Discover the shocking truth behind America’s entry into World War II with this deep-dive explainer video based on Porter Sargent’s highly controversial 1941 exposé, GETTING US INTO WAR. This definitive analysis reveals the systematic strategies employed by elite networks and foreign interests to shatter American isolationism and mobilize the nation for conflict.
Explore how British Propaganda was orchestrated to manipulate American sentiment, creating widespread public demand for intervention despite strong popular resistance to foreign wars. At the center of this effort was the covert Bureau for anti-Nazi Propaganda in Neutral Countries, directed by the mysterious Sir Robert Vansittart, whose improved technique flooded the nation with emotionally charged information.
The video details the roles of key players who pushed the U.S. “toward war”:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR): Trace Roosevelt’s dramatic shift from his fervent 1936 peace pledges—such as the warning against chasing “fool’s gold”—to implementing policies “short of war”. Learn how FDR utilized manufactured emergencies and war scares (like rumored U-boats off the coast) to garner support and consolidate dictatorial powers.
The Financial Oligarchy: Uncover the motivations of Wall Street’s powerful “economic royalists”, including partners like Thomas W. Lamont of J. P. Morgan & Co., who abandoned their opposition to the New Deal in exchange for the promise of enormous war profits.
British Diplomats and Propagandists: Highlight the pervasive influence of figures like Ambassador Lord Lothian, a product of Lord Milner’s “Kindergarten”, who worked tirelessly to persuade Americans that U.S. resources and manpower were essential to saving the British Empire.
Witness the political battles fought on the home front: the successful push to repeal the arms embargo provisions of the Neutrality Act, the movement toward military conscription, and the massive defense appropriations that funneled billions into preparation. Ultimately, see how the political climate paved the way for the massive transfer of executive authority under the Lend-Lease Bill.
This explainer video is essential viewing for anyone seeking to understand the complex economic and political forces—rather than simple idealism—that drove America down the path to war. Learn how the nation risked embracing its own form of totalitarianism in the process of confronting external threats.
