When war broke out in Europe in September 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that though the US would remain neutral in law, he couldn't "expect every American to stay neutral in thought." Roosevelt himself made substantial efforts to assist nations fighting Nazi Germany, and he intended to lend a helping hand to those countries that lacked the materials they needed to fight the Germans. The United Kingdom, in particular, was in severe need of assistance because it lacked the hard cash needed to pay for military supplies, food, and raw materials from the United States.
