"The Persian Gulf Command and the..." Topic

…LEND-LEASE MISSION TO THE SOVIET UNION DURING WORLD WAR II

"When the subject of the the U.S. Army and the Persian Gulf comes up, the first thing today's Americans often think of is 1990-91, when American and coalition forces deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM to drive the Iraqi Army out of Kuwait, or more recent military operations in support Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Many Americans do not realize that during World War II, the Army had 30,000 troops stationed in Iran and Iraq. The Persian Gulf Command (PGC), at times known as the Persian Gulf Service Command (PGSC), was assigned the mission of expediting the shipment of war materials to the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease program.

By 1940, the United Kingdom, already heavily involved in World War II, was strapped for cash and supplies. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill asked President Franklin D. Roosevelt for assistance. At that time, the Neutrality Act of 1939 limited what the United States could do in terms of assisting belligerent nations. Nevertheless, the United Sates was willing to sell weapons to Britain but under strict "cash and carry" regulations. As Great Britain approached bankruptcy by 1941, Roosevelt pushed the Lend-Lease Act, formally known as "An Act to Further the Defense of the United States" (Public Law 77-11), through Congress and signed it into law on 11 March 1941. The terms of the agreement provided that the materiel was to be used until returned or destroyed. In reality very little equipment was ever returned. The United States supplied war materiel at a discount using long-term loans or in exchange for rights to set up military bases in British possessions Under Lend-Lease, the U.S. contributed more than $50 USD billion to the Allies, mostly to Great Britain but also to the Soviet Union through the Persian Gulf Corridor. Smaller amounts were also provided to France and China…"

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