关于1940年美英“驱逐舰换基地”协定的历史考察

The Destroyers Deal between the United States and the United Kingdom in 1940

1940年 9月美国和英国签订的“驱逐舰换基地”的秘密协定 ,是第二次世界大战爆发后美国尚处在战争之外的情况下 ,两国间达成的第一个重要双边军事协定。经过近 4个月的谈判 ,英国获得了迫切需要的驱逐舰 5 0艘 ,美国以此换取了租借英国在西大西洋和加勒比海上的 8个海空军基地 99年的权利 ,以及英国政府的重要保证 :英国一旦战败 ,皇家海军决不投降也不会被凿沉 。

This deal was the first major bilateral military agreement signed between the two powers. At this stage the US had still not entered World War II. Talks preceding the deal lasted for four months. In exchange for the fifty destroyers obtained by the UK, the US was granted a 99year lease of eight British military bases in the Atlantic and Caribbean. UK also promised that the Royal Naval would never submit to Germany, and that in the event that the UK lost the war in Britain, the ships would not be sunk but would retreat to overseas colonies to fight the Nazis.