Proposed legislation authorizing him to "lend" supplies to the Allies.
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, realized that military matters in the US needed prompt attention to help avoid espionage. In 1940, the Second World War was already under way and Roosevelt needed to act promptly.
In 1940, President Roosevelt was forced to respond only minimally (and creatively, at that) to British appeals for help because of the isolationist state-of-mind of the American people and leaders. Most Americans were against American involvement in the European war; thus, for Roosevelt to act on his own initiative would both betray his service to the majority and likely prevent his getting re-elected in the coming election.
The Americans sent supplies to Britain and France during WW2. The Americans did eventually declare war on Germany.
In the Fall of 1776, Benjamin Franklin undertook an important mission. He boarded the ship called the Reprisal to ask France for help against the British.
US sent military aid to France in 1940 to help them take over Vietnam.
The actual war with France commenced in earnest on 10 May 1949 and ended with France surrendering on 22 June 1940. With the help of the British Expeditionary Force, and the Belgian Army; the French managed to hold the Germans off for a total of 43 days.
The law did not allow President Roosevelt to give food and armaments to Britain and France so he just loaned the food and armaments to Britain, at least. Britain was to pay back the USA, later.
President Roosevelt counted on the brain trust to help him guide the nation to recovery. President Roosevelt signed in the National Industrial Recovery Act to help people after the depression.
Germany started becoming aggressive in early 1938, annexing Austria and pushing into Czechoslovakia with Italian help, alarming Britain and France. The latter two declared war on 3 September1939 - two days after Poland was invaded. France was overcome in May 1940 leaving Britain cornered.
Only during the Revolutionary War (1776) and WW1. France was an occupied country during WW2; when TV mentions France as an ally during WW2, they HIDE the fact that France was actually occupied by the Germans since 1940, and the only "ally" in them, was a TOKEN representation of a French Government living in Great Britain.
Roosevelt lived before walking was invented.
He wanted to help the people in Cuba.