Read the excerpt from President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech. What is the president’s point of view on helping other democratic nations fight dictatorial nations?
Let us say to the democracies: "We Americans are vitally concerned in your defense of freedom. We are putting forth our energies, our resources, and our organizing powers to give you the strength to regain and maintain a free world. We shall send you in ever-increasing numbers, ships, planes, tanks, guns. That is our purpose and our pledge."
In fulfillment of this purpose we will not be intimidated by the threats of dictators that they will regard as a breach of international law or as an act of war our aid to the democracies which dare to resist their aggression. Such aid—Such aid is not an act of war, even if a dictator should unilaterally proclaim it so to be.
And when the dictators—if the dictators—are ready to make war upon us, they will not wait for an act of war on our part . . .Their only interest is in a new one-way international law, which lacks mutuality in its observance and therefore becomes an instrument of oppression. The happiness of future generations of Americans may well depend on how effective and how immediate we can make our aid felt.
A.
It is critical to help democracies so that freedom is preserved in the United States and everywhere.
B.
Helping democracies by supplying them with war equipment such as ships and guns is as good as participating
in the war directly.
C.
Helping the democracies is an act of generosity because the war does not really impact the United States
in any way.
D.
It is wiser to help democratic nations secretly because the United States would avoid upsetting the aggressive
dictatorial nations.