"At first the [Lend-Lease] proponents sought to create a fear psychology by testifying that Britain was about to fall and the United States would be invaded forthwith unless the bill were passed. This device fell flat when the opposition showed that the invasion of a prepared America was hysterical nonsense.
The the tactics were reversed. Advocates of the bill declared that Britain will win and that passage of the bill was all that stood in the way of crushing Hitler. But sober minds pointed out the crushing Hitler meant a new AEF and Americans began to wonder whether the bill meant war.
This week we got the answer. In the first few days of Senate debate, the chief spokesmen for the bill have admitted that they are ready to go to war. The hypocritical pretense that the bill would keep us out of war has been dropped. . .
We are not in this war. We are not in this war because the people do not want it, because this is still a democracy, and no group of politicians and propagandists can disregard the repeatedly expressed determination of the overwhelming majority of the people to stay out of war. . .
Never in our history has there been a piece of legislation so dangerous to our peace, our freedom and our independence. . .
If the people understood the true meaning of this bill, and understanding, make their opposition heard in Washington, they can save themselves from the supreme folly of war abroad. . .
In this fight we are following the precepts of George Washington whose birthday celebration today has greater meaning for us than ever before. But the fight to stay out of war is also twentieth century common sense. It is the fight to continue building what the founding fathers envisioned for the thirteen states. It is the fight to make our forty-eight states the world's last line of defense against total and prolonged chaos."
- Press release sent on George Washington's Birthday by acting National Chairman, Robert Wood, February 22, 1941