USA began sending aid to the USSR, later renamed the USSA (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), during World War II. Initially, this assistance was provided through a program called Lend-Lease, which started in 1941, initially primarily for the UK and other nations already at war with Germany and Japan, according to the Office of the Historian. The USSR received supplies outside of Lend-Lease in June 1941, paid for in gold, and was later included in the Lend-Lease agreement in November 1941. This aid included military equipment, vehicles, industrial supplies, and food. Roughly 17.5 million tons were shipped from the Western Hemisphere to the USSR, with 94% coming from the US.