The Welles Mission: A Short-Term Legacy to the Anglo-American Relationship and Rooseveltian Foreign Policy

Abstract

Roosevelt’s statement at his press conference on 29 March 1940 that there was “scant immediate” prospect for peace proved tragically correct within two weeks. The spring and summer of 1940 saw a fundamental remapping of Europe’s political geography that inaugurated four years of Nazi domination on the continent. Germany’s attack upon Scandinavia (Operation Weserübung, 8–9 April) and then the Low Countries (Operation Gelb, 10 May), Churchill becoming British Prime Minister, Italy’s eventual intervention, the capitulation of France, the drama of Dunkirk, and then the Battle of Britain all contributed to one of the most tumultuous six months in European history. Under such circumstances it is of little surprise that the mission of Sumner Welles has been ill considered. With the geopolitical landscape changed so dramatically in such a short space of time, the legacy of the Welles mission was overtaken in many respects. Any long-term impact amid the unfolding European war was negligible.