A new stage was reached in the American attitude towards the war by the beginning of 1941, this being the third stage since the war began. To understand the difference between these various stages it must first be remembered that the Constitution gives the Executive branch of the Government, that is to say ithe President, certain definite powers over, foreign policy, while Congress also was aletted certain powers.
When the war broke out, Congress and the President both carried out a policy of complete neutrality. The President, using his Constitutional and independent authority, Facted in exactly the same way as the Pre-S=sident performing his function as the agent of Congress. This stage lasted for about six months, The second stage began during the German attack on France. In fact, the precise date can be given, June 10, the day on which the President declared that America hoped for a victory of the Democracies and would give all the material aid saxossible to those who were fighting aggression. The President could say this on his own authority, but nothing he said could change the policy of Congress. Thus, for the remainder of the year, one had the President as his own master advocating one course of action while compelled, as the servant of Congress, to carry out an entirely different course of action, The Neutrality Act remained on the statute books and the President had to enforce its provisions. But this did not interfere with his use of his own. independent authority in an unneutral manner. Congress, by statute, was impartial; the President was on the side of Hapland and her Allies.
riĉan assistance could obviously not be particularly effective, while the two branches of the government were acting at cross-purposes. When the new session of Congress met, therefore, on January 3, the task was begun of swinging it into line with the President. In the first and the last stages of American war policy the two branches of the Government were i pu a common purpose. Only in the intermefliate period were their objectives diffe t. That common purpose,. however, duning the first period was to remain neutral and during the second period it was to check the Axis and to aid the Allies.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.