By successfully leading the british people in the struggle against fascist Germany, Churchill at this time established a high prestige in the eyes of the military and civilians of the whole country.
In view of the possibility of an immediate German invasion after the air battle, Churchill tried to explain to President Roosevelt in several telegrams that once England was defeated, if a Gislin-like government appeared to hand over the British fleet in exchange for leniency from Germany, then Hitler would become the hegemon of Europe and would control all the shipyards and navies in Europe, which would be extremely dangerous for the United States.
It would be terrible for the Americans to sit back and watch the tiger fight, thinking that they could still pick up the remnants of the British fleet if they insisted on isolationism. Churchill's claim is extremely persuasive to senior American officials and even isolationists, because the possibility of such danger is obvious.
On 3 August 1940, Churchill sent a telegram to the British ambassador to Washington, Marquis Loseen, saying, "It is possible to cede some of the bases owned by England to the United States, but we would rather lease them indefinitely than sell them." ”
The United States was ready to agree to Britain's exchange of bases for destroyers, but at the same time demanded that Britain assure that once the United States entered the war, Britain would have to sail the British fleet or its remnants to the United States in case of defeat, otherwise it would be extremely difficult to gain the support of American public opinion, which was a prerequisite for Congress's consent.
On 6 August, Roosevelt sent a message through the Marquis of Losine that he wanted assurances that if Britain was occupied, the British fleet would continue to fight for the Empire overseas and would never surrender or sink. This assurance will be the most convincing to the United States Congress.
On August 15, Churchill said in a telegram to Roosevelt:
We will fight to the end with the fleet, and none of us will use the surrender or sinking of the fleet. Buy peace. When you quote the assurances that I have mentioned repeatedly, remember that if it gives the impression that the British Isles and their naval bases will be easily conquered, then I think that view is harmful.
On 16 July, Roosevelt revealed at a press conference that he had consulted with the British government on the acquisition of naval and air bases. Roosevelt went to great lengths to show that it was advantageous for the United States to exchange a few obsolete destroyers for unlimited security in times of crisis.
On 5 September, Churchill formally informed the House of Commons of the matter in careful terms and "obtained their acquiescence — in effect, unanimous consent" .
The 50 destroyers were soon handed over to the British Navy, which allowed the British Navy to survive the short period of ships with great success before the new ships in the British wartime plan were delivered.
On November 6, when the news of Roosevelt's third presidency came, Churchill was deeply grateful and immediately called to congratulate him.
On the third day after his re-election, Roosevelt publicly announced that arms products would be distributed "in the same way as actual experience", that is, roughly half of them would be distributed to the United States army and the other half to the British and Canadian troops.
The Priority Distribution of Wartime Supplies in the United States agreed to supply aircraft in addition to aircraft already ordered by Britain. The headache for Churchill was how the money would be paid.
On September 27, Germany, Italy and Japan signed the Trilateral Treaty in Berlin. This change in the international situation indicates that war and conflict may no longer be confined to the original regional scope.
On December 30, Roosevelt delivered his famous "Fireside Talk."
He noted:
Danger is at hand, and we must guard against it. But we know that we can't climb into bed and use the method of being blindfolded to escape danger... If Great Britain collapses, all of us throughout america will be living under the muzzle of the gun, with a chamber full of bullets that are on the verge of firing, both economic and military. We must do everything in our power to produce weapons and ships for the human and material resources at our disposal.
Finally, he makes a well-known statement that has been widely recited:
We must become the arsenal of democracies.
In order to get a clearer picture of the British war situation and to exchange views with Churchill, in early January 1941, Roosevelt sent Hopkins to fly to London as his personal representative. Hopkins developed an intimate relationship with Churchill and was impressed by him.
Hopkins stayed in Britain for much longer than scheduled, and he didn't return to the U.S. until mid-February. When the U.S. Senate finally passed the Lend-Lease Act by 60 votes to 31 on March 8, Roosevelt designated Hopkins as the head of aid to Britain.
After Halifax took office in Washington in January 1941, the United States also sent John Wynant as British ambassador in February, ending the vacancy of the post for nearly two months, and since then the relationship between Britain and the United States has entered a new and closer phase.
The formation of this situation is inseparable from Churchill's profound vision as a statesman and the ingenious skill of a diplomat, through many unremitting efforts.
Because the Lend-Lease Act played an incalculable role in supporting Britain in the war against German fascism, Churchill later called President Roosevelt's victory the "third turning point" of world war II.
Although the United States provided support, it was not in a hurry to enter the war. British leaders fear a tragic end before the United States can resolutely fight alongside Britain. Therefore, he believes that the use of the struggle between the Soviet Union and Germany is of special importance.
Thus Churchill tried to pull the Soviet Union to his side. In the summer of 1940, he appointed Labour leader Klips as ambassador to the Soviet Union, ordered him to work hard to improve Anglo-Soviet relations, and persuaded the Soviet Union to enter into the war against Germany, which Churchill needed to go to war with the Soviet Union, because only in this way could the Soviet Union be an ally.
In the spring of 1941, Hitler sent Rudolf Hess to visit Britain. Hess was captured by the British after parachuting from a plane he flew, and British representatives held secret negotiations with Hess. Hess suggested that Indnou make a peace treaty against the Soviet Union, and suggested that Churchill leave his post and that pro-fascist elements form a government.
Churchill certainly would not accept Hess's suggestions, but instead of explicitly rejecting them, he remained silent. This attitude led to doubts in the public opinion circles about the government's position on Germany, but Churchill did nothing to dispel this doubt.
Churchill was suggesting that the Germans could get some kind of British support when they attacked the Soviet Union, thus pushing Hitler to take the risk of attacking the Soviet Union.
If Hitler did take the plunge, he would give a resolute response. Hess was the bait that Hitler threw to Churchill, and Churchill wanted Hitler to swallow it himself. Hitler and the other German leaders were adamantly opposed to fighting on both the East and the West, and The British attitude left them with no worries.
In the 1930s, Hitler fooled the British Prime Minister and other state activists more than once, especially Chamberlain. This time, Churchill fooled Hitler and brought him devastating consequences.
At 4 a.m. on June 22, 1941, the British Foreign Office received news of a German attack on the Soviet Union. Churchill had sternly ordered his staff not to wake him up before 8 o'clock unless it was a German attack on Britain.
It was at 8 o'clock that the staff woke up Churchill and reported to him the German attack on the Soviet Union. Chur was very excited because it was the best news he had received since he became prime minister.
The BBC broadcast Churchill's speech at 9 o'clock, saying:
We want to give all possible assistance to Russia and the Russians. The catastrophe in Russia is our calamity.
At this moment, Churchill showed the demeanor of a great statesman.
On 12 July 1941, Britain and the Soviet Union signed the Agreement on Joint Action in the War against Germany, and Britain was ready to provide military assistance to the Soviet Union.
In August, Churchill and Roosevelt met on a warship in the Atlantic, their first meeting. During this meeting, the two sides drew up the Atlantic Charter and decided to jointly assist the Soviet Union and provide weapons and strategic materials to the Soviet Union. The two sides also declared that Britain and the United States were committed to a just and democratic world after their victory over Germany and its vassal states.
In September, the Anglo-American Supply Conference was held in London. Britain agreed to transfer to the Soviet Union various military supplies intended for British supply.
Churchill wanted the United States to enter the war as soon as possible. In the Far East, Japan-U.S. relations are increasingly tense. Japan had allied itself with Germany, and the japan-U.S. conflict would eventually lead to war between Germany and Germany. So Churchill did everything possible to get the U.S. government to be tough on Japan, but Roosevelt remained unanswered.
On December 7, 1941, the pearl harbor that shocked the world broke out. The Japanese Navy dispatched six aircraft carriers, carrying more than 400 aircraft, to launch a ferocious surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, a naval base in Honolulu, USA.
The strike left 18 warships of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet sunk or severely damaged, 188 aircraft blown up and 159 badly damaged; 2,403 U.S. Navy officers and men were killed and 2,233 missing and wounded.
Fortunately, the aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were not in port at that time, and the bombing by Japanese aircraft missed the oil depots and submarine depots in the Navy's docks, otherwise the U.S. Navy's losses would have been even worse.
Churchill was spending the weekend at Chequers on the day of Pearl Harbor, and he heard the news that surprised him and everyone else from the small radio he carried with him, and Churchill immediately dialed President Roosevelt's phone and got the most authoritative confirmation of the news.
He was very excited about this, because the entry of the United States into the war, which he had tried so hard to promote for a long time, was now facilitated by the Japanese on his behalf.
On December 14, Churchill braved the fierce winds and the danger of encountering German submarines to arrive in Washington after a long eight-day voyage, where he was warmly welcomed by President Roosevelt.
The leaders of Britain and the United States held informal but cordial and friendly talks, and the personnel of the two sides jointly held a plenary meeting code-named "Arcadia" and carried out fruitful work.
The meeting decided to establish a Committee of Joint Chiefs of Staff, based in Washington; it confirmed that the main enemy of the war was Hitler's Germany, and considered the Pacific War against Japanese aggression to be an important part of this world war.
In order to facilitate joint operations and unified command, the meeting decided to establish abda in the Pacific Theater, that is, the United States, Britain, the Netherlands and Australia Joint Command, and according to President Roosevelt, General Wavell of the United Kingdom would be the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces.
One of the most important elements of Churchill's talks with Roosevelt was the establishment of a worldwide grand coalition against fascism. After a large number of telegrams, preparations for the establishment of the world organization initiated by 26 countries were basically ready, and President Roosevelt proposed the replacement of the original proposed "Allied Countries" with "United Nations" as the official name of this world organization, which Churchill endorsed.
On January 1, 1942, Roosevelt went to Churchill's room, and the two finalized the draft United Nations Declaration. Subsequently, in the presidential study, Roosevelt, Churchill, Levinov and Soong Ziwen signed this solemn and historic document on behalf of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and China respectively.
The signing of the United Nations Declaration marked the establishment of a worldwide anti-fascist united front. The foundation for crushing the illusions of Nazi and Japanese militarism dominating the world and achieving the final victory in the Second World War laid a solid foundation.