The Depression did not end cruiser options

Did the Great Depression make specialized U.S. scout cruisers financially impossible?

Not automatically; construction could stimulate the economy, and the budget effect needs to be judged class by class.

The Great Depression began in 1929, so it cannot explain earlier U.S. cruiser decisions in the 1920s. Naval construction could also return money to the economy rather than functioning only as a budgetary drain. That leaves room for specialized scout-force leaders despite reduced budgets. The fiscal effects still differed by cruiser class, which prevents a single verdict from explaining the entire program.