Roosevelt on the stump — "your boys"
In the autumn of 1940, seeks an unprecedented third presidential term against Republican . The war dominates the campaign. Roosevelt has already committed the United States to growing aid to Britain (destroyers-for-bases deal, increased arms production, the first peacetime conscription passed in September).
But American opinion remains deeply attached to neutrality: a large majority want to help London "short of war," without sending soldiers. Willkie, who shares most of Roosevelt's foreign policy, attacks him in the closing days of the campaign on isolationist ground, accusing him of secretly leading the country into conflict.
A few days before the vote, Roosevelt is preparing a major speech in Boston. He must decide on the tone to take regarding the war: tell a cautious truth — aid to Britain might one day lead further — fully reassure the electorate about non-intervention, or avoid the subject. The choice could swing millions of votes.
What should Roosevelt promise the voters about entering the war?
Roosevelt chooses B. In Boston, on October 30, 1940, he delivers the promise that has become famous: "I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again: your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars." The line reassures and contributes to his reelection on November 5, 1940, over Willkie, with a comfortable majority in Congress. But it boxes him in: he had dropped the qualifier "except in case of attack" that appeared in earlier versions. After his victory, Roosevelt accelerates aid to London — the Lend-Lease bill is launched as early as December-March. The Boston pledge will become, after Pearl Harbor (December 1941), the textbook example of a campaign commitment overtaken by events.
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