Public Pressure on the Withdrawal of US Troops - Essay Example

Realizing that this was the case, some non-governmental organizations like the America First Committee, or AFC, expressed their anti-war sentiments. However, while France and other Allied forces conceded to anti-war public demands, the United States opted for “moderation” (Riesman). Because of this, the influence of anti-war propaganda on U.S. policy was not that extensive.

Nevertheless, despite the policy of Roosevelt’s government towards moderation, the 800,000-member organization, AFC, specifically only its New York chapter, was able to receive as much as $190,000 from the public as well as support from famous American figures like Charles Lindbergh, Sinclair Lewis, and Walt Disney. The AFC pushed for the neutrality of the United States in the Second World War, through the 1939 Neutrality Act, which hoped to make President Roosevelt keep his promise of not letting the United States participate in WWII. For the AFC, American neutrality is based on the idea that the United States must rather be defensive and must not join the war in Europe simply for some Jews’ desires to destroy Germany, and that it is only in this way that it can preserve its democracy. These goals were echoed in the speeches of Lindbergh across the United States in several AFC rallies. The passing of the 1939 Neutrality Act, however, was all changed when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor (“America First Committee”). In 1943, the pressure from pro-Jewish campaigners pushed Roosevelt to go on with the war and establish the War Refugee Board. This means that although the anti-war protesters were strong, the President listened more to the pro-war protesters (Gibney & Hansen, 263). Therefore, public pressure to send American troops back home from Europe in World War II was not that strong. The war pushed through and there are still even American soldiers in Europe now (Shock Poll).