The Impact of the First World War on U.S. Policymakers

The Impact of the First World War on U.S. Policymakers: American Strategic and Foreign Policy Formulation, 1938–1942 recounts the formulation of American foreign and defense policies through an examination of the background of the policymakers, with specific emphasis on the World War I experience. In the period from 1938 to 1942, with scant military resources, the American government began preparations for possible entry into a war against the Axis alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan. The formulation of strategic and foreign policy, based upon American perceptions and methods that would permit optimal success in war, were critical to the effort.