What are lend-lease payments?

Answer 1

During the mid-1930s, with it becoming clear that war was coming soon to Europe, the US Congress passed a series of laws aimed at keeping the US out of war. These "Neutrality Acts" disallowed the US from getting involved- it even made it illegal to sell weapons and ammunition to anybody involved in a war.

Fast forward to 1941. Nazi Germany has overrun much of Europe. France has been defeated and occupied. President Roosevelt, despite the Neutrality Acts, wanted to help the British. So he was able to get a new law passed, which is nicknamed the "Lend-Lease Act". This law got around the Neutrality Acts by not selling weapons. Instead, the guns, tanks, ships, planes, etc were given to countries on the Allied side- mainly Britain and the Soviet Union- and those countries were supposed to give them back after the war was over. They were also supposed to make lease payments, just like if you rent a car or an apartment.

However, the reality is that the US was more interested in winning the war than collecting the payments or equipment. After the war, a lot of the debts were ignored or heavily discounted, and those other countries often were allowed to keep most of the equipment they were given under the Act.