Because of Ukraine, America’s arsenal of democracy is depleting

AS LONDON WAS being bombed during the Blitz, Franklin Roosevelt delivered a “fireside chat” over the radio on December 29th 1940 that still resonates today. America, the president said, had to become “the great arsenal of democracy”, both to help those fighting the Nazis and to protect itself. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbour a year later, America’s factories went into full wartime production. The car industry in Detroit took up much of the burden: Oldsmobile made cannon shells, Cadillac produced tanks and howitzers, Chrysler made Browning machine-guns. Ford built a huge factory to roll out B-24 bombers at a rate of one an hour. One of its workers might have inspired the song and poster of “Rosie the Riveter”, now an iconic image.

With war raging in Ukraine, President Joe Biden is casting himself as a latter-day Roosevelt. America will not fight directly but is determined to help Ukraine “win”. On April 28th he asked Congress for an extra $33bn to respond to the crisis, on top of $13.6bn approved earlier this year. The new request includes about $20bn in military assistance to Ukraine and European allies. “The cost of this fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is going to be more costly if we allow it to happen,” he declared.