"Merchant ships loading in New York harbour" by Leslie Oliphant, 1941

Catalogue ref: INF 3/1518

The image depicts merchant ships loading in New York harbour, the Manhattan skyline visible in the background, industrial activity around the railway tracks and the dockside in the foreground.

Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act which was approved on March 11 1941. This act gave President Roosevelt almost unlimited freedom in directing military supplies to the war effort in Europe without sacrificing US neutrality at that time – allowing US aid to be sent to any country that the US government felt would be ‘vital to the defence of the United States'. The Ministry of Information tied the ‘Give of the tools and we'll finish the job' campaign in with the US Lend-Lease Act.