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Why Didn’t America Join the War Sooner?
PearlHarbor.org ^ | 2017

Posted on 04/15/2026 7:55:52 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

It often seems that modern day American leaders and many of the American people are eager to intervene in conflicts…Over 75 years ago, the exact opposite could be said.

With Europe locked in battle, President Franklin D. Roosevelt supported the idea of America going to war, giving Great Britain the backing it needed, but FDR faced his own struggles. The United States didn’t want to intervene.

During an emergency cabinet meeting called by Roosevelt immediately after the war erupted in Europe, it was agreed that the United States would remain an outside influence unless directly threatened or attacked…

The United States was still getting over the turmoil of World War I. The general public was not ready to join another war, opting for neutrality. A poll taken in 1939, after the outbreak of war, showed 94% as being against going to war.

Even if the United States had wanted to enter the war, its military force was simply not ready.

Facing off against millions of Germans, the American military was only about 100,000 strong without a draft. To enter the European crisis would likely mean a complete decimation of America’s forces.

Beyond a lack of force, the United States military was generally behind on weaponry, with much of it dating back to the First World War. The current force wasn’t ready for war against the better-trained Germans. Even if the numbers were there, the preparedness was not.

The war in Europe didn’t seem to pose any threat to the American economy and joining it only served to threaten its stability… the US was actually benefiting from the conflict, manufacturing military equipment and vehicles for the Allied forces…

Then it all changed…

(Excerpt) Read more at pearlharbor.org ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: agitprop; fdr; pearlharbor; secondworldwar; worldwar2; ww2
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To: dfwgator
"We were lucky not to lose Italy and France to the Communists after WWII."

Looking forward to today, were we really that lucky?

61 posted on 04/15/2026 11:20:38 AM PDT by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
Why Didn’t America Join the War Sooner?

America First Committee


62 posted on 04/15/2026 11:22:27 AM PDT by tlozo (“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump)
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To: mass55th
In the end, that's one of the reasons why Russia ended up signing the non-aggression treaty with Germany.

The treaty that also divided Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania into spheres of influence between the two totalitarian states.

63 posted on 04/15/2026 11:25:55 AM PDT by tlozo (“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump)
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To: mass55th
Yeah, Hitler was a great guy wasn't he? He was scared xxxxxxxx that the U.S. would enter the war.

Your knowledge of history is as poor as your language. Germany declared war on the U.S. immediately after we declared war on Japan. Far from being scared, they clearly were looking for an excuse to fight us directly since we were supplying their enemies. It was only after they declared war on us that we declared war on them.

64 posted on 04/15/2026 11:33:38 AM PDT by Ronaldus Magnus
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To: Ronaldus Magnus
"Your knowledge of history is as poor as your language."

Your knowledge of history is as poor as your brain. Prior to Hitler invading Poland, Hitler believed that France and Britain would do nothing to stop him, since they gave him Czechoslovakia so easily, but he was fearful of doing anything that would cause the U.S. to enter the war.

Germany declared war on the U.S. in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. FDR then declared war on Germany.

65 posted on 04/15/2026 11:42:40 AM PDT by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Americans wanted nothing to do with Europe’s wars.


66 posted on 04/15/2026 11:49:45 AM PDT by Seruzawa ("The political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence." -Marx the Smarter (Groucho.))
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
Why Didn’t America Join the War Sooner?

Because no vital interests were involved.

Japan attacked the US on 12/7/41, implicating vital US interests in the Pacific. Four days later, Germany declared war on the United States, if they had not done so, I'm not sure when or if the US would have intervened in a European problem, especially with the (then) spectacular success of German arms in the USSR.

67 posted on 04/15/2026 11:51:58 AM PDT by Jim Noble (Assez de mensonges et des phrases)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

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68 posted on 04/15/2026 11:52:10 AM PDT by Dick Bachert
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Condi pits conservative interventionists against non-interventionists with the apparent purpose of driving another wedge into conservatism in order to destroy it.

How big are those Soros checks, Condi?


69 posted on 04/15/2026 2:57:48 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie (Groypers: “Low IQ” - PDJT)
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To: PermaRag

“Then FDR allowed/encouraged Pearl Harbor to happen”

This ridiculous lie again. I have no love for FDR but this is disgusting.


70 posted on 04/16/2026 3:30:14 AM PDT by rxh4n1
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

We faked the moon landing and trapped the Japanese into Pearl Harbor. So that FDR could enter WW2. This kind of bs is all over X-Twitter.


71 posted on 04/16/2026 3:48:05 AM PDT by dennisw (Qatarlson the Insufferable blowhard ////////////////////////// There is no limit to human stupidity.)
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