abb, this is extraordinary -- I didn't know how serious, if that's the right word, Roosevelt was in 1939 about remaining, or at least appearing to remain, neutral. Or is this just the US State Department doing its own "thang"?
Do you know if there was something real behind these words, or was it more-or-less just for show?
http://www.indiana.edu/~league/1939.htm
December 1, 1939
British Warning to Neutral Shipping
The British government advised neutral shippers to obtain a “navicert,” a certificate from British consular officials. These certificates permitted neutral cargo ships to pass through Royal Navy and allied patrols. The Italian, Dutch, Belgian, and Japanese governments issued formal protests against the British government for these blockade measures.
December 8, 1939
U.S. Protest of British Cargo Seizure
The Roosevelt administration sent a diplomatic note protesting the British policy of seizing German goods on neutral (especially, U.S.) ships. A similar policy in World War I led to tensions between the British and American governments.
http://www.indiana.edu/~league/1939.htm
December 14, 1939
U.S. Challenge to the British Blockade
The U.S. government challenged the Royal Navy blockade plan whereby neutral ships were diverted to British and French control bases for inspection for contraband. This practice violated the “freedom of the seas,” an important theme in U.S. foreign policy since the early 19th century.
December 27, 1939
U.S. Protest of British Mail Censorship
The Roosevelt administration protested the British government’s censorship of neutral mail while searching for contraband. The Wilson administration, in World War I, protested the same British practice.