The proposal faced fierce controversy before Congress approved it. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., the former American ambassador to Britain, was one of its strongest opponents. His resistance is linked here to the belief that Britain might collapse at any moment, which would make further aid appear wasteful or dangerous. The sharper judgment that Kennedy seemed to prefer Hitler to Churchill is an interpretation rather than an established fact.
Notable Point · 18:30-18:49
Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. represents fierce opposition to Lend-Lease
Kennedy's expectation that Britain would fall illustrates why some Americans regarded the aid program as strategically unsound.