6. The French military was ordered to declare materials as surplus
In 1775, French arsenals were renowned for manufacturing the finest gunpowder in the world. It burned more thoroughly than the powder of British manufacturers and was thus less corrosive to gun barrels. An officer of engineers, Major du Coudray, was assigned to tour the arsenals of France and identify items considered surplus. Coudray found an improbable amount of surplus gunpowder, as well as cannon, cannon balls and shells, and muskets. Hortalez et Cie offered, on paper, to relieve the French Army of the surplus munitions with which the latter was burdened. Payment was with cash. The company was free to sell the munitions to any customer.
Over 160 years later the American president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, used a similar ruse to sell war materials to the British. FDR had fifty American destroyers declared surplus and sold them to the British and Canadians, while the United States remained neutral in the early days of World War II. He did the same with airplanes and small arms, selling them back to their manufacturers, who then sold them to the British, at least on paper. In both instances, the respective governments involved violated neutrality laws in effect at the time. In 1940 the United States did not have enough rifles to arm all of its regiments, yet it declared a large number surplus. In 1775-76 the French faced the same situation with muskets.