Learn how President Franklin Roosevelt incrementally leads the United States away from its position of neutrality during the early years of World War ll in this video excerpt from Atlantic Crossing | MASTERPIECE. In a 1940 press conference, Roosevelt introduces the Lend-Lease program and explains how it will work within the constraints of the Neutrality Act. The scene segues to the televised 1941 State of the Union Address, where Roosevelt informs Congress and the American public of the dangers of downplaying the conflict in Europe and the threat it poses to the United States.