Roosevelt Passes Destroyers for Bases Agreement

Today in Masonic history Franklin D. Roosevelt passes the Destroyers for Bases Agreement in 1940.

In September 1940 more than a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR was in favor of intervention on the United States part for the war in Europe. During one of his fireside chats he told his audience that America should be an "Arsenal for Democracy".

So on September 2nd 1940 he, FDR, passed the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with England. This was in open defiance of the Neutrality Acts passed by congress in the 1930's. The Destroyers for Bases Agreement gave fifty mothballed destroyers to the Royal Navy. In exchange the United States received Land Rights for British possessions. The 50 destroyers were designated "Town-Class" since they were to be named after British towns that had a town in the United States with the same name.

Roosevelt was initiated into freemasonry on October 11th, 1911 in Holland Lodge No. 8, New York City.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.