President Roosevelt to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek 7
Conference with Marshal Stalin8 involves us in combined grand operations on European Continent in late spring giving fair prospect of terminating war by end of summer of 1944. These operations impose so large a requirement of heavy landing craft as to make it impracticable to devote a sufficient number to the amphibious operation in Bay of Bengal simultaneously with launching of Tarzan9 to insure success of operation.
This being the case: would you be prepared to go ahead with Tarzan as now planned, including commitment to maintain Naval control of Bay of Bengal coupled with naval carrier and commando amphibious raiding operations simultaneous with launching of Tarzan? Also there is prospect of B–29 bombing of railroad and port Bangkok.
If not, would you prefer to have Tarzan delayed until November to include heavy amphibious operation. Meanwhile concentrating all air transport on carrying supplies over the hump to air and ground forces in China.
I am influenced in this matter by the tremendous advantage to be received by China and the Pacific through the early termination of the war with Germany.
- Copy of telegram obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N. Y.↩
- Conference of President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Premier Stalin at Tehran. For joint statement signed December 1, released at White House December 6, see Department of State Bulletin, December 11, 1943, p. 410. From Tehran, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill returned to Cairo where they conferred with President Inonu of Turkey; see communiqué issued December 7, in Cairo, ibid, p. 412. The records of these Conferences are scheduled for publication in a subsequent volume of Foreign Relations.↩
- North Burma campaign plan.↩