PREVIEW:: This source details President Franklin D. Roosevelt's covert strategy to maneuver the United States into supporting Great Britain despite strong domestic anti-war resistance, and the ideolo

PREVIEW::  This source details President Franklin D. Roosevelt's covert strategy to maneuver the United States into supporting Great Britain despite strong domestic anti-war resistance, and the ideological clash this caused with Charles Lindbergh. America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War Hardcover – September 24, 2024 by  H. W. Brands  (Author)  1941 Roosevelt's Covert Strategy: Roosevelt was highly committed to Churchill and intended to bring the U.S. in on the British side. Since he could not openly support intervention due to resistance from Lindbergh, Congress, and the anti-war movement, Roosevelt utilized a highly confidential strategy. He managed an influence-peddling operation designed to prepare the American people for war against the "Hitlerites in Europe" and the "Imperial Japanese Navy and Army in the Pacific." Roosevelt maintained secret correspondence with Churchill; the American public was unaware that Rooseveltwas planning with Churchill on how they would fight together should war occur. Roosevelt had morally sided with the British but told Churchill it would take time to bring the American people around politically. He brought in covert operators from Great Britain. The administration gave its covert blessing to a large-scale British propaganda effort directed by William Stephenson in America. Stephenson's goal was explicitly to move American public opinion to the side of Britain. Stephenson's crew, channeled to Roosevelt via William Donovan, employed standard propaganda techniques, such as planting unacknowledged stories and arranging for rumors to appear and be confirmed by other rumors. The source highlights the hypocrisy of the administration engaging in this manipulation while simultaneously "complaining bitterly against the Germans for attempting to do the very same thing." Ideological Conflict: Imperialism vs. Democracy: Roosevelt recognized that the interests of Britain were "not identical to the interests of the United States." Roosevelt's public rationale for aiding Britain was that the U.S. would be "aiding democracy." Lindbergh "calls him out on this," arguing that aiding Britain meant "aiding imperialism." Lindbergh questioned whether Americans should fight to defend the British Empire, asking if American soldiers would go to "defend British rule in India." Churchill is characterized as the "most unreconstructed of British imperialists" who was determined to defend the British Empire, a goal Roosevelt had no desire to pursue.