A series of acts passed in 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1939 to limit U.S. involvement in possible future wars and that was created in response to the belief that U.S. involvement in World War I resulted from loans and trade with the Allies. The 1935 act banned the shipment of war materials to belligerents and forbade U.S. citizens to travel on belligerent vessels. The 1936 act banned loans to belligerents. The 1937 act extended these provisions to civil wars and allowed the president to restrict nonmunitions sales to a “cash-and-carry” basis. The 1939 act banned U.S. ships from carrying goods or passengers to belligerent ports but allowed U.S. sales of munitions on a “cash-and carry” basis. The Lend-Lease Act of 1941 diminished the laws, and they were repealed on November 13, 1941.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.