Even historian Steven Ambrose said, on tape, that America drove a "very hard bargain" regard any aid sent.
Not only did Roosevelt hold back the best equipment, he forced Britain to give up key bases and territories throughout the world.
When this final loan to GB occurred, it was against the background of the FBI and MI6 hunt for "Homer" the Soviet mole inside the British FO. The loan was negotiated in part by Donald Maclean, who ironically, was "Homer".
I believe that was one of the master-strokes of the US pre-WWII era by FDR. He as able to quietly and efficently dismantle the British Empire via economic hardball, while destroying the Nazi attempt at empire. Churchill had his delusion that the Imperial Empire could be maintained, however FDR's actions ensured that post-WWII that particular pipe-dream would vanish. Congrats to the hard-nosed FDR on that score.
FDR's big mistake was letting the Soviet empire get too big, too fast - but he was quite ill at Yalta and his State Department was filled with communist sympathisers and agents. Thank God he changed Vice-Presidents running for his fourth term...
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