FDR left U.S. Nov. 11, 1943, on battleship USS Iowa to attend Cairo conference in Mena House hotel near pyramids in Egypt Nov. 23-26; Harry Hopkins feared Russia would join with British against U.S. due to successes on Eastern front after Stalingrad and Kursk; George Marshall feared British Mediterranean plans: "not one U. S. soldier should die for Rhodes." Chiang Kai-shek at Cairo feared growing influence of Russia and declining aid to China. After 4 days in Egypt, FDR and Churchill travelled by airplane on Nov. 27 to Teheran, flying over Palestine and Iraq and Iran. They were still divided on strategy, and this division would be exploited by Stalin at the 10th major conference of WWII at Teheran.
FDR, Churchill, Stalin from ILN 1943/12/11
Stalin from ILN 1943/12/11
Churchill gives Stalingrad sword to Stalin, from Time 1943/12/11
FDR holds Stalingrad Sword presented to Stalin at Teheran, from Newsweek, 1943/12/20
no British-U.S. agreement on Rhodes, Burma, or postwar Asia
Stalin sought "security belt" of the Baltics, Poland, partition of Germany; said he would not annex Finland but the Finns needed to be "taught a lesson" and Stalin would take out reparations.
FDR in private talks with Stalin agreed to a Curzon line for Poland in the east and moving the German border back to the Oder, and agreed some transfer of population would be necessary "on a voluntary basis" to allow Russia to take back Ukraine and Belorussia from Poland.
FDR proposed dismemberment of Germany into 5 smaller parts (surprised Churchill) and Stalin wanted to take part of East Prussia to get the warm water Baltic port of Konigsberg (became Kaliningrad).
FDR willing to accomodate Stalin; Churchill was isolated; Stalin joked at dinner that Churchill was soft on Germany and that it may be necessary to execute 50,000 German officers; Churchill replied that he would never agree to such "barbarous acts" but FDR joked that perhaps 49,000 would do.
2nd Cairo Conference Nov. 28-Dec. 1
After Teheran ended Dec. 1, FDR returned to Cairo for the 2nd Cairo conference Dec. 4-6 with Churchill and President Ismet Inonu of Turkey. Turkey remained neutral; Britain cancelled plans to invade Rhodes; Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was named OVERLORD commander on Dec. 5; Gen. Carl Spaatz was named head of the United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF) combining air groups in Britain and the Mediterranean under one American commander.
Lend-Lease 12/6/43
East Prussia "Junkerland" and Koenigsburg, 1944/08 from Time - bg
