Reverse Lend-Lease from the USSR to the USA

Reverse Lend-Lease from the USSR to the USA - counter deliveries of goods and services from the Soviet Union to the United States of America , carried out during the Second World War in accordance with the Soviet-American agreement of June 11, 1942.

On March 11, 1941, the US Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act. In October 1941, the Lend-Lease program was extended to the Soviet Union ^[1] . On June 11, 1942, an agreement was signed in Washington between the USA and the USSR "On the principles applicable to mutual assistance in the conduct of the war against aggression." The agreement determined the procedure for mutual assistance during the war years. In particular, according to Article 2, the Soviet Government committed itself to assist the defense of the United States of America and to provide materials, services, facilities and information to the best of its ability ^[2] .

According to the report of the US President Harry Truman to Congress, as of September 2, 1945, reverse Lend-Lease from the USSR amounted to $ 2,212,698. Including articles:

• Materials and equipment ( Eng. Facilities and Equipment ) - $ 56,786
• Testing and recovery ( Eng. Testing, Reconditioning etc. of Defense Articles ) - 2 155 912 dollars ^[3]

For comparison, reverse Lend-Lease from other states that participated in the Second World War amounted to:

• The British Empire (including Australia and New Zealand) - $ 6,752,073,165;
• France - $ 867,781,245;
• Belgium - $ 191,215,983;
• China - 3 672 000 dollars;
• Netherlands - $ 2,367,700

Moreover, all exports from the USSR to the United States from September 12, 1941 to December 31, 1945 amounted to 223 196 300 dollars ^[4] .

Thus, most of the exports from the Soviet Union to the United States were not directly related to reverse Lend-Lease. Basically, the calculation of supplies under reverse Lend-Lease from the USSR to the United States consisted of providing airfields for American aviation, as well as servicing and refueling American aircraft ^[5] . So, from June to September 1944, during the operation "French" , American aviation used three Soviet airfields in Ukraine to carry out raids on objects in Germany, Hungary, Romania and Poland. In the spring of 1945, American troops leaving Poltava received a memo in which, in particular, it was said:

The Russians did a great physical job for us, creating good living conditions for us. They unloaded the wagons, helped to dig holes, supplied us with water, helped us with food, etc. No other nation has done as much for us as the Russians did for us.

^[6]

Some sources indicate that the cost of services could include rail and road transport, carried out in the interests of the American side ^[7] .

In 1944, the book “Lend-Lease is a weapon of victory” was published by the administrator of the Lend-Lease program and the future US Secretary of State Edward Stettinius in the United States .

Even Russia and China, which suffered huge losses while protecting their countries, supplied us with military materials and provided some services. The Chinese for free returned to us all the Pi-40s that they had left from the ones they bought from us, and handed gas to our 14th aviation unit from stocks that were invaluable to them. We did not send troops to Russia, but when our ships arrive at Russian ports, the Soviet Union pays all expenses for fuel, food, medical care, and, if necessary, ship repair.

Our allies undoubtedly do everything in their power to fulfill these obligations. Russia has been waging war on its land for two years, China for six years. Both of these countries have lost millions of people, survived the occupation and destruction of many large cities and the rejection of millions of acres of better land. If we send them more help on Lend-Lease than we receive from them on “return Lend-Lease”, this does not mean at all that we are doing more to fight our common enemy. We know that they, like us, are putting all their strength into this war.

- Edward Stettinius

^[eight]