#OnThisDate August 31, 1935: Guarded Commitments
The United States Neutrality Act Of 1935 Marked A Pivotal Shift In American Foreign Policy During The Interwar Period. Passed By The U.S. Congress And Signed Into Law By President Franklin D. Roosevelt, The Act Was A Legislative Response To The Growing Tensions In Europe And Asia And Reflected The Nation’s Desire To Avoid Becoming Entangled In Another Global Conflict. This Legislation Codified The Prevailing Sentiment Of Nonintervention That Had Shaped Much Of American Public Opinion Following The Devastation Of World War I.
The Act Prohibited The Export Of “Arms, Ammunition, And Implements Of War” From The United States To Foreign Nations Engaged In Armed Conflict. It Also Required That Arms Manufacturers In The U.S. Obtain An Export License From The Secretary Of State Before Selling Munitions Abroad. The Law Declared That Any American Citizen Traveling On A Ship Belonging To A Nation At War Did So At Their Own Risk. This Was A Direct Response To Incidents Such As The Sinking Of The RMS Lusitania In 1915, Which Had Contributed To The U.S. Entry Into World War I.
The Neutrality Act Of 1935 Was Rooted In The Findings Of The Nye Committee, A Congressional Investigative Body Officially Named The Special Committee On Investigation Of The Munitions Industry. Chaired By Senator Gerald P. Nye Of North Dakota, The Committee Held Hearings Between 1934 And 1936 And Concluded That U.S. Involvement In World War I Had Been Largely Driven By The Interests Of Banking And Munitions Firms. The Committee’s Reports Intensified Isolationist Sentiment And Created Political Momentum For Legislators Who Sought To Legally Prevent A Repeat Of The Perceived Mistakes That Had Drawn The Country Into The 1914–1918 War.
The Act Did Not Discriminate Between Aggressors And Victims, And Applied Uniformly To All Belligerents. This Approach Was Meant To Uphold A Consistent Policy Of Nonalignment, Though It Was Criticized For Failing To Acknowledge The Moral Dimensions Of Conflicts. For Example, When Italy Invaded Ethiopia In October 1935, The Law Prohibited The U.S. From Aiding Ethiopia, A Victim Of Aggression, Just As It Prevented Arms Shipments To Italy. This Symmetry Reinforced The Idea That The United States Would Not Become A Moral Arbiter In Foreign Wars.
Although President Roosevelt Signed The Bill, He Did So With Reservations. Roosevelt Believed That Flexibility Was Necessary In Foreign Policy, Especially Given The Increasing Aggression Displayed By Powers Such As Germany, Italy, And Japan. However, The Political Climate In 1935 Offered Little Room For Executive Discretion. The Isolationist Lobby In Congress Was Strong, And Public Opinion Heavily Favored Avoidance Of Foreign Entanglements. Roosevelt Recognized That Any Attempt To Veto Or Challenge The Law Could Jeopardize Other Elements Of His Domestic Agenda, Especially The New Deal.
The Neutrality Act Of 1935 Was The First In A Series Of Neutrality Laws Passed Between 1935 And 1939. Each Successive Law Modified Or Expanded Upon The Original. The 1936 Version Extended The Provisions And Banned Loans Or Credits To Belligerent Nations. In 1937, The Law Was Revised To Include Civil Wars, Prompted By The Spanish Civil War, And Introduced A “Cash And Carry” Provision, Allowing Belligerents To Purchase Nonmilitary Goods From The United States If They Paid In Cash And Transported Them Using Their Own Ships.
The Legacy Of The 1935 Act Lies In Its Illustration Of The Tension Between Isolationism And The Demands Of A Rapidly Changing International Order. While The Act Temporarily Reinforced America’s Commitment To Neutrality, It Also Highlighted The Difficulties Of Remaining Disengaged In An Increasingly Interconnected And Volatile World. The Act’s Inflexibility Became More Apparent As Totalitarian Regimes Expanded Their Reach, And As The Threat Of Global War Increased, U.S. Policy Would Gradually Shift Toward Engagement, Culminating In The Lend-Lease Act Of 1941 And The Ultimate U.S. Entry Into World War II.
By Legislating Against Involvement In Foreign Wars, The Neutrality Act Of 1935 Sought To Shield The United States From The Tragedies Of International Conflict. At The Same Time, It Reflected A Broader National Debate Over The Role The U.S. Should Play On The Global Stage. Its Passage And Its Limitations Provide Critical Insight Into The Challenges Of Formulating Foreign Policy In A Democratic Society During Times Of Rising Global Instability.
References / More Knowledge:
U.S. Congress. (1935). Neutrality Act Of 1935. Public Law No. 74-163. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-49/pdf/STATUTE-49-Pg1081.pdf
Office Of The Historian. (n.d.). The Neutrality Acts, 1930s. U.S. Department Of State. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/neutrality-acts
Senate Historical Office. (n.d.). Nye Committee. https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/investigations/nye-committee.htm
Roosevelt, F. D. (1935). Statement On Signing The Neutrality Act. The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-neutrality-act
Library Of Congress. (n.d.). Neutrality Act Of 1935. https://guides.loc.gov/neutrality-legislation-1930s/1935-act
National Archives. (n.d.). Records Of The Nye Committee. https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/044.html