The eyes of the world were on the House as the bill came finally to a vote. The 20 other American republics watched; the President watched from his sea conference with Winston Churchill; Adolf Hitler's representatives and Emperor Hirohito's observers waited. If the bill failed to pass, most of the half-trained U.S. Army would slowly dissolve as draftees and guardsmen went home. The nation would have to start again building and training another army.
All argument had ceased. Speaker Rayburn and his aides—tall, slack-jawed John McCormack of Massachusetts, the majority leader, and...
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