A secret conference in Casablanca: why was it held and who was present?
January 14, 1943 in Casablanca (Morocco) held a secret conference with the participation of US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. It discussed plans for joint military action against Germany and its allies, the opening of a second front in Europe and decided to demand unconditional surrender from Germany, Italy and Japan.
During the conference, the leaders of the United States and Great Britain met with the top military leaders of both countries, as well as the leaders of the French government in emigration, Generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud. The Soviet leader Joseph Stalin refused to participate in the conference, citing the need to personally lead the final stage of the Stalingrad battle.
The main theme of the meeting in Casablanca was the opening of a second front in Europe, on which the USSR insisted. In contrast to the promise made by the US President to the Soviet People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov, Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to land allies in July 1943 in Sicily and to strengthen military units in North Africa. This plan suited primarily Britain, which tried to prevent the intentions of the USSR to penetrate into the Mediterranean. The landing of the Allies in France was scheduled only for the fall of 1943.
On January 27, at a press conference after the meeting, Roosevelt formulated the main military goal of the Allies. He announced that they would seek the complete and unconditional surrender of Italy, Japan and Germany.
Churchill, who was not familiar with Roosevelt’s opinion beforehand, expressed fears that unconditional surrender would only strengthen Hitler’s determination to continue the war. However, it later became a key point in the formulation of a strategy for the Allied military operations against the countries of the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis.
During the conference, the leaders of the United States and Great Britain met with the top military leaders of both countries, as well as the leaders of the French government in emigration, Generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud. The Soviet leader Joseph Stalin refused to participate in the conference, citing the need to personally lead the final stage of the Stalingrad battle.
Photo © jnsm.com.ua
The main theme of the meeting in Casablanca was the opening of a second front in Europe, on which the USSR insisted. In contrast to the promise made by the US President to the Soviet People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov, Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to land allies in July 1943 in Sicily and to strengthen military units in North Africa. This plan suited primarily Britain, which tried to prevent the intentions of the USSR to penetrate into the Mediterranean. The landing of the Allies in France was scheduled only for the fall of 1943.
On January 27, at a press conference after the meeting, Roosevelt formulated the main military goal of the Allies. He announced that they would seek the complete and unconditional surrender of Italy, Japan and Germany.
Churchill, who was not familiar with Roosevelt’s opinion beforehand, expressed fears that unconditional surrender would only strengthen Hitler’s determination to continue the war. However, it later became a key point in the formulation of a strategy for the Allied military operations against the countries of the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo axis.
