Question

What is the difference between the second and third neutrality acts? They both allowed the "cash and carry policy" where other countries could but weapons as long as they paid in cash and carried the weapons or their own ships, correct? What did the third act allow that the second one did not?

Answer 1

Cash-and-carry was introduced in the 1937 Act which did as you described -- as long as belligerents paid for the arms in cash and arranged for such arms to be transported via their own ships, they were allowed to buy them from the US.

But this was only to last for two years and in 1939, it expired and an immediate arms embargo slammed the door on sales.

Roosevelt was initially defeated in trying to restore the cash-and-carry provision, so for awhile, cash-and-carry was dead. When Nazi Germany invaded Poland later in the year and the war exploded in Europe, he was a bit more successful in November and managed to get the final Act passed with the cash-and-carry provision renewed.

Answer 2

Thank you sooo much :)