In reply to The Battleteller (msg # 243):
"On September 2, 1940, President Roosevelt signed a “Destroyers for Bases” agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, the United States gave the British more than 50 obsolete destroyers, in exchange for 99-year leases to territory in Newfoundland and the Caribbean, which would be used as U.S. air and naval bases. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had originally requested that Roosevelt provide the destroyers as a gift, but the President knew that the American public and Congress would oppose such a deal. He therefore decided that a deal that gave the United States long-term access to British bases could be justified as essential to the security of the Western Hemisphere—thereby assuaging the concerns of the public and the U.S. military."
https://history.state.gov/mile...1937-1945/lend-lease
Part of this deal was 'experts' to oversee any supplies given to the British to 'oversee' the proper use of such vehicles. Private Johnny 'Off Ramp' Weirzbowski was sent to England to aid with helping the Brits with any mechanical problems they had with US vehicles. This of course is a lie. Johnny's powers manifested during basic training after being forced to join the military rather than go to prison for being a 'wheelman' during a bank robbery. He had been ordered to keep his Identity secret while being deployed under British command, thus not giving the Germans an excuse to accuse the US of being part of the war. All despite the fact they will do so anyways for Roosevelt more or less never asking to be repaid for the 'Destroyers for Bases' agreement.