Triumph and Tragedy (The Second World War) (41 page)

From this viewpoint also I much regret the increasing tendency towards the breaking up of your Inter-Party Pact, which has had such magnificent wartime
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success. Your great influence will, I hope, prevent a
break-up prematurely and before the new settlement of
Europe and the world has been achieved. The end is
not yet. So please take care of your health.

Field-Marshal

27 Sept. 44

Smuts

to

Prime

Minister

Thank you very much for all your four messages,
which I received after sending you my message on your
return. The impasse at Dumbarton Oaks is dealt with in
the first two, and I note your view and the course
proposed for later meeting, which from many points of
view appears admirable. As regards war plans in
Europe and Asia, dealt with in the third message, I am
pleased with your arrangements for the campaigns in
Italy and the Balkans. Since the enemy appears to be
retiring from Greece, it would seem advisable for us to
appear there soon and prevent Greece coming under
the heel of E.A.M. and charging us with having
deserted them. This matter was mentioned in my
previous message as one of particular concern for the
British Empire.

As regards the Pacific war, it has to be feared that
after the war against Germany is won war fever in the
United States will cool off and American ardour be
transferred to trade and industry. So they should be
grateful for your full participation. I am also glad to
know that Mountbatten, who has had a raw deal, will
get his chance in Burma and Malaya. As events are
now developing in China, it is possible that Japan, while
being driven from the occupied islands, will become
entrenched on the Chinese mainland, from which it will
be no easy task to eject her. Stalin will come in very
useful there. Unless he does so the Japanese war may
last longer than is at present expected.

Division of zones in Germany between United
Kingdom and United States appears fair. The destiny of
Prussia under occupation by the Russians seems likely
to be a Bolshevised Soviet province or protectorate. So
much for Hitler’s dream. But it shows that Europe’s two-

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thousand-year-old problem of Germany will remain as
great as ever.

The Dumbarton Oaks conference ended without agreement, but I felt acutely the need to see Stalin, with whom I always considered one could talk as one human being to another.

Prime Minister to

27 Sept. 44

Chief of the Air Staff

(For

your

eyes

alone)

It may be necessary for me to go to Moscow with
Mr. Eden. It would be a comfort to have the new
machine, which was promised by October 15, but we
might want to go even earlier than that. I imagine we
could fly from here to Cairo at one bound in the new
machine, and in two in the York, fuelling, I suppose, at
Naples or Malta. From Cairo one would have to watch
the weather most carefully. In clear weather the
President was able to go over the mountains at five or
six thousand feet. I can certainly do eight or ten
thousand for a short time. When we went in August
1942 at what height did “Commando” cross the
Caucasus Mountains? My idea is we flew at 11,000

feet, and then only for a short time. The whole passage
of the mountains took, I think, under three hours. After
that it is good low-flying over the Caspian and the
plains of Russia. There would be no need to make the
detour that we did on the last occasion. What is
essential is to wait at Cairo or Teheran till there is
absolutely clear weather.

Please let me have a report and clear plan.

I telegraphed to Stalin on the same day:
Prime Minister to

27 Sept. 44

Marshal Stalin

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259

I was gratified to hear from Ambassador Clark Kerr
the praise which you gave to British and American
operations in France. We value very much such
expressions from the leader of the heroic Russian
armies. I shall take occasion to repeat tomorrow in the
House of Commons what I have said before, that it is
the Russian Army that tore the guts out of the German
military machine, and is at the present moment holding
by far the larger portion of the enemy on its front.

2. I have just returned from long talks with the
President, and I can assure you of our intense
conviction that on the agreement of our three nations,
Britain, United States of America, and U.S.S.R., stand
the hopes of the world. I was very sorry to learn that
you had not been feeling well lately, and that your
doctors did not like your taking long journeys by air.

The President had the idea that The Hague would be a
good place for us to meet. We have not got it yet, but it
may be the course of the war, even before Christmas,
may alter the picture along the Baltic shore to such an
extent that your journey would not be tiring or difficult.

However, we shall have much hard fighting to do before
any such plan can be made.

3. Most Private. The President intends to visit
England, and thereafter France and the Low Countries,
immediately after the election, win or lose. My
information leads me to believe that he will win.

4. I most earnestly desire, and so, I know, does the
President, the intervention of Soviet Russia in the
Japanese war, as promised by you at Teheran as soon
as the German Army was beaten and destroyed. The
opening of a Russian military front against Japan would
force them to burn and bleed, especially in the air, in a
manner which would vastly accelerate their defeat.

From all I have learnt about the internal state of Japan
and the sense of hopelessness weighing on their
people, I believe it might well be that once the Nazis
are shattered a triple summons to Japan to surrender,
coming from our three Great Powers, might be decisive.

Of course, we must go into all these plans together. I
will gladly come to Moscow in October if I can get away
from here. If I cannot, Eden will be very ready to take

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my place. Meanwhile I send you and Molotov my most
sincere good wishes.

Roosevelt was impressed with Smuts’ views.

President Roosevelt

28 Sept. 44

to Prime Minister

I have read with great interest your telegram from
Field-Marshal Smuts, and I think we are all in
agreement with him as to the necessity of having the U.

S.S.R. as a fully accepted and equal member of any
association of the Great Powers formed for the purpose
of preventing international war.

It should be possible to accomplish this by adjusting
our differences through compromise by all the parties
concerned, and this ought to tide things over for a few
years until the child learns how to toddle.

The “child” in this case was the World Instrument. I replied:
Prime Minister to

29 Sept. 44

President Roosevelt

… In a conversation with Clark Kerr and Harriman
the other night U.J. [Stalin] was most expansive and
friendly. He however “grumbled about his own health.”

He said he never kept well except in Moscow, and even
his visits to the front did him harm. His doctors were
averse to his flying, and it took him a fortnight to
recover from Teheran, etc.

In these circumstances Anthony and I are seriously
thinking of flying there very soon. The route is shorter
now. Stalin has not yet replied to our suggestion. The
two great objects we have in mind would be, firstly, to
clinch his coming in against Japan, and, secondly, to try
to effect an amicable settlement with Poland. There are
other points too concerning Yugoslavia and Greece
which we would also discuss. We should keep you
informed of every point. Averell’s assistance would of
course be welcomed by us, or perhaps you could send
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261

Stettinius or Marshall. I feel certain that personal
contact is essential.

That Germany is not going to be conquered this
year seems to me pretty clear. In a telegram I have
seen Omar Bradley is already thinking in terms of an
operation across the Rhine in the middle of November,
and I have noted other signs of stiffening German
resistance.

Off the record: It was with much gusto that I read
your speech, and I was delighted to see you in such
vigorous form.

Every good wish.

On the same day came the following:

Marshal Stalin to

29 Sept. 44

Prime Minister

I have received the message from you and Mr.

Roosevelt about the Conference at Quebec, with
information about your further military plans. It is clear
from your communication what important tasks have to
be settled by American and British armed strength.

Permit me to wish you and your armies every kind of
success.

At the present time the Soviet armies are busy with
the liquidation of the group of German armies along the
Baltic which threaten our right flank. Without the
liquidation of this group it is not possible for us to
penetrate deeply into Eastern Germany. Besides that,
our armies have two nearer tasks: to remove Hungary
from the war, and to probe the defence of the Germans
on the Eastern Front by means of an attack by our
troops, and, given favourable conditions, to overcome it.

The President liked our plan of going to Moscow. On September 30 he cabled:

President Roosevelt

30 Sept. 44

to Prime Minister

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262

Please let me know after you hear from Uncle J. the
date when you and Anthony will arrive in Moscow. It is
my opinion that Stalin is at the present time sensitive
about any doubt as to his intention to help us in the
Orient.

At your request I will direct Harriman to give you any
assistance that you may desire. It does not appear
practicable or advantageous for me to be represented
by Stettinius or Marshall.