At a time when the German army is in front of Moscow, a decision is made in Washington that changes the scale of American aid to the Soviet Union. On October 30, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sends Joseph Stalin a proposal for supplies worth up to $1 billion under the Lend-Lease Act.
Roosevelt indicates that all agreed military materials and ammunition have been approved, and deliveries must begin immediately. In his letter, he insists that they be carried out "in the largest possible quantities". This was not just a political gesture, but a specific financial mechanism that would allow the USSR to receive American weapons and raw materials without paying immediately.
What Washington is proposing
The proposal was made after the Moscow Conference on the Supply of the USSR, which took place between September 29 and October 1, 1941. It was attended by representatives of the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. The quantities of weapons, aircraft, tanks, ammunition, fuel, food and industrial materials that the Allies could provide to the Red Army were discussed.
Roosevelt proposed that the Soviet government's obligation be interest-free. Payments should begin five years after the end of the war and be made over the next decade. The American president proposed that part of the payment be made in raw materials and goods that the United States needed.
This wording is important because on October 30, there was still no question of a final loan agreement. Roosevelt proposed the immediate release of supplies and a credit limit, and Joseph Stalin accepted the terms in a response dated November 4, 1941. Stalin described the decision as “extremely significant assistance“ in the fight against Nazi Germany.
From credit to full-scale military aid
On November 7, 1941, Roosevelt took the next formal step. He declared that the defense of the Soviet Union was vital to the defense of the United States and ordered the immediate transfer of military materials under the “Lend-Lease” law. Thus, Moscow now received not only credited supplies, but also the official status of a country whose resistance was directly related to American security.
The Lend-Lease Act was passed by the US Congress on March 11, 1941. It allowed the president to provide weapons and other materials to countries whose defense was determined to be vital to the United States. Initially, the program was aimed primarily at Great Britain, but after the German attack on the USSR in June 1941, its scope gradually expanded.
Aid to the Soviet Union included airplanes, tanks, trucks, locomotives, radios, fuel, metals, food, and medical supplies. Supplies passed through dangerous sea convoys to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, across the Pacific Ocean to Vladivostok, and along the so-called Persian Corridor through Iran.
A Billion That Sets the Stage
The first billion dollars was just the beginning. By the end of World War II, the total value of American aid to the USSR under Lend-Lease had reached approximately $11 billion. In American documents, this amount is described as the second largest aid provided to a single country after Britain.
The decision of October 30, 1941, is remembered not only for its size. It shows how, in the midst of the battle for Moscow, Washington transformed political rapprochement with Stalin into material support that reached the Soviet front by sea, air, and rail. One signature set the stage for a flow of supplies measured not only in dollars, but also in trucks, fuel, food, and time to resist.
Sources: history.com