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| TIMELINE 1940
April - British Security Coordination office was established by Canadian-born William S. Stephenson, code named "Intrepid", who arrived in the United States to "assure sufficient aid for Britain, to counter the enemy's subversive plans throughout the Western Hemisphere and eventually bring the United States into the War". The BSC would establish ties with the FBI and State Department and pushed the creation of the Coordinator of Information by July 1941 that became the Office of Strategic Services in June 1942. The British recruited the help of the Fight for Freedom Committee, Walter Lippmann, Aurthur Hayes Sulzberger, Henry Luce, using the polling organization Market Analysts, Inc. to create public support for intervention, attacked isolationist Congressman Hamilton Fish and provided mistresses to Senator Arthur Vandenberg, all to get U.S. aid for Britain. May 1 - Pacific fleet based at Pearl Harbor as a deterrent. Over the objections of Admiral James Richardson. May 6 - Francis Sayer went to Tokyo for talks with Foreign Minister Arita - FDR declared Sayer initiative for non-aggression pact was "unauthorized". May 16 - Sayer advised FDR that Japan was willing to negotiate and wanted to "retire gracefully" from the burdensome China war. June 22 - Petain closed Indochina route to Chiang. Churchill closes Burma road to avoid war with Japan.
June 23 - Fall of France
July 10 - Start of a 3 month air war, Goering vs. RAF. Ends Oct. 30 after 57 day blitz on London. British lose 832 fighters, German's lose 668 plus 600 bombers. "A truly revolutionary conflict" won by Fighter Command, and lost by German improvisation. This was Hitler's first defeat, shifting war to the east. British military successes grow, Britain becomes first line of defense, will defend its empire. July 6 - FDR proposed concept of 3 Monroe Doctrines - for Americas, Europe, Asia. July 15 - W.M.L. "Billy" Fiske was one of the first Americans to volunteer to fight in Britain, joining the RAF squadron at Tangarere. His plane was damaged in battle and burned on landing, and Fiske died Aug. 17th, the first American in uniform to die in Europe in WWII. More volunteers followed, some led by Col. Charles Sweeney or recruited by the Clayton Knight Committee, and became a part of the Eagle Squadrons in the RAF after Sept. 1940. July 22 - Konoye leads his 2nd cabinet - policy of "opportunism" to create "new order" with Manchukuo and Wang Ching-wei. July 25 - FDR orders partial trade embargo on aviation fuel, lubricants, high-grade scrap. July 30 - Act of Havana to prevent German takeover of western hemisphere colonies that had been held by European countries occupied by Hitler. Aug. 16 - Death of Hector Bywater, author of 1925 "Great Pacific War". (19 days after Reuter's Melville Cox "fell" 3 stories to his death in Tokyo.) Aug. 27 - Destroyers for bases deal. Executive agreement cause "furious debate", also pilot training in Florida and British ship repair in Norfolk. Sept. 4 - Hull warned Konoye to stay out of Indochina. Sept. 16 - Burke-Wadsworth Selective Service Act passed - a symbol of a "growing consensus that the nation must arm, no matter what" and "conscription was a symbolic tie which bound the entire nation even though less than 1 percent in a hundred would serve." WW1 draft dodger Grover Cleveland Bergdoll began 7 year jail sentence. Hearst newsreel "16 million sign up with Uncle Sam".
Sept. 22 - Japanese troops crossed into Indochina, Vichy forced to agree.
Sept. 25 - U.S. broke Japanese "Purple" cipher that in Feb. 1939 had replaced the previous "Red" cipher broken by a stolen key book by Ellis Zacharias in 1920 from the Japanese consulate in Washington DC, and used break the JN-1 code (Japanese Navy), the Navy was still using the JN-25 code in 1941, and the Type 97 typewriter purple code that used stepper relays rather than the wheels of the German Enigma machine, and was shared with the diplomatic service. William Friedman in the Navy SIS deciphered this code. Sept. 26- FDR imposed embargo on scrap iron to Japan. Sept. 27 - Tripartite Pact with Japan, Italy, Germany. Gerhard Weinburg argued in 1992 book that Germany sought ally with a large fleet to conduct war against the U.S. and to keep the U.S. out of Europe. Battle of Britain was raging and FDR was determined to help Churchill. Sept. 27 - Mackenzie King diary indicated that FDR told King the U.S. would act if Japan attacked the British Empire. Oct. 2 - Churchill decided to re-open the Burma Road effective Oct. 17. Oct. 1-7 FDR ordered all Americans out of the Far East, rushes supplies to the Philippines, called up Naval reserve, ordered immediate Anglo-American staff talks in Singapore; oil companies in Batavia refused Japanese demands. Oct. 8 - FDR secret office sound-on-film recordings: "this country is ready to pull the trigger if the Japs do anything. I mean we won't stand any nonsense - public opinion won't in this country - from the Japs if they do some fool thing... That's the only real danger of us getting in - is that their foot will slip." Oct. 10 - James Richardson opposed FDR plan to deploy Navy if Japan attacked Burma Road. Nov. 5 - FDR defeated Wendell Wilkie to win 3rd term. Nov. 10 - Torpedo planes from HRS Illustrious sink 3 Italian battleships in the shallow harbor of Taranto. Nov. 12 - British Swordfish planes from HMS "Illustrious" torpedo the Italian fleet in shallow Taranto harbor. Navy Secretary Frank Knox advised the Army to improve pearl Harbors's defenses. Nov. 13 - Imperial conference proposed "Whang-Chiang" coalition and garrisons to end China war. Nov. 30 - FDR gave 100 million dollar loan to Chiang and 50 planes to Chennault's secret group of U.S. volunteer airmen, the Flying Tigers, helping Chiang at Chungking. Nov. 30 - Winter war began in Finland, Russia attacked with 30 divisions, Finns defended behind the Manneheim Line, Russia lost 200,00 men but defeated Finland by Mar. 12 treaty. Dec 9 - Wavell in Egypt defeats Italians and enters Libia takes Bardia Jan. 3, takes Tobruk Jan. 21, and Derna Jan. 30. Dec. 17 - FDR proposed Lend-Lease, to be like a $15 length of garden hose.
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Dec. 29 - Arsenal of Democracy speech attracted huge 76% radio audience.