HST Neutrality Act
Harry S. Truman on the Eve of War
September 30, 1939
Yavneh Klos Collection, U.S. Presidents
Just weeks after Hitler's invasion of Poland and the outbreak of World War II, freshman U.S. Senator Harry S. Truman reflects on declining public engagement with the proposed Neutrality Act of 1939, writing that “letters on the neutrality act have fallen off decidedly.” Signed simply “Harry,” this letter underscores the reluctance or apathy of much of the American public—even among immigrant communities—as Europe edged toward catastrophe.
The Neutrality Act, enacted just days later on November 4, 1939, allowed nations like Britain and France to purchase arms under a "cash and carry" policy. It marked a shift away from American isolationism, laying the groundwork for U.S. involvement in the war and, eventually, the liberation of Nazi death camps.
Displayed here in proximity to artifacts from Nazi officials and Jewish survivors, this letter provides a compelling contrast: the slow legislative stirrings of a democratic republic versus the unchecked momentum of a genocidal regime.
Archival Note: Truman would later become president in 1945 and oversee the end of World War II, the founding of the United Nations, and the postwar reckoning with the Holocaust.
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