Now, About That Interest and Late Fees

Thanks, Britain. I was only kidding about the late fees.

United Kingdom Making Final Payments on U.S. Lend-Lease Debt

Between March 1941 and September 1945, the United States' lend-lease programme transferred some $48bn worth of war material to other nations, the largest part of it (worth some $21bn) to Britain. This was an enormous sum, nearly equal to an entire year's UK gross national product.

Britain has been paying off our lend-lease bill in annual instalments ever since 1950. This week the Treasury confirmed that the last payment of £45m will be made by the end of this year. Lend-lease was an extraordinarily far-sighted American move - hardly "the most unsordid act in the history of any nation", as Churchill described it. But it was also the price of our survival. Repayment of debt may be unfashionable these days. But if ever a debt deserved paying it was lend-lease.

Nice words. How soon many other people in Europe forget the generosity of Americans. This should be a simple reminder to them...and, I'm sure that we would do it again if called.