Roosevelt Papers: Telegram
Prime Minister Churchill to President Roosevelt1
urgent
Former Naval Person to President Roosevelt. Personal and most secret. Number 500.
I think it would be best, irrespective of any arrangements which we may be able to make for our own meeting with U. J., to cable him at once in the following sense:—
“The British and American Chiefs of Staff are meeting in Cairo about the 22nd November to discuss in detail the operations of the Anglo-American Armies and also the war against Japan, for which our long term plans have now been prepared. For the latter subject it is hoped that Chiang Kai Shek himself and a Chinese Military Delegation may be present. After these domestic and Far Eastern discussions have been concluded we have the hope that the meeting of the three heads of Governments may take place. Besides and apart from this it is proposed that there should be a formal triple conference of the Soviet, United States and British Staffs, starting about the 25th or 26th November, to discuss the whole field of the war in all its aspects. It is much hoped, therefore, that you will send a powerful military delegation to this conference, accompanied if possible by M. Molotov. All this is separate from and additional to the meeting which we still hope it may be possible to arrange between the three heads of Governments.”
As I feel sure that the above is in accord with your views and wishes, I am sending it off today in order to avoid delay.
I have just received your 416. A meeting at Malta en route to Sextant is clearly out of the question. I shall therefore go direct to Cairo.
- Sent by the United States Military Attaché, London, apparently via military channels.↩