Treaty Outlawing War as an Instrument of National Policy

Heather Smith Smith 1 Dr. Dixie Hicks Essay #2 2-27-13 Peace Pact to War Message In August of 1928, Kellogg proposed a multilateral treaty outlawing war as an instrument of national policy. He thought all changes in their relations with one another should only be sought by pacific means and be a result of a peaceful and orderly process. The Neutrality Act was presented in 1935 stating, “The President, by proclamation, shall definitely enumerate the arms, ammunition, or implements of war, the export of which is prohibited by this Act. These were great peace pacts lasting from 1928-1940. On September 27, 1940, an agreement was signed in Berlin, where three powerful nations joined as a threat against the United States. This started the transition from peace pact to war message. If the United States interfered or blocked the expansion program of these three nations, a program aimed at world control, they would unite in ultimate action against the United States.

Once this threat was presented to the United States, Roosevelt insisted that since they would be entering into a new and terrible era where they would be run by threats of brute force, they would need to survive by converting themselves into a militaristic power on the basis of war economy. The British were on the verge of going to war with the Nazis. This war would determine the outcome of the United States and whether they would have to support Britain and go to war with Germany. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

The next morning President Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress to ask for a declaration of war. Roosevelt, as the commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, directed that all measures be taken for the United State’s defense. The attack on Pearl Harbor created a state of war between the United States and the Japanese Empire. The shift from peace pact to war message was a pretty quick transition. Because of the threat to the United States, actions had to be taken to protect the American people.