Introduction
Atlantic Conference - Churchill gives FDR letter from King George - FDR with son Capt. Elliot Roosevelt, ILN 1941/08/23 from WWII Timeline
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The personal relationship between United States President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister was essential to an allied victory in World War II. The two men exchanged almost two thousand letters, memorandums, and messages in just over five and one-half years. Their correspondence occured from September 1939 until FDR's death on April 12, 1945. Churchill's letters were more frequent and longer than FDR's, but both men included their own humor within the notes. (1) The alliance that sparked this friendship was aimed at the defeat of Germany and Japan. However, it was aided by thier common language, and shared historical experience. In addition, the United States and the United Kingdom shared a set of common values including representative democracy, civic duty, the role and responsibilites of government, and individual rights and freedoms. Most importantly, the alliance had two strong leaders. Without the leadership ability posessed by both men and their friendship, the alliance could have been a coalition instead of an alliance, as it was with the Soviet Union. Each man had his own opinions and they kept their own national interests in mind, but they always put the alliance first. Their individual personalities are evident in their correspondence, as are thier national or international interests during wartime. (2) An examination of the correspondence between Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt regarding the lend-lease program and the cross-channel invasion serves as evidence that the personal relationship between the two men served to strengthen the alliance between thier two countries and aid the allied victory.
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