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“NEW WORLD ORDER” was born in Yalta
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Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin at Yalta
The "Big Three" at the Yalta Conference, Winston Churchill, Franklin D.
Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. Also present are Admiral of the Fleet Sir
Andrew Cunningham, RN, Marshal of the RAF Sir Charles Portal, RAF (both
standing behind Churchill); and Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, USN,
(standing behind Roosevelt).
YALTA - NEW WORLD ORDER
“NEW WORLD ORDER” was born in Yalta
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut
Conference, was the February 4–11, 1945 wartime meeting of the heads of government of the
United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union—President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime
Minister Winston Churchill, and General Secretary Joseph Stalin, respectively—for the purpose of
discussing Europe's postwar reorganization. Mainly, it was intended to discuss the re-establishment
of the nations of war-torn Europe. The conference convened in the Livadia Palace near Yalta, the
Crimea. It was the second of three wartime conferences among the Big Three (Churchill, Roosevelt
and Stalin). It had been preceded by the Tehran Conference in 1943, and it was followed by the
Potsdam Conference which was attended by Harry S. Truman in place of the late Roosevelt; and
Clement Attlee who attended in place of Churchill.
All three leaders were trying to establish an agenda for governing post-war Germany. Churchill's
attitude towards the Soviet Union differed vastly from that of Roosevelt, with the former believing
Stalin to be a "devil"-like tyrant leading a vile system.[1] In 1942, U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet
Union William Christian Bullitt, Jr.'s thesis prophesied the "flow of the Red amoeba into Europe".
Roosevelt responded to Bullitt, Jr. with a statement summarizing his rationale for war time relations
with Stalin:[2]
just have a hunch that Stalin is not that kind of a man. ... I think that if I
“ Igive
him everything I possibly can and ask for nothing from him in return,
noblesse oblige, he won't try to annex anything and will work with me for a
world of democracy and peace.
—Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1943
On the Eastern Front, the Front Line at the end of December 1943 remained in the Soviet Union, but
by August 1944 Soviet forces were inside Poland and parts of Romania in their relentless drive
West.[3] By the time of the Conference, Red Army Marshal Georgy Zhukov's forces were 65 km
(40 mi) from Berlin. Stalin's position at the conference was one which he felt was so strong that he
could dictate terms. As U.S. delegation member and future Secretary of State James F. Byrnes
commented, "[i]t was not a question of what we [the West] would let the Russians do, but what we
could get the Russians to do."[4] Moreover, Roosevelt had hoped for Stalin's commitment to
participate in the United Nations.
Premier Stalin, insisting that his doctors opposed any long trips, rejected Roosevelt's suggestion to
meet on the Mediterranean.[5] He offered, instead, to meet at the Black Sea resort of Yalta, in the
Crimea. Each leader had an agenda for the Yalta Conference: Roosevelt asked for Soviet support in
the U.S. Pacific War against Japan, specifically invading Japan; Churchill pressed for free elections
and democratic governments in Eastern and Central Europe (specifically Poland); and Stalin
demanded a Soviet sphere of political influence in Eastern and Central Europe, an essential to the
USSR's national security strategy.
Poland was the first item on the Soviet agenda. Stalin stated that "[f]or the Soviet government, the
question of Poland was one of honor" and security because Poland had served as a historical corridor
for forces attempting to invade Russia.[6] In addition, Stalin stated regarding history that "because the
Russians had greatly sinned against Poland", "the Soviet government was trying to atone for those
sins."[6] Stalin concluded that "Poland must be strong" and that "the Soviet Union is interested in the
creation of a mighty, free and independent Poland." Accordingly, Stalin stipulated that Polish
government-in-exile demands were not negotiable: the Soviet Union would keep the territory of
eastern Poland they had already annexed in 1939, and Poland was to be compensated for that by
extending its Western borders at the expense of Germany. Comporting with his prior statement,
Stalin promised free elections in Poland despite the Soviet sponsored provisional government
recently installed by him in Polish territories occupied by the Red Army.
Roosevelt wanted the USSR to enter the Pacific War with the Allies. One Soviet precondition for a
declaration of war against Japan was an American recognition of Mongolian independence from
China, and a recognition of Soviet interests in the Manchurian railways and Port Arthur; these were
agreed without Chinese representation or consent. Stalin agreed that the Soviet Union would enter
the Pacific War three months after the defeat of Germany.
A Big Three meeting room
Roosevelt met Stalin's price, hoping the USSR could be dealt with via the United Nations. Later,
many Americans considered the agreements of the Yalta Conference were a "sellout", encouraging
Soviet expansion of influence to Japan and Asia, and because Stalin eventually violated the
agreements in forming the Soviet bloc. Furthermore, the Soviets had agreed to join the United
Nations, given the secret understanding of a voting formula with a veto power for permanent
members of the Security Council, thus ensuring that each country could block unwanted decisions.
At the time the Red Army had occupied and held much of Eastern Europe with military three times
greater than Allied forces in the West. The Declaration of Liberated Europe did little to dispel the
sphere of influence agreements that had been incorporated into armistice agreements.
The Big Three ratified previous agreements about the post-war occupation zones for Germany: three
zones of occupation, one for each of the three principal Allies: The Soviet Union, Great Britain, and
the United States (France later received one also, when the US and the UK ceded parts of their
zones). Berlin itself, although in the Russian zone, would also be divided into three sectors (and
eventually became a Cold War symbol because of the division's realization via the Berlin Wall, built
and manned by the Soviet-backed East German government).
Also, the Big Three agreed that all original governments would be restored to the invaded countries
(with the exception of the French government, which was regarded as collaborationist; in Romania
and Bulgaria, where the Soviets had already liquidated most of the governments[clarification needed]; the
Polish government-in-exile was also excluded by Stalin) and that all civilians would be repatriated.
Major points
File:Yalta Conference (Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin)(B&W).jpg
A more casual picture of the Big Three at Yalta
Military situation at the end of the conference
Key points of the meeting are as follows:
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There was an agreement that the priority would be the unconditional surrender of Nazi
Germany. After the war, Germany and Berlin would be split into four occupied zones.
Stalin agreed that France might have a fourth occupation zone in Germany and in Austria but
it would have to be formed out of the American and British zones.
Germany would undergo demilitarization and denazification.
German reparations were partly to be in the form of forced labor. (see also Forced labor of
Germans in the Soviet Union). The forced labor was to be used to repair damage Germany
inflicted on its victims.[citation needed]
Creation of a reparation council which would be located in Russia.
The status of Poland was discussed. It was agreed to reorganize the communist Provisional
Government of the Republic of Poland that had been installed by the Soviet Union "on a
broader democratic basis."
The Polish eastern border would follow the Curzon Line, and Poland would receive territorial
compensation in the West from Germany.
Churchill alone pushed for free elections in Poland.[7] The British leader pointed out that UK
"could never be content with any solution that did not leave Poland a free and independent
state". Stalin pledged to permit free elections in Poland, but forestalled ever honoring his
promise.
Citizens of the Soviet Union and of Yugoslavia were to be handed over to their respective
countries, regardless of their consent.
Roosevelt obtained a commitment by Stalin to participate in the United Nations.
Stalin requested that all of the 16 Soviet Socialist Republics would be granted United Nations
membership. This was taken into consideration, but 14 republics were denied.
Stalin agreed to enter the fight against the Empire of Japan within 90 days after the defeat of
Germany.
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Nazi war criminals were to be hunted down and brought to justice.
A "Committee on Dismemberment of Germany" was to be set up. Its purpose was to decide
whether Germany was to be divided into six nations. Some examples of partition plans are
shown below:
The eventual partition
of Germany into
Allied Occupation
Zones:
British zone Partition plan from
French zone (two
Winston Churchill:
exclaves) and from
1947 the Saar
protectorate
American zone
Soviet zone, later
the DDR
Annexed
territory
North German state
South German state,
including modern
Austria and Hungary
West German state
Partition plan from
Franklin D.
Roosevelt:
Hanover
Prussia
Hesse
Saxony
Bavaria
International zone
(two exclaves)
Alliedadministered Austria
Morgenthau Plan:
North German
state
South
German state
International zone
Territory lost from
Germany (Saarland to
France, Upper Silesia
to Poland, East
Prussia partitioned
between Poland and
the USSR)
Section of the report addressing democratic elections
The Big Three further agreed that democracies would be established, all liberated European and
former Axis satellite countries would hold free elections and that order would be restored.[8] In that
regard, they promised to rebuild occupied countries by processes that will allow them "to create
democratic institutions of their own choice. This is a principle of the Atlantic Charter – the right of
all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live".[8] The report that resulted
stated that the three would assist occupied countries to form interim government that "pledged to the
earliest possible establishment through free elections of the Governments responsive to the will of
the people" and to "facilitate where necessary the holding of such elections."[8]
The Declaration contained no mechanisms for the enforcement of its principles. The agreement
called on signatories to "consult together on the measures necessary to discharge the joint
responsibilities set forth in this declaration." During the Yalta discussions, Molotov inserted
language that weakened the implication of enforcement of the declaration.[9]
Regarding Poland, the Yalta report further stated that the provisional government should "be pledged
to the holding of free and unfettered elections as soon as possible on the basis of universal suffrage
and secret ballot."[8] The agreement could not conceal the importance of acceding to pro-Soviet
short-term Lublin government control and of eliminating language calling for supervised elections.[9]
According to President Roosevelt, "if we attempt to evade the fact that we placed somewhat more
emphasis on the Lublin Poles than on the other two groups from which the new government is to be
drawn I feel we will expose ourselves to the charges that we are attempting to go back on the Crimea
decision." Roosevelt conceded that the language of Yalta was so vague that the Soviets would be
able to "stretch it all the way from Yalta to Washington without ever technically breaking it."
American government officials such as Harry Hopkins conceded that the Soviet position on the
predominance of the Lublin Poles in any provisional government comported with the compromises
worked out at Yalta. Scholars believe that the recognition of the Lublin Government by the Western
powers meant acceptance of predominant Soviet influence in postwar Poland.
The final agreement stipulated that "the Provisional Government which is now functioning in Poland
should therefore be reorganized on a broader democratic basis with the inclusion of democratic
leaders from Poland and from Poles abroad."[8] The language of Yalta conceded predominance of the
pro-Soviet Lublin Government in a provisional government, albeit a reorganized one.[9]
Aftermath
Poland and the Eastern Bloc
Further information: History of Poland (1939–1945) and Eastern Bloc
Although suspicious of Stalin, even Churchill believed that, because of Stalin's strong promises and
admission of guilt over Poland, that Stalin might keep his word regarding Poland, remarking "Poor
Neville Chamberlain believed he could trust Hitler. He was wrong. But I don't think I'm wrong about
Stalin."[10]
At the time, over 200,000 troops of the Polish Armed Forces in the West were serving under the high
command of the British Army. Many of these men and women were originally from the Kresy
region of eastern Poland including cities such as Lwow and Wilno. They had been deported from
Kresy to the Russian Gulags when Hitler and Stalin occupied Poland in 1939 in accordance with the
Nazi-Soviet Pact. When two years later Churchill and Stalin formed an alliance against Hitler, the
Kresy Poles were released from the Gulags in Siberia, formed the Anders Army and marched to
Persia to create the II Corps (Poland) under British high command.
These Polish troops were instrumental to the Allied defeat of the Germans in North Africa and Italy,
and hoped to return to their homes in Kresy in an independent and democratic Poland at the end of
the War. But at Yalta, Churchill agreed that Stalin should keep the Soviet gains Hitler agreed to in
the Nazi-Soviet Pact, including Kresy, and carry out Polish population transfers (1944–1946).
Consequently, Churchill had agreed that tens of thousands of veteran Polish troops under British
command should lose their Kresy homes to the Soviet Union.[11] In reaction, thirty officers and men
from the II Corps (Poland) committed suicide.[12]
Churchill defended his actions at Yalta in a three-day Parliamentary debate starting February 27,
1945, which ended in a vote of confidence. During the debate, many MPs openly criticised Churchill
and passionately voiced loyalty to Britain's Polish allies and expressed deep reservations about
Yalta.[12] Moreover, 25 of these MPs risked their careers to draft an amendment protesting against
Britain's tacit acceptance of Poland's domination by the Soviet Union. These members included:
Arthur Greenwood; Sir Archibald Southby, 1st Baronet; Sir Alec Douglas-Home; James HeathcoteDrummond-Willoughby, 3rd Earl of Ancaster and Victor Raikes.[12] After the failure of the
amendment, Henry Strauss, 1st Baron Conesford, the Member of Parliament for Norwich, resigned
his seat in protest at the British treatment of Poland.[12]
When the Second World War ended, a Communist government was installed in Poland. Most Poles
felt betrayed by their wartime allies. Many Polish soldiers refused to return to Poland, because of the
Soviet repressions of Polish citizens (1939–1946), the Trial of the Sixteen and other executions of
pro-Western Poles, particularly the former members of the AK (Armia Krajowa). The result was the
Polish Resettlement Act 1947, Britain's first mass immigration law.
The Western Powers soon realized that Stalin would not honor his free elections promise regarding
Poland. After receiving considerable criticism in London following Yalta regarding the atrocities
committed in Poland by Soviet troops, Churchill wrote Roosevelt a desperate letter referencing the
wholesale deportations and liquidations of opposition Poles by the Soviets.[13] Roosevelt, however,
maintained his confidence in Stalin, reasoning that Stalin's early priesthood training had "entered
into his nature of the way in which a Christian gentleman should behave."[13] On March 1, Roosevelt
assured Congress that "I come from the Crimea with a firm belief that we have made a start on the
road to a world of peace."[13] By March 21, Roosevelt's Ambassador to the USSR Averell Harriman
cabled Roosevelt that "we must come clearly to realize that the Soviet program is the establishment
of totalitarianism, ending personal liberty and democracy as we know it."[14] Two days later,
Roosevelt began to admit that his view of Stalin had been excessively optimistic and that "Averell is
right."[14]
Four days later, on March 27, the Soviet NKVD arrested 16 Polish opposition political leaders that
had been invited to participate in provisional government negotiations.[14] The arrests were part of a
trick employed by the NKVD, which flew the leaders to Moscow for a later show trial followed by
sentencing to a gulag.[14][15] Churchill thereafter argued to Roosevelt that it was "as plain as a pike
staff" that Moscow's tactics were to drag out the period for holding free elections "while the Lublin
Committee consolidate their power."[14] The fraudulent Polish elections, held in January 16, 1947,
resulted in Poland's official transformation to communist state by 1949.
Following Yalta, in Moscow, when Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov expressed worry
that the Yalta Agreement's wording might impede Stalin's plans, Stalin responded "Never mind.
We'll do it our own way later."[10] While the Soviet Union had already annexed several occupied
countries as (or into) Soviet Socialist Republics,[16][17][18] other countries in eastern Europe that it
occupied were converted into Soviet-controlled satellite states, such as the People's Republic of
Poland, the People's Republic of Hungary,[19] the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic,[20] the People's
Republic of Romania, the People's Republic of Albania,[21] and later East Germany from the Soviet
zone of German occupation.[22] Eventually the United States and the United Kingdom made
concessions in recognizing the then Communist-dominated regions, sacrificing the substance of the
Yalta Declaration, while it remained in form.[23]
Potsdam and the atomic bomb
Further information: Potsdam Conference and Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Conference was held from July to August 1945, which included the participation of
Clement Attlee, who had replaced Churchill as Prime Minister.[24][25] At Potsdam, the Soviets denied
claims that they were interfering in the affairs of Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary.[23] The
conference resulted in (1) the Potsdam Declaration regarding the surrender of Japan,[26] and (2) the
Potsdam Agreement regarding the Soviet annexation of former Polish territory east of the Curzon
Line, and, provisions, to be addressed in an eventual Final Treaty ending World War 2, for the
annexation of parts of Germany east of the Oder-Neisse line into Poland, and northern East Prussia
into the Soviet Union.
Four months after the death of Roosevelt, President Truman ordered the dropping of an atomic bomb
on Hiroshima on August 6, 88 days after the Soviet Union had agreed to enter the Pacific War within
90 days.
The Yalta Conference of 1945
The Yalta Conference of 1945 was the second of three conferences held between the
three Allied superpowers during the World War II era. During this particular confrence,
which was to be the last one attended by President Roosevelt before his death, there was
discussion about what to do with Germany and how to end the war in the pacific with the
Japanese. This conference in Yalta would not be the last. There would be a third and final
conference held before everything was settled with World War II, but even then not all
would be fine. Out of the end of the war, the beginnings of the Cold War had originated.
Crimean Conference 1945
The Yalta Conference of 1945 was held in the month of February, 1945, on the Crimean
peninsula in Russia. It was a meeting of political leaders to discuss what was happening
in World War II. This was actually the second in a series of three meetings,and this
particular conference taking place from February 4-11 at Yalta, among the three main
Allied powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. The three
representative leaders for these countries were President Roosevelt, Prime Minister
Churchill, and Premier Stalin. The earlier conference was known as the Tehran
Conference, and the one to follow it would be called the Potsdam Conference. The goal
of these conferences was to establish an agenda for post-war Germany and how to best
deal with the ending of the most horrific war the war had ever experienced.
Yalta, 1945 Summit
Each country had its own ideas coming into the conference, and this made the workings
of the conference more difficult. Roosevelt desired the Soviets to assist the US in the
Pacific war against the Japanese. Churchill sought the spread of democracy and free
elections in Europe with the aid of the other two superpowers. Stalin wanted Soviet
influence in Eastern European politics to secure Russian interests as a matter of national
security for his country. In addition to thier agenda was the decision of what to do with
Germany. This made for a difficult conference with much to be accomplished in a short
time period.
Yalta 1945
Poland was a point of contention. It was desired by Stalin that the Russians should
continue to occupy the area, thereby forcing out milions of Germans. Poland was seen as
a necessity and a matter of security to the Russians, as many of their invaders in the past
had come through Poland to reach them. In return for occupying Poland it was promised
that the Russians would allow free elections. In January 1947 free elections were held
and Poland was officially transferred from a communist to a socialist state, a transition
completed by 1949. This transition was considered to still be slanted in favor of Soviet
parties and not wholly independent.
Roosevelt asked for help in the Pacific war against the Japanese. One condition of this
war was that Mongolia would become independent from China, which was agreed upon
without diplomatic relations with China. Six months after the conference, formal war was
declared on the Japanese in the Pacific by the Russians. To date, no peace treaty has ever
been signed between the two countries and they failed to sign the original San Francisco
Peace Treaty drawn up around the time physical war ended. The US had hoped that by
asking the USSR to get involved, and by asking them to join the United Nations, that
everything would be worked out as time passed. But no such thing ever happened.
Yalta Summit 1945
As for what to do about Germany, the beginnings of the Cold War had its origin here.
The city of Berlin and the whole of Germany would be divided into factions, and the
Berlin Wall would be constructed. Germany would be split into four occupied zones,
with France controlling the fourth occupied area. There would be no forced labor or
prisoner camps of the German people as reparation.
Yalta, Livadiya 2009
There was talk of dismantling the whole of Germany, but that would not happen. And the
power of Stalin was to be underestimated, as would be seen in the third confrence and in
the undertakings of the Cold War that was about to unfold.
THE YALTA CONFERENCE (1945)
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the
Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from February 4 to 11, 1945 between
the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet
Union. The delegations were headed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill,
and Joseph Stalin, respectively.
Overview
The key Allied leaders, Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill, were known as the "Big
Three" because of the might of the nations they represented and their peaceful
collaboration during World War II. These three leaders met together only twice during
World War II, but when they did conference, their decisions changed the course of
history.
After the Tehran Conference, the three leaders promised to meet again, and this
agreement came to pass at the Yalta Conference of February 1945. Although Stalin
had expressed concern about Roosevelt's health during the Teheran conference, this
concern did not translate into action. The Soviet dictator refused to travel further than
the Black Sea Resort, Yalta, in the Crimean Riveria (then part of the Soviet Union,
now part of Ukraine) for the next summit and, once again, Churchill and Roosevelt
were both the ones taking long and tiring trips to attend the Yalta summit.
Each of the three powers brought their own agenda to the Yalta Conference. The
British wanted to maintain their empire, the Soviets wished to obtain more land and to
strengthen conquests, and the Americans wanted to insure the Soviet's entry into the
Pacific war and discuss postwar settlement. Moreover, Roosevelt hoped to obtain a
commitment from Stalin to participate in the United Nations. As the first topic on the
Soviet's agenda for expansion, the subject of Poland immediately arose, and Stalin
was quick to succintly state his case with the following words:
"For the Russian people, the question of Poland is not only a question of honor but
also a question of security. Throughout history, Poland has been the corridor through
which the enemy has passed into Russia. Poland is a question of life and death for
Russia."
Accordingly, Stalin made it clear that some of his demands regarding Poland were not
negotiable: the Russians were to gain territory from the eastern portion of Poland and
Poland was to compensate for that by extending its Western borders, thereby forcing
out millions of Germans. Reluctantly, Stalin promised free elections in Poland,
notwithstanding the recently installed Communist puppet government. However, it
soon became apparent that Stalin had no intentions of holding true to his promise of
free elections. In fact, it was fifty years after the Yalta Conference that the Poles first
had the opportunity to hold free elections. As mentioned earlier, at Yalta a principal
aim of Roosevelt was to make sure that the Soviets would enter the Asian war, i.e., the
war against the Japanese. Unfortunately, however, Roosevelt should never have spent
any time agonizing over Soviet involvement in the Pacific war because Stalin did not
need convincing. The Soviets themselves were keen to assuage the intense feelings of
humiliation that resulted from a long ago defeat by Japan and loss of privileges in
Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War. The Soviets were keen on regaining lost
territories and optimistic that they could obtain more lands.
However, Roosevelt was oblivious to Stalin's objectives because of Stalin's excellent
'poker face,' and he readily met Stalin's price, leaving the Yalta Conference exuberant
because Stalin had agreed to enter the Pacific war against Japan. Moreover, the
Soviets had agreed to join the United Nations given the secret understanding of a
voting formula with a veto power for permanent members in the Security Council,
there by providing the Soviets with more control in world affairs and greatly
weakening the United Nations. Overall, Roosevelt felt confident that Yalta had been
successful. The Big Three had ratified previous agreements about the postwar division
of Germany: there were to be four zones of occupation, one zone for each of the three
dominant nations plus one zone for France. Berlin itself, although within the Soviet
zone, would also be divided into four sectors, and would eventually become a major
symbol of the Cold War because of the division of the city due to the infamous Berlin
Wall, which was constructed and manned by the Soviets.
The Big Three had further decided that all original governments would be restored to
the invaded countries and that all civilians would repatriated. Democracies would be
established, all territories would hold free elections, and order restored to Europe, as
declared in the following official statement:
"The establishment of order in Europe and the rebuilding of national economic life
must be achieved by processes which will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the
last vestiges of Nazism and fascism and to create democratic institutions of their own
choice."
In the postwar setting, Russia would gain the southern half of the Sakhalin Islands and
Kuriles, half of East Prussia, Konigsberg, Germany, and control of Finland. In
addition, Roosevelt let it slip that the United States would not protest if the Soviet
Union attempted to annex the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) or
establish puppet governments, therefore leaving Stalin as pleased with the overall
results as Roosevelt, and more rightly so. The Yalta Conference is often regarded by
numerous Central European nations as the "Western betrayal." This belief, held by
countries such as Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and the Czech Republic, is rooted in the
belief that the Allied powers, despite venerating democratic policies and signing
numerous pacts and military agreements, allowed smaller countries to be controlled by
and/or made Communist states of the Soviet Union. At the Yalta conference, the Big
Three "attempted to sacrifice freedom for the sake of stability," and many believe the
decisions and concessions of Roosevelt and Churchill during the summit lead to the
power struggle of the ensuing Cold War.
The meeting
The conference was held in Yalta, a resort town on the Crimean peninsula in the
Soviet Union (now in Ukraine). The American delegation was housed in the Tsar's
former palace, while President Roosevelt stayed at the Livadia Palace where the
meetings took place. The British delegation was installed in Prince Vorontsov's castle
of Alupka. Key members of the delegations were Edward Stettinius, Averell
Harriman, Anthony Eden, Alexander Cadogan, and Vyacheslav Molotov. According
to Anthony Beevor, all the rooms were bugged by the NKVD. Stalin arrived by train
on February 4. The meeting started with an official dinner on the evening of that day.
Major points
* There was agreement that the priority was the unconditional surrender of Nazi
Germany. After the war, the country would be split into four occupied zones, with a
quadripartite occupation of Berlin as well.
* Stalin agreed to let France get the fourth occupation zone in Germany and Austria,
carved out from the British and American zones. France would also be granted a seat
in the Allied Control Council.
* Germany would undergo demilitarization and denazification.
* Creation of an allied reparation council with its seat in Moscow.
* The status of Poland was discussed but was complicated by the fact that Poland by
this time was under the control of the red army. It was agreed to reorganize the
Provisionary Polish Government that had been set up by the Red Army through the
inclusion of other groups as the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity to
be followed by democratic elections. (This effectively excluded the exile Polish
government that had formed in London).
* The Polish eastern border should basically follow the Curzon Line, and Poland
should receive substantial territorial compensation in the west from Germany.
* Citizens of the Soviet Union and of Yugoslavia were to be handed over to their
respective countries, regardless of their consent.
* Roosevelt obtained a commitment by Stalin to participate in the United Nations
once it was agreed that each of the five permanent members of the Security Council
would have veto power.
* Stalin agreed to enter the fight against the Empire of Japan within 90 days after the
defeat of Germany. The Soviet Union would receive the southern part of Sakhalin and
the Kurile islands after the defeat of Japan.
Aftermath
Yalta was the last great conference before the end of the war and the last trip of
Roosevelt abroad. To observers he appeared already ill and exhausted. Arguably, his
most important goal was to ensure the Soviet Union's participation in the United
Nations, which he achieved at the price of granting veto power to each permanent
member of the Security Council, a condition that significantly weakened the UN.
Another of his objectives was to bring the Soviet Union into the fight against Japan, as
the effectiveness of the atomic bomb had yet to be proven. The Red Army had already
removed Nazi forces from most of Eastern Europe, so Stalin essentially got everything
he wanted: a significant sphere of influence as a buffer zone. In this process, the
freedom of small nations was somehow expendable and sacrificed for the sake of
stability, which would mean that the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia
would continue to be members of the USSR.