidy that lend-lease involved unless the administration could neutralize widely held notions of British opulence by demonstrating that the Exchequer was out of dollars and gold. These latter scholars tend to neglect an important point, however.<ref> Woods (1990) pp 9-10.</ref>

 

== Bibliography ==

== Bibliography ==

* Allen, R. G. D. "Mutual Aid Between the U.S. and The British Empire, 1941-45" ''Journal of the Royal Statistical Society'' Vol. 109, No. 3 (1946), pp. 243-277. detailed statistical report; [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0952-8385%281946%29109%3A3%3C243%3AMABTUA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S on JSTOR]

* Allen, R. G. D. "Mutual Aid Between the U.S. and The British Empire, 1941-45" ''Journal of the Royal Statistical Society'' Vol. 109, No. 3 (1946), pp. 243-277. detailed statistical report; [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0952-8385%281946%29109%3A3%3C243%3AMABTUA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-S on JSTOR]

* Woods, Randall Bennett. ''A Changing of the Guard: Anglo-American Relations, 1941-1946'' (1990) [http://www.questia.com/read/51917949 online edition]

* Woods, Randall Bennett. ''A Changing of the Guard: Anglo-American Relations, 1941-1946'' (1990) [http://www.questia.com/read/51917949 online edition]

*  Weeks, Albert Loren. ''Russia's Life-Saver: Lend-Lease Aid to the U.S.S.R. in World War II'' (2004) [http://books.google.com/books?id=z3hP33KprskC&dq=intitle:lend+intitle:lease&num=30&as_brr=0 excerpt and text search] </small>  

*  Weeks, Albert Loren. ''Russia's Life-Saver: Lend-Lease Aid to the U.S.S.R. in World War II'' (2004) [http://books.google.com/books?id=z3hP33KprskC&dq=intitle:lend+intitle:lease&num=30&as_brr=0 excerpt and text search] </small>  

====Notes====

====Notes====

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