Moscow Conference (1942)

On July 30, 1942, British Prime Minister W. Churchill received a message from the British Ambassador to the USSR, Sir A.K. Kerra, which - among other things - said ^[1] :

Despite Molotov’s allegations that he had accurately conveyed to the Soviet government everything that had been said to him in London and transmitted in writing ... now it seems that he was not able to fully convey the opinion of the Prime Minister to Stalin.

Original text

Although Molotov professes to have passed on faithfully to the Soviet Government all that was said to him in London and given him in writing ... it now looks as if he had to some extent failed to interpret to Stalin the mind of the Prime Minister.

According to A.K. Kerra , in such a situation, Churchill's personal meeting with Stalin became desirable. Churchill willingly agreed with this and invited Stalin to meet in Astrakhan or in “another similar place suitable for this,” to which Churchill could get through Cairo . Stalin answered with an official invitation to meet, which stated that Moscow was the only suitable place to meet, since both he and his closest subordinates did not consider it possible to leave the capital during the "tense struggle." ^[one]

Despite his health condition (65 years old), Churchill, in company with British Foreign Ministry official A. Cadogan , who was to accompany him to the scheduled meeting, made a test flight at high altitude using an oxygen mask, after which a conclusion was made about his ability to make a long high-altitude flight.

Churchill flew out to meet Stalin on the Liberator bomber (tail number AL504) ^[2] shortly after midnight on August 1, 1942. Making stops for rest and resolving some issues in Gibraltar , Cairo and Tehran , he flew from Tehran to Moscow on August 12, arriving in the capital of the USSR at 17:00 after more than a ten-hour flight. ^[one]

After arrival, Churchill and Harriman, met by V. Molotov and B. Shaposhnikov , inspected the guard of honor and - after a short speech by Churchill - departed to their places of residence (State Building No. 7 and the US Embassy, respectively). Churchill described his impression of state delivery as follows: “Everything was prepared with despotic wastefulness (totalitarian lavishness)” ^[3] .

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited the USSR for the first time, setting off for this conference. In addition to Churchill, the British delegation included Alan Brook , chief of the Imperial General Staff, General Archibald Wavell , Arthur Tedder , the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force of Great Britain and Alexander Cadogan , Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister of Great Britain. On the Soviet side, Vyacheslav Molotov , the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, and Marshal Kliment Voroshilov also participated in the negotiations.

12th of August

The first meeting of delegates with Stalin took place on the evening of the first day of the conference and lasted until 22:40. The meeting took place in a very narrow circle, in addition to Stalin, only Churchill, Kerr, Harriman and a military translator from the English embassy (Major Charles Dunlop) attended it ^[4] . This was due to the fact that another plane, in which the rest of the delegates flew, was forced to return to Tehran after departure for technical reasons. ^[one]

According to a report sent by Churchill to London, the first two hours of the meeting were "dull and gloomy." Stalin reported serious problems at the front and that the Germans were making "colossal efforts to capture Baku and Stalingrad." The conversation turned to the possibility of opening a “second front” in 1942, on which the USSR had high hopes, and about which Stalin had insistently talked to the Allies for several months. On the first day, Churchill announced his refusal to open a "second front" in Europe in 1942 ^[5] . He told Stalin (according to some sources, in an “apologetic tone”) ^[6] that according to the results of a comprehensive study of this issue by British and American experts, the Allies concluded that they were unable to launch a landing on the other side of the English Channel in September 1942. Instead, preparations were underway for the landing of 48 divisions in 1943. However, Churchill added, when everything is ready for landing in 1943, the Germans are likely to be able to counter the airborne force with a superior force in numbers. After these words - according to protocol records - Stalin “frowned so that deep wrinkles went down his face” (Stalin's face crumpled into a frown). ^[one]

In a further conversation regarding the opening of a "second front," Stalin said that the British "should not be so afraid of the Germans." Then he asked: “Why are you [the British] so afraid of them?” In response, Churchill recalled the events of 1940 and the Germans abandoning their own plans for an attack through the English Channel, saying that Hitler “was afraid to conduct this operation.” Stalin expressed his disagreement, but did not object to the fact that the details of such an operation should be discussed between the respective generals. ^[one]

Churchill went over to the topic of German bombardment, saying that “if necessary, we hope to destroy almost every apartment building in almost every large German city during the war” (If need be, as the war went on, we hoped to shatter almost every dwelling in almost every German city). After that, Stalin's mood improved, and Churchill again began to talk about a "second front." He told Stalin about the plans of the Allies to conduct another operation, since France was not the only place where it was possible to attack. Having said that he was authorized by Roosevelt to share this secret with Stalin - after which, according to protocol records, Stalin “straightened his back and grinned” (Mr. Stalin sat up and grinned) - Churchill described in detail the details of the planned landing in French North Africa ( Operation "Torch" ), adding that its implementation could open up the possibility of sea deliveries to the USSR through the Mediterranean and Black Seas. As assured by the Prime Minister of Great Britain, all of North Africa, the “soft underbelly of Hitler’s Europe,” as he put it, should have come under the control of British-American forces by the end of 1942. After listening to Churchill, Stalin expressed hope for God's help in the successful conduct of this operation (a direct speech in the English record is “May God help this enterprise to succeed”). ^[one]

Also at the first meeting, Stalin made a complaint to the UK regarding supply disruptions from this power and the United States. Churchill pointed to the guarantee of cargo deliveries to British ports, and not to Soviet ones, which was caused by attacks by German submarines and aircraft on northern convoys plying between the two Allied powers.

As a result of the first meeting, Churchill sent C. Attlee his deputy (leader of the Labor Party) the following message: “He [Stalin] learned the worst news, and we parted with a benevolent mood” (He [Stalin] knows the worst, and we parted in an atmosphere of goodwill). ^[one]

August 13th

The second day of the conference began for Churchill with a meeting in the Kremlin with the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs V. Molotov, at which Churchill informed Molotov of the Allies' planning of military operations in Western Europe (the canceled operations " Hammer " and "Obligation"; the ongoing operation "Bolero", which consisted of a gradual the accumulation of American forces in Britain). We also talked about the forthcoming operation "Torch" and the possibility of carrying out the operation "Jupiter" (the planned landing of the Allies in Norway). According to Churchill’s telegraph report to London, "He [Molotov] listened politely, but did not say a word." Before his departure, Churchill turned to Molotov and said: “Stalin will make a big mistake when we have already covered such a part of the journey” (Stalin will make a great mistake to treat us roughly when we have come so far). To which Molotov replied: “Stalin is a very wise man. You can be sure that no matter how he argues, he understands everything. I will give him your words. ” ^[3]

At 17:00 a plane arrived with the rest of the British delegation, joining Churchill at his second meeting with Stalin, which began at 23:00. Stalin opened the meeting by reading a memorandum in which he severely criticized the refusal to open a "second front" in 1942. Churchill listened to the translation and said that he would give a written answer, adding, however, that Great Britain and the USA had already decided on the course of their actions, and that all the reproaches expressed were in vain. After that, Stalin spoke impartially about the British efforts in the military sphere: “You British are afraid to fight. You should not think that the Germans are supermen. Sooner or later you have to fight. You cannot win the war without fighting. "(You British are afraid of fighting. You should not think the Germans are supermen. You will have to fight sooner or later. You cannot win a war without fighting). After this tirade, Harriman handed a note to Churchill urging him not to take Stalin’s words seriously, since he behaved the same way at the first conference . ^[one]

Churchill asked to invite Colonel Jan Jacob (Assistant Secretary of War) to his room to write down his words, and expressed "his disappointment that Stalin - in all evidence - does not believe in the sincerity of what he says, and also does not believe in sincerity his motives. " Then this remark grew into what Harriman later called the most brilliant of Churchill's speeches made during the war. Even the translator was so keen on this speech that he put down his pencil and stopped making notes. Churchill himself was so carried away that he stopped pausing, and Major Dunlop simply did not have the opportunity to translate. Left without a translation of most of the speech, Stalin laughed and said: “Your words are not important, what is vital is the spirit”.

Churchill told Dunlop to take the notes made by Jacob and convey their contents to Stalin as accurately as possible. Churchill described his impressions of the second day of the conference as follows: “I have bluntly and completely refuted all his statements, avoiding any irony. I believe that he was not used to being constantly contradicted, but he was not at all angry and did not even come to life at all. For one reason, I said that I excuse his words only because of the courage shown by the Russian troops "(I repulsed all his contentions squarely but without taunts of any kind. I suppose he is not used to being contradicted repeatedly but he did not become at all Angry or even animated. On one occasion I said, "I pardon that remark only on account of the bravery of the Russian troops). ^[one]

August 14

The third meeting with Stalin took place at 21:00. Churchill and his companions who arrived in the Kremlin were at a dinner, which was attended by about 100 people. Shortly after the guests took their places, Molotov raised a toast to Churchill's health. Churchill answered with a toast to the health of Stalin, and he answered with a toast to the health of Roosevelt and Harriman. During dinner, Churchill did not have the opportunity to speak with Stalin. ^[one]

About four hours later, Stalin invited Churchill into the next room for coffee and liquor. There they were photographed, first together, and then with Harriman. Stalin suggested watching a movie, which Churchill refused, citing fatigue. Having shaken hands with Stalin, Churchill went to the exit. Stalin hurried after his guest and escorted him through the Kremlin halls to the front door, where they once again shook hands. The English ambassador K. Kerr described this in his message to Eden : ^[1] “This long walk or, rather, jogging - since he [Stalin] had to take a step to keep up with Mr. Churchill - is how much I I understand, unprecedented in the history of the Soviet Kremlin since the time we began to deal with it ”(This long walk, or rather trot, for he [Stalin] had to be brisk in order to keep pace with Mr. Churchill, is, I understand, without precedent in the history of the Soviet Kremlin in so far as we have impinged upon it.)

August 15

At 09:00, Churchill called in Colonel Jacob to discuss a rather heated conversation with Stalin, which took place on August 13. Churchill was inclined to change his mind about this incident. He believed that “perhaps Stalin did not want to insult him as much as he thought at first” (Stalin had perhaps not meant to be as insulting as he [Churchill] first thought). Jacob recommended meeting with Stalin again, face to face. Due to the importance of this meeting, and since Major Dunlop's qualifications as a translator were insufficient, Jacob advised Churchill to bring Major Arthur Hubert Beers, a member of the English military mission, who was born in St. Petersburg in 1891 and was fluent in Russian, since he received school education in Russia and left the country only after the October Revolution. ^{[1] [7]}

Accompanied by Major Beers, Churchill arrived in the Kremlin shortly before 19:00 and was escorted to the large conference room, which included Stalin and his translator Vladimir Pavlov . Thanking Stalin “for all the courtesy and hospitality shown,” Churchill said: “I understood that what I had to say about the opening of the“ second front ”would be very painfully received by our Russian friends, so I considered it my duty to personally come here for I’m meeting with you, Prime Minister Stalin, which — in comparison with the transmission through our ambassador or with the exchange of telegrams — would be more friendly and would confirm the sincerity of my feelings. " painful to our Russian friends and so I thought it would be my duty to come myself to see you, Premier Stalin - that it would be more friendly and proof of my sincere feelings if I came myself - rather than communicate through our Ambassador or by exchange of telegrams.) ^[1]

Stalin replied that "a personal exchange of views was of the greatest importance" and that "the fact of our meeting is of great value." Recognizing some controversy, Stalin described the meeting with Churchill as "preparing the ground for an agreement in the future." After that, the discussion turned to the accumulation of American forces in the territory of Great Britain and the operation “Torch”, the use of which for the USSR, as Churchill admits, would be “indirect”. Churchill also spoke about the planned “reconnaissance in battle,” which meant the landing in Dieppe planned for August 19. According to Churchill, about 8,000 people and 50 tanks were to be involved in it. Stalin, in turn, told Churchill about the situation at the front, and also acquainted him with the plans for the defense of the Caucasus and blocking the advance of the Germans to the Baku oil fields. In a subsequent telegram addressed to Attlee, Churchill wrote that, according to his feelings, the probability of Soviet holding the Caucasus was 50%, while General Brooke was not so optimistic. ^[one]

Soon after, Churchill got up with the intention of ending the meeting, since he had planned a dinner with General W. Anders . Stalin asked when they would meet next time. Churchill said that he was going to leave tomorrow at dawn. Hearing this, Stalin suggested moving to his Kremlin apartment and “having a drink”. Churchill agreed and followed Stalin into his apartment, which Churchill subsequently described as “of moderate size, simple, dignified, and four in number”. In the apartment they were joined by Stalin's daughter Svetlana and Molotov. When Churchill realized that he was invited to dinner, he sent Beers to the phone to notify Anders. Dinner lasted until 02:30 the next day [August 16]. The table conversation leapt from delivering trucks for the Red Army to the Napoleonic Wars, the Duke of Marlborough and the collectivization of Soviet agriculture. At about 01:00 A. Kadogan arrived with a draft communiqué following the conference. At this time, a milk pig was served. Cadogan rejected Stalin's offer to join, and Stalin ate the piglet alone. ^[1] In a letter to Lord Halifax, Cadogan described this dinner as follows: “There I found Winston with Stalin and Molotov who joined them. They sat at a richly laid table, laden with a varied meal with a milk pig in the form of a main course and countless bottles. The fact that Stalin made me drink was quite barbaric in taste. Winston, who by then complained of a mild headache, wisely limited himself to a comparatively harmless Caucasian fizzy red wine. They all looked merry, like at a wedding. ”(There I found Winston and Stalin, and Molotov who has joined them, sitting with a heavily-laden board between them: food of all kinds crowned by a sucking pig, and innumerable bottles. What Stalin made me drink seemed pretty savage: Winston, who by that time was complaining of a slight headache, seemed wisely to be confining himself to a comparatively innocuous effervescent Caucasian red wine. Everyone seemed to be as merry as a marriage bell). ^[eight]

Then Stalin went into the next room to familiarize himself with the situation at the front. When Stalin returned, at about 02:30, the final text of the communiqué was agreed upon, after which Churchill, with his head cracking, which he said was quite unusual for him, went to the country house provided to him. ^[one]

August 16

Conference delegates arrived at the airport at 05:00, accompanied by V. Molotov. Upon completion of the relevant ceremonies, including the performance of the Internationale , God Save the King and the Star Banner , delegates flew from Moscow on four Liberator bombers.

The main objective of the Allies at this conference was to personally inform Stalin that the "second front" would not be open in 1942, while receiving assurances from him that the USSR would not conclude a separate peace with Germany. One of the positive consequences of the negotiations was the establishment of personal contact between Stalin and Churchill. In general, the conference was held in a friendly atmosphere and weakened mutual suspicion in relations between the USSR and Great Britain. In a August 18 issue, The Times described the conference as "in an atmosphere of cordiality and complete sincerity." ^[9] At the end of the conference, Churchill telegraphed C. Attlee with the following: “On the whole, I am definitely encouraged by my visit to Moscow. I am sure that if the personally disappointing news I had sent were transmitted in any other way, this would lead to very serious cooling of our relationship "(On the whole I am definitely encouraged by my visit to Moscow. I am sure that the disappointing news I brought could not have been imparted except by me personally without leading to a really serious drifting apart). ^[1] The conference also addressed the possibility of meeting the heads of the entire Big Three, but was not finally resolved ^[10] .

• Moscow Conference (1941)

• There will be no second front in 1942 , historic.ru
• History of International Relations (1918-2003)
• Second Moscow Conference