WW2 - Churchill and Roosevelt Flashcards
Meeting in Canada (August 1941) from Conrad Black’s biography?
‘Churchill would not have noticed the conditions and qualifications and nuances with which Roosevelt clouded almost everything he said.’
Where did Roosevelt snub at Churchill?
Tehran Conference 1943
Message from Churchill to Roosevelt 12th September 1942?
‘You know I treasure the friendship with which you have honoured me and how profoundly I feel we might together do something really fine and lasting for our two countries.’
When did Churchill send Roosevelt this letter?
12th September 1942
How was their personal relationship viewed?
As ‘the partnership that saved the west’.
How did Roosevelt view Churchill in 1918?
‘stinker’ and thought he ‘lorded it’ over him
Who used unfavourable remarks Churchill made about Roosevelt in 1937?
1940 –> Wendell Willkie
During US elections
What did Roosevelt promise as he was elected for his 3rd term?
that “no man or woman” should “thoughtlessly or falsely talk of American people sending its armies to European fields.”
November 1939
Roosevelt repealed the Neutrality Act –> enabled Britain to purchase American arms
October 1939
USA declared neutral zone along entire coast of USA and South America. –> US navy patrolled this to prevent the sinking of merchant ships by Germans. This involved Anglo-American naval co-operation.
September 1940
Exchange with Britain –> 50 old US naval destroyers exchanged for leases to 8 British naval bases. Spread from Newfoundland to British Guiana.
December 1940
Roosevelt defends sale of arms to Britain. –> Used the phrase ‘arsenal of democracy’
March 1941
Lend-lease Act –> Permitted President to ‘sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend or otherwise dispose of’ defence articles to ‘any country whose defence the President deems vital to the defence of the USA.’
April 1941
US troupes occupied Greenland
1st July 1941
US troupes occupied Iceland
What did the Lend-lease act lead to?
$31.6 billion of assistance going to Britain by 1945
Why did US occupy Iceland and Greenland?
To prevent them from being used as German military bases
Who was Sir Robert Vansittart
Chief Diplomatic Adviser
What did Sir Robert Vansittart say about Roosevelt during the 1940 Presidential election?
“… as the MP says, President Roosevelt is ready to play a dirty trick on the world and risk the ultimate destruction of the Western Democracies in order to secure re-election…”
Who uses Sir Robert Vansittart’s quote in their historic novel?
Joseph Lash 1977
Where did the national leaders first meet?
Placentia Bay in Canada
August 1941
What was the Atlantic Charter?
‘certain common principles’
What is remarkable about the Atlantic Charter?
The USA had not declared war. Yet, the document referred to plans ‘after the destruction of the Nazi tyranny’.
Who decided if the USA could join the war?
Congress
Who was General Smuts?
A South African
What did General Smuts write to Churchill to say?
‘the growing belief that Churchill intends to keep America out of the war, in spite of his brave words.”
How did Churchill reply to General Smuts?
‘He may take action as Chief Executive but only Congress can declare war… we must have patience”
Why did US not want to join the war?
- Military Chiefs were worried that Churchill was dispersing his troupes in South Africa and not France
- State department was worried that Britain would want to gain territories.
- Cordell Hull (secretary of state) was worried that the British Empire stood in the way of free trade.
- Roosevelt thought it was morally wrong for Britain to rule over the British Empire.
What territories did Britain gain in 1919?
Turkish and German Colonies
Why was the British Empires opposition to free trade a problem?
It would become a war aim of the US.
Terms of Britain in war?
- Destroyers provided by USA were obsolete.
- USA took gold reserves in South Africa as Lend-lease payments.
- USA made large profits from supplying arms.
Tariq Ali perspective
‘there was little doubt that the two allied powers would soon be heading upwards to the mainland’ after capturing Sicily
