The Yalta Conference, sometimes referred to as the Crimean Conference and codenamed Argonaut, was held from February 4 to 11, 1945 between the heads of government of the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. The delegations were led respectively by Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin.
The conference was held in Yalta, a resort town on the Crimean peninsula in the Soviet Union. The American delegation was accommodated in the former tsar's palace, while President Roosevelt stayed at the Livadia Palace, where the meetings took place. The British delegation settled in the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka. The key members of the delegations were Edward Stettinius (US Secretary of State), Averel Harriman (UK Deputy Foreign Secretary), Anthony Eden (UK Foreign Secretary), Alexander Cadogan (US Ambassador to the USSR) and Vyacheslav Molotov (Commissar for Foreign Affairs).
According to Anthony Beevor, a British historian and writer, all rooms were bugged by the NKVD. Stalin arrived by train on 4 February. The meeting began with a formal dinner that evening.
big three
The key leaders of the allied countries, Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill, were called the "Big Three" - because of the power of the states they led, and their cooperation at the time. During the war, they met only twice, and both times these meetings changed the course of history.
After the Tehran Conference, they agreed to meet again, and this agreement was embodied in the Yalta Conference in February 1945. Although Stalin expressed concern about Roosevelt's health during the Tehran conference, this concern did not reflect on his actions. For the next summit, he refused to go further than Yalta, the Black Sea resort in Crimea, and Roosevelt again had to travel long and tedious to the conference venue.
The demands of the parties at the Yalta Conference
Each of the three powers put its proposal on the agenda. The British wanted to keep their empire, the Soviets wanted more land and consolidate their gains, and the Americans wanted the Soviets to agree to go to war with Japan and negotiate a post-war settlement. Moreover, Roosevelt hoped to obtain from Stalin a commitment to participate in the United Nations. The first topic on the agenda for the expansion of the Soviet Union immediately became the question of Poland, and Stalin immediately expressed his point of view:
“For the Russian people, the question of Poland is not only a matter of honor, but also a matter of security. Throughout history, Poland has been a corridor through which the enemy passed into Russia. Poland is a matter of life and death for Russia.”
Accordingly, Stalin made it clear that some of his demands regarding Poland were non-negotiable: the Russians were to receive the eastern part of Poland, and Poland was to compensate by expanding its western borders, thereby displacing millions of Germans. Reluctantly, Stalin promised free elections in Poland despite a newly installed communist puppet government.
However, it soon became apparent that Stalin had no intention of keeping this promise. In fact, it was not until 50 years after the Yalta Conference that Poles were able to hold free elections for the first time. As mentioned above, Roosevelt's main goal was to make sure that the Soviets would enter the Asiatic war, that is, the war against the Japanese.
However, Roosevelt didn't have to waste time getting the USSR involved in the Pacific War because Stalin didn't need to be convinced. The Soviets themselves were determined to avenge the humiliation of defeat and the loss of privileges over Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War. The Soviets sought to reclaim the reclaimed territories and figured they could get more land.
However, Roosevelt did not recognize Stalin's goals, as he excellently kept his face and was impenetrable. Therefore, Roosevelt readily accepted the conditions of the USSR, leaving the Yalta Conference satisfied, because Stalin agreed to enter the war against Japan. Moreover, the Soviets agreed to join the United Nations under a secret agreement on a form of voting with veto power for the permanent members of the Security Council, giving the Security Council more control over world affairs and significantly weakening the United Nations. In general, I was sure that the negotiations in Yalta were successful.
The Big Three ratified their earlier agreements on the post-war division of Germany: it was divided into four zones - one for each of the three countries participating in the conference and one zone for France. Berlin itself, although it ended up in the Soviet zone, was also divided into four sectors. Later, the infamous Berlin Wall, built under the leadership of the USSR, will become the main symbol.
The Big Three also decided that in the occupied countries all original governments would be restored and that all civilians would be repatriated. Democratic states will be created, all territories will hold free elections. In Europe, the order should be established according to the following official statement:
"The establishment of order in Europe and the restoration of national economic life must be achieved through processes that will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the last remnants of Nazism and Fascism and create the democratic institutions of their choice."
After the war, the USSR received South Sakhalin and the Kuriles, half of East Prussia, the German Koenigsberg and control over Finland. In addition, Roosevelt let slip that the United States would not mind if the Soviet Union tried to annex or set up puppet governments in the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). So it is quite understandable why both Stalin and Roosevelt were satisfied with the overall results.
The Yalta Conference is often viewed by many Central European countries as a "Western betrayal". Countries such as Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and the Czech Republic believe so, based on the conviction that the Allied Powers, despite revering democratic politics and signing numerous pacts and military agreements, allowed the Soviet Union to control smaller countries or turn them into communist states. . The Big Three at Yalta "tried to sacrifice freedom for stability" and many believe that the decisions and concessions of Roosevelt and Churchill during the summit led to the power struggle in the ensuing Cold War.
Basic moments
- An agreement was reached that the priority was the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. After the war, the country will be divided into four occupation zones, and Berlin will also be divided into four zones. Stalin agreed to allocate a fourth occupation zone for France from the British and American zones - in Germany and Austria. France also received a seat on the Allied Control Council.
- Germany will be demilitarized and denationalised.
- A decision was made to create a union council for reparations with its headquarters in Moscow.
- The fate of Poland was discussed, but the situation was complicated by the fact that Poland was under control by this time. It was decided to reorganize the Provisional Government of Poland, which was created after the entry of the Red Army into the country: now it was called the Provisional Government of National Unity, was expanded by politicians from Poland itself and those outside it, and was supposed to provide democratic elections (after which the Polish government in exile, located in London, effectively lost its legitimacy).
- The Polish eastern frontier should for the most part follow the Curzon Line, and Poland should receive substantial territorial compensation in the west at the expense of Germany.
- Citizens of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, regardless of their consent, were to be repatriated from other countries.
- Stalin promised Roosevelt to join the United Nations on the condition that the five permanent members of the Security Council have the right to veto.
- Stalin agreed to join the fight against the Empire of Japan within 90 days of the defeat of Germany. After the defeat of Japan, the Soviet Union will receive South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.
Consequences
The Yalta Conference was the last significant meeting before the end of the war. It was also Roosevelt's last trip abroad. He already looked sick and exhausted. Most likely, his most important goal was to ensure the participation of the Soviet Union in the United Nations, which he achieved at the cost of granting the right of veto to each permanent member of the Security Council, which significantly weakened the UN. Another of his goals was to draw the Soviet Union into a war against Japan, as it had not yet been proven. The Red Army had already liberated most of Eastern Europe from the Nazis, so Stalin got everything he wanted, namely a significant sphere of influence in a large part of Europe, which he could use as a buffer zone. The freedom of small nations was sacrificed for the sake of stability: the three Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - became part of the USSR.
From February 4 to February 12, 1945, a conference of the leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain took place in the Crimea. The Soviet delegation was headed by I.V. Stalin, American - F. Roosevelt, English - W. Churchill. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. Molotov, US Secretary of State E. Stettinius, British Foreign Minister A. Eden, as well as the chiefs of general staffs and advisers of the countries participating in the conference.
The issue of a summit meeting was first raised by F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill in July 1944. The final date and place of the meeting were determined in further correspondence between the leaders of the three powers. F. Roosevelt's nomination of his candidacy for a new presidential term, his participation in the election campaign and taking office made it impossible to open the conference before the beginning of February 1945.
The US President proposed Northern Scotland, Cyprus, Athens or Malta as a meeting place, the British Prime Minister - Alexandria or Jerusalem. I.V. Stalin vigorously defended his proposal: the southern coast of the Crimea, and in the end he managed to convince the allies that the Soviet government was able to ensure complete security for the conference.
The meeting of the "big three" took place at the final stage of the Second World War. As a result of the successful offensive actions of the Red Army, the territory of our country, most of Poland, was completely liberated, our divisions entered the territory of Germany. On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed in northern France, the long-awaited second front opened, the anti-fascist movement gained strength in the occupied countries, and the situation in the Pacific theater of operations changed for the better.
At the Crimean Conference, the Allied powers agreed on joint military measures for the final defeat of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, determined their attitude towards Germany after its unconditional surrender, and outlined the basic principles of a common policy regarding the post-war organization of the world.
The leaders of the Allied Powers solemnly declared: “Our adamant goal is the destruction of German militarism and Nazism and the creation of a guarantee that Germany will never again be in a position to disturb the peace of the whole world. We are determined to disarm and disband all German armed forces, to destroy once and for all the German General Staff, which has repeatedly contributed to the revival of German militarism, to withdraw or destroy all German military equipment, to liquidate or take control of all German industry that could be used for military purposes. production; subject all war criminals to just and speedy punishment ... to wipe out the Nazi Party, Nazi laws, organizations and institutions; remove all Nazi and militaristic influence from public institutions, from the cultural and economic life of the German people...”.
It was emphasized that after the eradication of Nazism and militarism, the German people would be able to take their rightful place in the community of nations.
The most important issue at the Crimean Conference was the creation of the United Nations. The agreement on the procedure for voting in the Security Council (the "Yalta formula") took into account the principle of unanimity of the permanent members of the Council advocated by the Soviet delegation when making decisions on all issues related to ensuring peace and security. The Yalta communiqué emphasized that the United Nations would play an important role "both to prevent aggression and to eliminate the political, economic and social causes of war through the close and constant cooperation of all peace-loving peoples."
In the context of the discussion of UN problems, the Soviet delegation obtained the consent of the United States and Great Britain for the Ukrainian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR to become founding members of the international organization being created.
The "Declaration on a Liberated Europe" emphasized the desire of the allied powers to coordinate their actions in solving the political and economic problems of a liberated Europe. The declaration stated: "The establishment of order in Europe and the reorganization of national economic life must be achieved in such a way that will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the last traces of Nazism and fascism and establish democratic institutions of their own choice." It was pointed out that, in accordance with the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live, the restoration of sovereign rights and self-government must be ensured for those peoples who have been deprived of this by violent states by aggressive states. The determination, together with other peace-loving countries, to create an international legal order that meets the peace, security, freedom and general well-being of mankind was reaffirmed.
At Yalta, the Allied Powers reaffirmed their desire to see Poland strong, free, independent and democratic and to guarantee its security. As a result of the decisions taken at Yalta and later at Potsdam, Poland received a significant increase in its territory in the north and west.
At the Crimean Conference, the Soviet Union undertook to enter the war against Japan two or three months after the end of the war in Europe. At the same time, the following conditions were set: maintaining the status of Outer Mongolia (Mongolian People's Republic); restoration of Russia's rights violated by Japan's perfidious attack in 1904, including the return to the Soviet Union of the southern part of Sakhalin Island and all the islands adjacent to it; transfer of the Kuril Islands to the Soviet Union. The leaders of the three great powers agreed that these conditions of the Soviet Union "must be unconditionally satisfied after the victory over Japan."
The conference communiqué noted "the determination to preserve and strengthen in the coming period of peace that unity of purpose and action which has made victory possible and certain for the United Nations in modern warfare."
The Crimean Conference, along with the Potsdam Conference, marked the end of the largest historical geopolitical conflict and determined the political image of the world in the second half of the 20th century. A system of international relations emerged, which, based on the new alignment of forces, predetermined the need to take into account the interests of the two superpowers, which, in turn, gave international processes a high degree of manageability.
The decisions of the Crimean Conference reflected the reasonable and realistic policy of the statesmen of the three powers. They showed a high degree of negotiability, made compromises without hiding political differences, agreed on rules of conduct and achieved a relative balance that kept the world in relative stability for almost fifty years.
The Yalta agreements are an invaluable methodological experience in terms of harmonizing the current and future international order. The decisions adopted at Yalta embodied in concentrated form the many years of experience of the peoples in their struggle against fascism and militarism. The success of the conference was largely facilitated by the measures taken by the Soviet leadership aimed at intensifying international relations, which contributed to the strengthening of the anti-Hitler coalition, the growth of confidence in the Soviet Union and its international authority.
An important role in this process was played by the Soviet diplomatic service, whose activities during the war years, according to the well-known expression of I.V. Stalin, was equal to the efforts of 20 divisions at the front. The struggle for the comprehensive and complete implementation of the decisions of the Crimean Conference became one of the main tasks of Soviet diplomacy, not only in wartime, but also in the postwar years.
In conditions when the controversy around the Yalta agreements remains part of the modern political struggle on the cardinal problems of war and peace, Russian diplomacy is using its resources to the fullest extent, rebuffing fabrications about alleged Soviet and Russian "violations" of the Yalta agreements or about the "one-sided advantage" of the Yalta decisions for our country. It actively promotes a course towards strengthening international peace, general security and stability in order to establish a just and democratic international system based on collective principles in solving international problems, on the rule of international law, primarily on the provisions of the UN Charter, as well as on equal and partnership relations between states with the central coordinating role of the UN as the main organization regulating international relations.
Letter from the US Ambassador to the USSR W.A.
January 8, 1945
Letter from People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M.Molotov to the US Ambassador to the USSR W.A.Harriman on I.V.Stalin's consent to the choice of the code name "Argonaut" for the forthcoming meeting of the leaders of the three allied powers.
January 10, 1945
List of persons who accompanied I.V. Stalin at the Crimean Conference.
January 1945
List of persons present at the dinner with I.V. Stalin in the Yusupov Palace.
February 8, 1945
Lunch menu at the Vorontsov Palace with autographs of I.V. Stalin, W. Churchill and F. D. Roosevelt.
February 10, 1945
Minutes of the work of the Crimean Conference" signed by E.R. Stettinius, V.M. Molotov and A. Eden (first and last pages).
February 11, 1945
Or the meeting of the leaders of the USSR, USA and Great Britain Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, all researchers and historians call historical. It was on it, in the period from February 4 to February 11, 1945, that a number of decisions were made that for decades to come determined the way of Europe and the world as a whole.
At the same time, the meeting of the "Big Three" was not limited to the adoption of geopolitical decisions. There were formal and informal receptions, informal meetings, stops along the way, many of which are still shrouded in mystery.Not Malta, not Sicily, not Rome. To Yalta!
The first meeting between Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill took place in November 1943 in Tehran. It determined the preliminary dates for the Allied landings in Europe in 1944.
Immediately after Tehran-43 and the landing of allied troops in France in June 1944, the heads of the three states in personal correspondence began to probe the ground for a meeting. According to historians, it was US President Franklin Roosevelt who first raised the topic of a new conference, or, as they say now, a summit. In one of his messages to Stalin, he writes: "A meeting should soon be arranged between you, the Prime Minister and myself. Mr. Churchill fully agrees with this idea."
The meeting was originally supposed to take place in Northern Scotland, Ireland, then on the island of Malta. Cairo, Athens, Rome, Sicily and Jerusalem were also mentioned as possible meeting places. However, the Soviet side, despite the objections of the Americans, insisted on holding the conference on its territory.
Churchill, like the Americans, did not want to go to the Crimea and noted in a letter to Roosevelt that "there is a terrible climate and conditions."
Nevertheless, the southern coast of Crimea and specifically Yalta, which was less destroyed after the occupation, was chosen as the meeting place.
"Eureka" and "Argonaut"
What Stalin allowed the British Prime Minister, who did not want to go to the Crimea so much, was to give the code name for the conference, which was mentioned in secret correspondence. Namely "Argonaut". Grumpy Churchill proposed this name, as if drawing a parallel between the ancient heroes of ancient Greek myths, who went to the Black Sea region for the Golden Fleece, and the participants in the Yalta Conference, who go to almost the same places, but the "Golden Fleece" for them will be the future of the world and the division of spheres of influence .
Greek mythology hung invisibly in the relationship of the "Big Three". It is no coincidence that the Tehran meeting of 1943 was held under the code name "Eureka". According to legend, it was with this legendary exclamation ("Found!") that Archimedes from Syracuse discovered the law that "on a body immersed in a liquid ...".
It is no coincidence that Tehran-43 showed the rapprochement of the positions of the heads of the three great powers, who really found a common language and ways to full-fledged cooperation.
Planes, anti-aircraft guns, ships and armored trains: safety is paramount
Although the war was in its final stages in February 1945, increased attention was paid to the security issues of the participants in the Yalta Conference.
According to the Russian writer and historian Alexander Shirokorad, which he cites in his publication in Nezavisimaya Voyennoye Obozreniye, thousands of Soviet, American and British guards and security officers, ships and aircraft of the Black Sea Fleet and the US Navy, and Great Britain. On the part of the United States, units of the Marine Corps participated in the protection of the president.
The air defense of the Saki airfield, which only received delegations, consisted of more than 200 anti-aircraft guns. The batteries were designed for seven-layer fire at a height of up to 9000 m, aimed fire at a height of 4000 m and barrage fire at a distance of up to 5 km to the airfield. The sky above it covered over 150 Soviet fighters.
In Yalta, 76 anti-aircraft guns and almost 300 anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns were deployed. Any aircraft that appeared over the conference area was to be shot down immediately.
The protection of highways was provided by personnel of seven checkpoints consisting of more than 2 thousand people.
When motorcades of delegations participating in the conference passed along the entire route, all other traffic stopped, and residents were evicted from residential buildings and apartments overlooking the highway - their place was taken by state security officers. About five regiments of the NKVD and even several armored trains were additionally transferred to the Crimea to ensure security.
To protect Stalin, together with the Soviet delegation in the Yusupov Palace in the village of Koreiz, 100 state security officers and a battalion of NKVD troops in the amount of 500 people were allocated. For foreign delegations who arrived with their own guards and security services, the Soviet side allocated external guards and commandants for the premises they occupied. Soviet automobile units were allocated to each foreign delegation.
There is no reliable evidence that Hitler intended to assassinate his opponents in the Crimea. And he was not up to it then, when the Soviet troops were already a hundred kilometers from the walls of Berlin.
Russian hospitality: caviar with cognac, but without bird's milk
The Saki airfield became the main airfield for receiving delegations arriving in the Crimea. The Sarabuz airfields near Simferopol, Gelendzhik and Odessa were considered as spares.
Stalin and the delegation of the Soviet government arrived in Simferopol by train on February 1, after which they went by car to Yalta.
The planes of Churchill and Roosevelt landed in Saki with an interval of about one hour. Here they were met by People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov, other high-ranking officials of the USSR. In general, 700 people were brought to Crimea from Malta, where the meeting between the American president and the British prime minister was held the day before, who were part of the official delegations of the United States and Great Britain at meetings with Stalin.
According to the first researcher of the unofficial nuances of the Yalta meeting, the Crimean historian and local historian Vladimir Gurkovich, with whom the correspondent of RIA Novosti (Crimea) spoke, the Allied delegations were greeted with great fanfare. In addition to the obligatory formation of guards of honor and other honors in this case, the Soviet side also arranged a grand reception not far from the airfield.
In particular, three large tents were set up, where there were tables with glasses of sweet tea with lemon, bottles of vodka, cognac, champagne, plates with caviar, smoked sturgeon and salmon, cheese, boiled eggs, black and white bread. This is despite the fact that food cards were still in force in the USSR, and Crimea was liberated from the invaders less than a year ago.
Gurkovich's book about everyday and unofficial details of the Yalta Conference was published in 1995 and became the first such publication on this topic. The local historian collected testimonies of participants in the events still alive at that time: guards - employees of the NKVD, cooks, waiters, pilots, providing a "clear sky" over the Crimea.
He says that, according to one of the chefs who prepared meals for the reception at the Saki airfield, there were no restrictions on food and drinks.
“Everything had to be at the highest level, and our country had to confirm this level. And the tables were really bursting with all kinds of delicacies,” the Crimean local historian notes.
And this is only on the tables of official delegations. And American and British pilots were received at the Pirogov Saki military sanatorium, where about 600 places were prepared for them. Russian hospitality manifested itself here as well. They were prepared according to the menu, approved by a special order of the head of the rear of the Black Sea Fleet. According to eyewitnesses, the tables were also bursting with abundance: they had everything except bird's milk.
Churchill smoked a cigar in Simferopol, and Stalin shaved in Alushta
In fact, this stop of the Prime Minister of Great Britain in Simferopol, in the house at 15 Schmidt Street, cannot be called secret. Along the route of the corteges from Sak, several places of possible stops for rest were provided. One of them was in Simferopol, and the second in Alushta. The first of them was used by Churchill on his way to Yalta, and the second by Stalin.
The house on Schmidt Street in Simferopol was previously a reception house, or otherwise a hotel of the Council of People's Commissars of the Crimean ASSR. During the occupation, high-ranking officers of the Wehrmacht lived there, so the building and the interior were quite well-groomed and ready to receive distinguished guests.
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a famous lover of cognac and cigars, which he used without sparing his health. When flying from Malta, and this is a rather long journey, he sent a telegram to Stalin that he was already on the flight and "had already had breakfast." And at the airfield in Saki, the allies were greeted with no less warm hospitality, with Armenian cognac and champagne for the British prime minister.
As Vladimir Gurkovich notes, there is nothing unusual about Churchill's stop in Simferopol. He most likely needed time to "come to his senses, think and once again smoke a cigar." And he stayed in the guest house for no more than an hour, and indeed, going out onto the balcony, according to one of the state security officers, he smoked a traditional cigar.
Gurkovich also provides evidence that the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, Joseph Stalin, after arriving in the Crimea, stayed in Alushta - at the so-called dacha "Dove" of the retired tsarist general Golubov, on the ground floor. “Here he rested and shaved,” testified the archival record found by Gurkovich.
"Dove" is also notable for the fact that it was here that the future heir to the throne Nikolai Alexandrovich (Nicholas II) and his future wife Alexandra Feodorovna stayed in 1894, after the blessing of their marriage by Emperor Alexander III, dying in Livadia.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt from Sak immediately went to the Livadia Palace without stopping.
Roosevelt and Churchill visited Sevastopol after the conference, which lay in ruins. And the British Prime Minister visited Balaklava, where one of his ancestors died in the Crimean War (the first defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855). However, he does not mention this trip in his memoirs.
Stalin to the Yusupovs, Roosevelt to the Romanovs, Churchill to the Vorontsovs
The main venue for the meeting was Livadia, the former estate of Russian emperors, starting with Alexander II. The famous Livadia Palace was built in 1911 by the architect Nikolai Krasnov for the last of the Romanovs, Nicholas II.
It was the Livadia Palace that was identified as the main residence of the US delegation at the talks, which was headed by Roosevelt. The President of the United States has been wheelchair-bound since 1921 due to polio and has had limited mobility. Therefore, Stalin, in order not to once again jeopardize Roosevelt's health and create comfortable conditions for him, appointed Livadia for work - both to accommodate the US delegation and meetings of the Big Three summit.
Churchill and the British delegation got a no less luxurious palace of the Governor-General of Novorossia Count Vorontsov in Alupka, which was built according to the project of the English architect Edward Blore.
Stalin chose the palace of Prince Yusupov in Koreiz for his residence.
A number of researchers note that this location was chosen, allegedly not by chance: Koreiz is located between Alupka and Livadia, and Stalin could observe all the movements of the allies.
To put it mildly, this is not so, or not quite so. Surveillance and wiretapping services of the Soviet state security worked at a high level, so it is unlikely that Stalin would draw back the curtain and observe the frequency with which motorcades run between the British and American residences.
Furniture and products were delivered by echelons
The palaces of the South Coast looked very deplorable after the occupation. The Germans tried to take out everything as valuable as possible from furnishings and decorations. Therefore, colossal efforts were made on the Soviet side to make the conference as comfortable as possible.
Suffice it to say that more than 1,500 wagons of equipment, building materials, furniture, services, kitchen utensils and food were delivered to the Crimea for this purpose.
The renovation of the Livadia Palace alone took 20,000 working days. In Livadia, as well as in Koreiz and Alupka, bomb shelters were built, since the possibility of an enemy air raid was not ruled out.
Roosevelt, who traveled apprehensively to the summit, was nonetheless delighted with the design of his suite. Everything was to his taste: the curtains on the windows, the draperies on the doors, the bedspreads on his and his daughter's beds, and even the telephones in all the rooms were blue. This color was Roosevelt's favorite color and, as he put it, "caressed his blue eyes."
In the White Hall of the Palace, where the main meetings of the conference were held, a round table for negotiations of the Big Three was mounted. For the working needs of the members of the delegations, the former billiard room was prepared, where most of the documents were signed, the inner Italian courtyard and the entire garden and park ensemble.
In Livadia, where not only the American delegation was located, but also where the main negotiations between the leaders of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain took place, three power plants were installed. One working and two duplicates. In Alupka and Koreiz - two each.
The publication was prepared on the basis of RIA Novosti's own materials (Crimea) and open sources
- a conference of the heads of government of the three allied powers of the anti-Hitler coalition in World War II of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, convened in order to agree on plans for the final defeat of Nazi Germany and its allies, to develop the basic principles of a common policy regarding the post-war world order.
The conference communiqué formulated a unified policy of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain in relation to the post-war statute of Germany. It was decided that the armed forces of the three powers, after a complete defeat, would occupy Germany and occupy certain parts of it (zones).
It was also envisaged the creation of an allied administration, the exercise of control over the situation in the country through a specially created body, which would be headed by the commanders-in-chief of the three powers, with a seat in Berlin. At the same time, it was supposed to invite France as the fourth member of this control body to take over one of the zones of occupation.
In order to destroy German militarism and Nazism and turn Germany into a peace-loving state, the Crimean Conference outlined a program for its military, economic and political disarmament.
The conference adopted a decision on the reparations question. She recognized it necessary to oblige Germany to compensate the allied countries for the damage she had caused to the "maximum extent possible" by means of in-kind deliveries. Determination of the amount of reparations and methods of their collection was entrusted to a special commission for damages, which was supposed to work in Moscow.
The conference participants adopted the "Declaration on a Liberated Europe", in which the Allied Powers declared their desire to coordinate their actions in solving the political and economic problems of a liberated Europe.
One of the most difficult issues at the conference was the Polish question. The heads of the three powers reached an agreement on the reorganization of the current Provisional Government on a broader basis, with the inclusion of democratic figures from Poland itself and Poles from abroad. With regard to the Polish borders, it was decided that "the eastern border of Poland should run along the Curzon Line, retreating from it in some areas from five to eight kilometers in favor of Poland." It was also envisaged that Poland "should receive substantial increases in territory in the North and West."
On the question of Yugoslavia, the conference adopted a number of recommendations regarding the formation of a Provisional United Government from representatives of the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia and the royal government in exile in London, as well as the creation of a Provisional Parliament based on the Anti-Fascist Council for the People's Liberation of Yugoslavia.
Of major importance was the decision of the Crimean Conference to establish a universal international organization for the maintenance of peace and security - the United Nations (UN) and a permanent body under it - the Security Council.
The situation in the Asia-Pacific theater of operations was not officially discussed by the participants of the Yalta Conference, since the USSR was connected with Japan by a treaty of neutrality. The agreement was reached in secret negotiations between the heads of government and signed on 11 February.
The Agreement of the Three Great Powers on the Far East, adopted at the Crimean Conference, provided for the entry of the Soviet Union into the war against Japan two to three months after the surrender of Germany and the end of the war in Europe. In exchange for the participation of Soviet troops in the war against Japan, the United States and Great Britain granted Stalin substantial concessions. The Kuriles and South Sakhalin, lost in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905, were transferred to the USSR. Mongolia received the status of an independent state.
The Soviet side was also promised the restoration of the lease of Port Arthur as a naval base of the USSR, and the joint operation of the Chinese Eastern and South Manchurian railways with China.
Bilateral agreements were also signed at the conference, which determined the procedure for the treatment of prisoners of war and civilians of the states parties to the agreements in the event of their release by the troops of the allied countries, as well as the conditions for their repatriation.
An agreement was reached to set up a permanent mechanism for consultation between the Foreign Ministers of the three Great Powers.
At the Crimean Conference in 1945, the foundations of the post-war world order that existed for almost the entire second half of the 20th century were laid, and some of its elements, such as the UN, still exist.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
The Yalta Conference of 1945 is a smile on the face of world history. During the final phase of the Second World War, three world leaders gathered at the negotiating table to make fundamentally important decisions for the whole world. We are still feeling the results of it. Borders were redistributed, a declaration on a liberated Europe was adopted, and ways were outlined for the formation of the UN.
Time and participants
From February 4 to February 11, 1945, this military conference took place in the Crimea. It had a strictly regulated composition of participants.
The Big Three had already met before, so this was their next step towards each other - the Yalta conference. In 1943 in Tehran, they outlined the main milestones in the discussion, but the adoption of specific decisions was postponed until this meeting.
Stalin and the delegation were placed in the Yusupov Palace, Roosevelt - in the Livadia (White) Palace, Churchill - in the Vorontsov Palace. Due to the fact that the President of the United States was in a wheelchair for many years and was limited in movement, everyone gathered in the palace provided to him. The discussion was almost non-stop.
The participants of the Yalta conference in 1945 positioned themselves as good friends, a special atmosphere reigned, the parties sought to reach a consensus. Huge work was done, during which a 9-point communiqué was agreed and signed.
Session No. 1, February 4, 1945
Three heads are bowed over the world map. The entire first day of the conference was devoted to discussing military issues.
The actions of the Red Army on the Eastern Front, the probable actions of the German troops, the balance of forces, the rapprochement of the allied forces are discussed.
The possibility of air strikes by the Allies is especially emphasized, they talked about the possible reinforcement of Germany due to the transfer of Italian divisions, the places of concentration of submarines, the crossing of rivers and the alteration of railway lines (their size was not suitable for the movement of Soviet equipment), the length of the front on which it is supposed to make a breakthrough.
The leaders of the countries discuss the size of their forces and strategy. So, the USSR has 9 thousand tanks, the allies have 300 (Great Britain) and 10 thousand (USA). Aircraft - 8-9 thousand and the USSR and the allies. It turns out that soon the USSR plans to include Denzig in the artillery fire zone. Peace and war in a terrible combination, that's what the Yalta Conference is. In 1943, at the Tehran Conference, the countries of Europe were scattered and could not yet draw up a common algorithm of actions. Now it has become possible.
Session No. 2, February 5, 1945
Stalin specifically raises the question of the dismemberment of Germany. Churchill proposed to separate Prussia as the source of the main troubles. Together, it was decided to instruct the ministers to develop a plan for its division. Later, this is what happened. For a long time, Germany was two separate states - the FRG and the GDR.
The question of Germany's reparations to the USSR was sharply raised. Compensation for damages, in particular its size, should not have a detrimental effect on the establishment of the post-war life of the German people. At the same time, the figure was about 10 billion dollars.
The principled position of the USSR was that reparations to Germany should have been paid in kind - labor, high technologies, the latest developments, machines (later this happened, but partially with obsolete equipment).
A constructive decision was made: to create a special reparation commission that would calculate everything due to each country. In the end, the leaders of the countries agreed that everyone should be given according to his merits. The key issue was the details about reparations and Poland, which were emphasized at the Yalta conference. In 1943, this was already discussed in Tehran, but did not lead to any concrete actions.
Session No. 3, February 6, 1945
Roosevelt opens a discussion on how to ensure international security, maintain peace for the next 50 years. Types of international situations are discussed (Egypt demands the Suet Canal, China will ask for the return of Hong Kong). The leaders of the countries joked about the world domination of one of the countries (it was clear to everyone that no power alone would be able to maintain control over the whole world).
Then everyone got bogged down in the Polish question. During the discussion, it was the most complex, controversial on principled positions. 24% of all messages originating in Yalta were spent on it. The whole difficulty lay in the fact that at that time there were two Polish governments. The allies, on the other hand, had different positions regarding their legitimacy. Stalin emphasized that the Curzon Line was not a Russian solution. Thus, the ideal compromise dialogue is the Yalta conference. It would not have been possible to briefly cover the Polish question, but nevertheless agreements were reached on its borders and elections.
Session No. 4, February 7, 1945
We agreed to send for representatives of both Polish governments to make an adequate decision. A fierce controversy was caused by the situation with the entry of countries into the future UN. Which countries will be invited to the conference on its creation? Who will become its members?
There was a discussion about the registration of votes in the UN of the Soviet republics - Ukrainian and Belorussian.
Session No. 5, February 8, 1945
Various countries are proposed in the list of UN organizations. Their participation in the war was taken into account in relation to military operations. Such countries were mentioned as Egypt (with its neutrality, more beneficial than declaring war on Germany), Argentina, Iceland, Eire, Denmark. Churchill clarified whether the countries could still be admitted to the subsequent conference, provided that they declared war on Germany before March 1.
On the Polish question, the situation has moved from a dead point. The unanimous opinion is that general elections were to be held in Poland as a matter of urgency. The criticality of Poland's position is acknowledged and confided to further discussion by the ministers.
A question about the meetings of the foreign ministers of the three states. It was decided to make these meetings permanent, as needed and the situation in the international arena. The first meeting was scheduled in London.
Session No. 6, February 9, 1945
The United States presented a draft procedure for the withdrawal of reparations from Germany. Stalin and his assistants made an adjustment regarding the amount and suggested focusing on the pricing of 1938, plus or minus 10%.
The question arose of guardianship over colonial non-independent peoples (not the British colonies). The last amendment was very exciting and was of principle for Churchill and all of Great Britain with its colonies.
At that time, the state of government in Yugoslavia remained very precarious. At her question, the application of the Tito-Subasic agreement was discussed with amendments (they were adopted the next day).
A declaration on a liberated Europe is adopted for practical application. The document is proposed to be tested in Poland.
The question of war criminals is raised. The head of Great Britain expresses the position of such a decision: to shoot the main criminals as soon as they are caught. Stalin agrees, but corrects that this should take place according to a political court and without the participation of the broad masses and the press.
We talked about the Allied offensive on the Western Front. The next day, the Allied army marches in the Nijmegen area.
Meetings No. 7, 8 of February 10 and 11, 1945
Discussion of the text of the communiqué. Each word was carefully considered, the wording and terms were corrected in order to avoid imbalance.
The text was read out on February 12, 1945 at 23:30.
Consequences
No matter how we feel about the leaders and their decisions, some of them still influence us today. The functional decisions made in Crimea, for example, include the existence of the UN, the adopted borders in Europe and the Far East, the independence of the DPRK and the Republic of Korea, and the territorial integrity of the PRC.
