17.1 Mobilizing for Defense

How did the U.S. get involved and join the war effort?

Plans for War

• In August 1941, FDR met secretly with Churchill; he did not commit the U.S. to war, but he and Churchill did sign the Atlantic Charter , a statement of goals for fighting WWII

• Later, 26 nations signed a similar agreement; these nations were known as the Allies, united in fighting Germany, Italy, and Japan

Continued

• In Sept. of 1941, a German U-boat fired on an American merchant ship; FDR then ordered the Navy to fire upon German ships, and U-boats responded by sinking several American ships

• The Senate finally allowed the arming of merchant ships

Japan Attacks the U.S.

• In Japan, expansionists had long dreamed of creating a huge empire; it began by seizing Asian territory held as colonies by European nations

• When Japan invaded Indochina, the U.S. cut off trade with Japan

• Japan needed American oil to function• The new prime minister of Japan was a militant

general named Hideki Tojo• He started peace talks with the U.S. while still

preparing for war

Continued

• The U.S. broke Japan’s secret communications code and knew Japan was preparing for a military strike but did not know details

• On December 7, 1941, during the peace talks, Japan attacked the main U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii

• The Japanese crippled the U.S. Pacific fleet in one blow

• Over 2400 people were killed

Continued

• FDR did not want to fight a war on two fronts; he had expected fighting in Europe, not Asia

• On December 8, he addressed Congress asking for a declaration of war against Japan

• They agreed, and caused Germany and Italy to declare war on the U.S.

Americans Join the War Effort

• The Japanese expected Americans to react with fear and despair; instead, they reacted with rage

• “Remember Pearl Harbor” became a rallying cry; five million men volunteered for military service

• Another ten million were drafted• New soldiers received eight weeks of

basic training and known as “GIs”

Continued

• To free more men for combat, the Army Chief of Staff George Marshall suggested using women for noncombat military tasks

• Congress created the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) in 1942; about 25,000 women served in the military

• Minority service was segregated, and African Americans did not even see combat until the last year of the war

A Production Miracle

• The nation’s factories quickly switched to war production

• About 18 million workers kept these war industries going; 6 million new workers were women paid at 60 % as much as men

• A. Phillip Randolph, an African American labor leader, got FDR to issue an executive order to end discrimination in defense industries

Continued

• The government hired scientists to develop new weapons and medicines, such as radar, sonar, and penicillin

• The government also set up the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb

• The Office of Price Administration (OPA) fought inflation by freezing prices on most goods

• Taxes were raised, and the War Production Board (WPB) decided who would make war materials

• Rationing was set up using coupons for scarce items and bought war bonds to support the war effort