Tehran Conference of the Allied Powers. Briefly and to the point about the Tehran conference
F.D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister W. Churchill. At the conference, held from November 28 to December 1, 1943, the “Big Three” – Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill – gathered together for the first time.
At the conference, the desire of Roosevelt and Stalin to reach an agreement was clearly outlined. Churchill initially stuck to his old strategy of isolating the Russians. Roosevelt proposed that a Soviet representative be present at all Anglo-American meetings before the general conversation. The idea of global regulation of international relations equally appealed to Roosevelt and Stalin. Churchill was conservative in this regard, did not particularly believe in post-war cooperation with the USSR, doubted the effectiveness of the future new international United Nations Organization (UN) and saw behind this idea a plan to push Great Britain to the periphery of international politics.
The main place in the work of the Tehran Conference was occupied by the coordination of plans for military action of the allies. Despite the decisions of previous allied conferences, Churchill again raised the question of postponing the landing of Anglo-American troops in France and instead conducting a series of operations in the Balkans (hoping to prevent the expansion of the Soviet sphere of influence). However, Stalin and Roosevelt opposed this, considering the north of France the only suitable place for opening a second front. It was agreed that a second front would be opened in northern France in May 1944. Stalin promised that Soviet troops would launch an offensive around the same time in order to prevent the transfer of German forces from the Eastern to the Western Front.
The Big Three agreed to try to force Turkey into the war on the side of the Allies.
The conference discussed the future of Germany. Roosevelt and Stalin spoke out in favor of breaking up Germany into small states in order to prevent a revival of German expansionism. Roosevelt proposed dividing Germany into five parts and placing Kiel, Hamburg, Ruhr and Saarland under the control of the United Nations. Stalin emphasized that the unification of Germany must be prevented at all costs. However, no final decision was made on this issue.
The issue of Poland was painful at the conference and controversial for Soviet-British relations. By this time, Stalin had broken relations with the Polish government in exile based in London. The Kremlin considered the question of the execution of Polish military personnel in the Katyn Forest near Smolensk, raised with the support of the British, as blackmail in order to force Moscow to make territorial concessions.
In Tehran, Stalin confirmed that the eastern Soviet-Polish border should follow the line established in September 1939, and proposed moving the western Polish border to the Oder. Realizing that Moscow would fight to the death on this issue, Churchill agreed with this proposal, noting that the lands Poland receives are much better than the lands it gives away. Stalin also stated that the USSR expected to gain Königsberg and move the border with Finland further from Leningrad.
The conference clearly indicated the agreement of the Western allies to meet Stalin halfway on the territorial issue. Here a statement was made that the post-war world would be governed by four powers (USSR, USA, England, France), operating under the auspices of a new international organization. For the USSR this was a colossal breakthrough; The United States also assumed global functions for the first time since Wilson; Great Britain, whose role was relatively diminishing, had to be content with the fact that it did not fall out of the Big Three.
The conference adopted the “Declaration on Iran,” in which participants declared “their desire to preserve the full independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran.”
In conclusion, Stalin made a promise that the USSR would enter the war against Japan after the defeat of Germany.
The Tehran Conference strengthened the cooperation of the main powers of the anti-fascist coalition and agreed on plans for military action against Germany.
APPLICATION
Declaration of the Three Powers
We, the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Great Britain and the Premier of the Soviet Union, have met for the past four days in the capital of our ally Iran and have formulated and reaffirmed our common policy.
We express our determination that our countries will work together both in times of war and in subsequent peacetime.
Regarding the war, representatives of our military headquarters participated in our round table negotiations and we agreed on our plans for the destruction of the German armed forces. We have come to full agreement regarding the scale and timing of the operations to be undertaken from the east, west and south.
The mutual understanding we have achieved here guarantees our victory.
As for peacetime, we are confident that the agreement that exists between us will ensure lasting peace. We fully recognize the great responsibility resting on us and on all the United Nations to bring about a peace which will have the approval of the overwhelming mass of the peoples of the globe and which will eliminate the scourges and horrors of war for many generations.
Together with our diplomatic advisers, we looked at the challenges of the future. We will seek the cooperation and active participation of all countries, large and small, whose peoples are committed in heart and mind, like our own people, to the task of eliminating tyranny, slavery, oppression and intolerance. We will welcome them to join the global family of democracies whenever they wish to do so.
No power in the world can stop us from destroying the German armies on land, their submarines at sea, and destroying their munitions factories from the air.
Our offensive will be merciless and increasing.
Having concluded our friendly conferences, we confidently look forward to the day when all the peoples of the world will live freely, free from tyranny, and in accordance with their various aspirations and their consciences.
We came here with hope and determination. We leave here truly friends in spirit and purpose.
ROOSEVELT
STALIN
CHURCHILL
On November 28 - December 1, 1943, a conference of the leaders of the three allied states of the anti-Hitler coalition was held in Tehran (Iran): Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR Joseph Stalin, US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The meeting went down in history as the Tehran Conference. For the first time, the “Big Three”—Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill—gathered in full force.
Military decisions stated that Operation Overlord would be undertaken during May 1944, together with the operation in Southern France, with Soviet troops launching an offensive around the same time in order to prevent the transfer of German forces from the eastern to the western front. It was envisaged that the military headquarters of the three powers should henceforth keep close contact with each other regarding the upcoming operations in Europe, and that a plan should be agreed upon between these headquarters to mystify and deceive the enemy in relation to these operations.
The Western allies, based on their military-strategic plans in South-Eastern Europe, proposed expanding assistance to the Yugoslav partisans and drawing Turkey into the war against Germany.
During the discussion about the opening of a second front, the statement of the head of the Soviet government that the USSR was ready, after the surrender of Germany, to enter the war with Japan, despite the existence of a neutrality treaty with this country, was important.
In addition to military issues, the conference discussed issues related to the post-war structure of the world. The United States raised the question of the dismemberment of Germany after the war into five autonomous states. Great Britain proposed separating Prussia from Germany, and including the southern regions of the country, along with Austria and Hungary, in the so-called Danube Confederation. The Soviet delegation did not support these plans. It was decided to transfer the discussion of the German question to the European Advisory Commission.
At the Tehran Conference, a decision was generally agreed upon to transfer Koenigsberg (now Kaliningrad) to the USSR.
In Tehran, a preliminary agreement was also reached on establishing Poland's borders along the 1920 Curzon Line in the east and along the Oder River (Odra) in the west. Thus, the territory of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus was recognized as ceded to the USSR.
A “Declaration on Iran” was also adopted, in which the participants declared “their desire to preserve the full independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran.”
At a conference between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin, the issue of creating an international security organization was previously discussed.
At the end of the conference, the "Declaration of the Three Powers" was published. According to the document, the leaders of the Big Three agreed on plans for the destruction of the German armed forces on the timing and scale of operations undertaken from the east, west and south. The declaration stated the determination of the three states to work together both during the war and in subsequent peacetime.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
Posted on 04/23/2011 by Ramil
Test plan
Introduction
Main part.
I. Preparations for the Tehran Conference
II. Military-political decisions of the Tehran Conference of Big Three leaders
III. State-territorial and geopolitical decisions of the Tehran Conference
Conclusion
Notes
Sources and literature
Introduction
More than sixty years separate us from the events described in this work. Since then, a lot has changed in the world. The states that arose as a result of the defeat of German fascism, which became part of the world socialist system, have today acquired democratic features, and the socialist system itself has turned into a myth. The Soviet Union also disappeared from the political map of the world. A whole generation has grown up not knowing what war is. But, despite all the political, economic, and social transformations, the world remembers those who laid down their lives on the altar of victory in the name of triumph over the “brown plague.”
The world has not forgotten those politicians, the leaders of the states of the anti-Hitler coalition, who, during the years of the most brutal war, managed to overcome their class, antagonistic propositions and unite the efforts of their countries and peoples, of all progressive humanity in the struggle for the future of the world and civilization. Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin still represent a political monolith in the modern world, and their cooperation to this day remains the most important condition for the victory of mankind over Hitlerism and fascism.
Reading newspaper pages yellowed by time, modern research by historians and political scientists, reading the published and published documents of those times, we discover the behind-the-scenes ins and outs of diplomatic conferences, meetings and negotiations, which ultimately became the basis of the military-political alliance of the three countries united one goal - to destroy fascism. Unfortunately, this alliance did not last long, and the contradictions between the allies in the anti-Hitler coalition became an insurmountable obstacle to their further, post-war cooperation. At the same time, it can be said that many of the contradictions were a stumbling block during the war, as eloquently evidenced by the documents of three conferences of heads of state of the anti-Hitler coalition - Tehran (1943), Yalta (1945) and Potsdam (1945).
The focus of this work is on the first of three conferences, the Tehran Conference, which took place in the capital of Iran from November 28 to December 1, 1943. It was during this meeting and negotiations between Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt that the military-political aspects of the post-war world order, and in particular the issue of the United Nations, were touched upon. Naturally, at a time when the Second World War was in full swing, it was, first of all, about providing effective assistance to the Soviet people from the allies, that is, about opening a second front. However, other major political problems did not remain untouched.
The main goal of this work is to show and evaluate the role of the Tehran Conference in the military-political cooperation of Great Britain, the USA and the Soviet Union in the war against Germany and its allies - Italy and Japan.
The main tasks of the work are:
Show the process of preparation for the Tehran Conference and the problems of a political and diplomatic nature associated with this preparation;
Give the reader an idea of the decisions made at the conference and how these decisions were made;
Assess the role and significance of the Tehran Conference in the history of the Second World War, and show its world-historical significance.
In the course of work on this topic, documentary materials were used: B. L. Tsybulevsky, Sh. P. Sanakoev “Tehran - Yalta - Potsdam: Collection of Documents”, Winston Spencer Churchill “The Second World War (in 3 books)”; research by modern authors: D.A. Volkogonov “Stalin”, L. Mlechin “Ministers of Foreign Affairs: Romantics and Cynics”, A. J. P. Taylor “World War II”, Charles Messenger “Encyclopedia of Wars of the 20th Century”, as well as articles from encyclopedias: “World History: People , events, dates” by the Reader’s Digest publishing house, the electronic publication “The Great Encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius” and other literature.
Main part
I.Preparations for the Tehran Conference
The meeting of the heads of state of the anti-Hitler coalition, which entered the historical annals as the Tehran Conference, was one of the culminating moments in the cooperation of Great Britain, the USA and the USSR during the Second World War. For the first time in modern history, the heads of states so different in all respects came together to discuss fundamental military-political tasks. According to the doctor of historical and philosophical sciences, author of the fundamental work “Stalin” D.A. Volkogonov (1928 – 1995), “these conferences (Tehran, Crimea, Berlin), as well as cooperation itself in general, even then showed the priority of universal human values over class and ideological ones” 1 . Therefore, what happened in Tehran from November 28 to December 1, 1943 is difficult to overestimate. British leader W.S. Churchill subsequently wrote in his memoirs about this meeting that the military conclusions determined mainly the future course of the war, and the political ones - the opportunity to create a united Europe in which everyone - victors and losers - could find a reliable basis for life and freedom for its entire exhausted multi-million population 2.
Many historians consider Tehran to be the zenith of the anti-Hitler coalition. And rightly so. In the work “Pages of Diplomatic History” V.M. Berezhkov notes in particular that the path to this peak was not easy. Since Hitler's attack on the USSR, the ruling circles of England and the United States have shown restraint and at first were very reluctant to enter into military cooperation with the Soviet Union. While the Soviet government sought to establish allied relations with the Western powers in the shortest possible time, seeing this as the key to a successful struggle against the powers of the fascist Axis, London and Washington only under the pressure of circumstances became involved in joint actions against the common enemy, delaying in every possible way the implementation of their commitments. obligations 3.
Already during the preparation for the conference, certain contradictions emerged. First of all, they concerned the choice of venue for the meeting. During intensive correspondence between I.V. Stalin, F.D. Roosevelt and W.S. Churchill, which began in the fall of 1943, repeatedly discussed the issue of a joint meeting to develop a strategic plan for the speedy defeat of Germany and the post-war settlement of the geopolitical situation in Europe. After lengthy preliminary correspondence, the parties agreed in principle on the need for such a conference. But what appeared at first to be an insurmountable obstacle arose in choosing the venue for the Big Three meeting.
In a message addressed to Stalin on September 6, 1943, Roosevelt stated that he “could travel to a meeting as far away as North Africa.” Churchill, in turn, wrote that he would prefer to meet in Cyprus or Khartoum. However, on September 8, Stalin proposed Iran as the most suitable meeting place for the Big Three. Two days later, Churchill replied that he was “ready to go to Tehran” 4 . However, Roosevelt continued to insist that the choice of Tehran as the future location of the conference was unsuccessful, and suggested as an alternative Basra, a city located in the south-east of Iraq, where he proposed to extend a telephone line from Tehran. Stalin continued to insist on Tehran and, as a compelling argument, said that military operations “require the daily leadership of the Main Headquarters and my personal connection with the command. In Tehran, these conditions can be ensured by the presence of wire telegraph and telephone communications with Moscow, which cannot be said about other places. That is why my colleagues insist on Tehran as the meeting place.” 5 However, Roosevelt did not consider it possible to accept both Stalin’s arguments and Churchill’s agreement. Meanwhile, Stalin, irritated by the intransigence of the American president, spoke out in favor of holding the conference in any place proposed by Roosevelt, but at the same time stated that he himself did not intend to take part in the conference. The head of the Soviet Union informed the Secretary of State, who was in Moscow at that time, about this
United States by Cordell Hallom. It was to him that Stalin proposed the idea of replacing himself at the conference with V.M. Molotov. This meant that Roosevelt, by continuing to insist that Tehran was not a good choice for such a meeting, could lead to the failure of the meeting altogether. Seeing this and not wanting to miss the opportunity of personal contact with the head of the Soviet government, Roosevelt eventually changed his point of view and, in a message dated November 8, informed Stalin that he had decided to go to Tehran 6 .
Why did Stalin so persistently strive for the meeting of the “Big Three” to take place in Tehran. Stalin’s psychological nature and strategic calculation may have played a role here. Stalin was a “homebody” by nature. He rarely left the borders of not only the country, but also Moscow and the Moscow region. During his many years at the top of state power, Stalin left the Kremlin only a countable time. One of his trips took place back in 1928 to Siberia. Tehran was generally the first trip abroad in his life. People who knew Stalin closely spoke of his panicky fear of attempts on his life, especially from the German intelligence services, although he skillfully hid it. Of course, Tehran did not insure against assassination attempts either. Nevertheless, the presence of a contingent of Soviet troops on the territory of Iran, and the traditional friendly relations between the two countries that developed after October 1917 gave Stalin confidence in his security. At the same time, Tehran was the capital closest to the Soviet borders, from where the telegraph line was extended to Moscow. Stalin cited this circumstance as the main argument in his correspondence with Roosevelt, insisting on Tehran as the only possible meeting place for the heads of state of the anti-Hitler coalition. As a result of long negotiations between the leaders of the Big Three, conducted mainly through correspondence between Stalin and Roosevelt, Roosevelt and Churchill, and Churchill and Stalin, Tehran was chosen as the meeting place. In a similar telegram to the leaders of the Western powers, Stalin wrote: “I received your message from Cairo. I will be ready at your service in Tehran on the evening of November 28” 7. Thus, in the eyes of his Western allies, Stalin wanted to look like a gentleman, perhaps in order to win them over to his side. For the Soviet leader, the main issue of the meeting was, of course, the question of opening a second front in Europe. But not only that. Stalin was also concerned about the situation in post-war Europe, especially in Eastern Europe. In connection with this, back in 1942, Stalin set several tasks for his diplomacy, the main of which were: to negotiate the acceptance by the allies of specific obligations to open a second front, and also to clarify the positions of Churchill and the American diplomatic circles regarding Eastern Europe. The Western Allies, although they recognized the need to open a second front, it was never opened in 1942 and 1943. But assistance from Great Britain and the United States under the Lend-Lease agreement continued to flow into the Soviet Union in increasing quantities, which ultimately helped Soviet troops turn the tide of the war by defeating German military groups at Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge. At the end of 1943, no one in Europe, including the majority of the Wehrmacht generals, had any doubt about the final victory of the USSR and its allies in the anti-Hitler coalition. In conditions of a radical change on the eastern front, the conference of heads of state of the Big Three opened in Tehran.
II.Military-political decisions of the Tehran Conference of Big Three leaders
As mentioned above, the main issue at the meeting of the Big Three leaders was the question of opening a second front in Europe. Stalin insisted that the Allies carry out the landing of Anglo-American troops in France as soon as possible. At first, Churchill came up with ideas about the need to conduct offensive operations in the south of France and Italy. In particular, Churchill, at the first meeting, held on the evening of November 28, 1943, emphasized the need for the Allied forces to capture Rome. “If we take Rome,” said the British leader, “and blockade Germany from the south, then we can then move on to operations in Western and Southern France, as well as provide assistance to the partisan armies” 8. Roosevelt, like Churchill, initially believed that landing allied troops in the northern part of the Adriatic Sea was more appropriate. However, under pressure from Stalin, the leaders of the British Empire and the United States were forced to recognize the need for Operation Overlord, that is, the landing of Anglo-American troops in northern France no later than May 1944. From the history of the Second World War, we know that the actual landing of the combined allied forces in Normandy under the command of American General Dwight Eisenhower took place on the night of June 5-6, 1944.
In addition to the opening of a second front in Europe, the most important decision in military-strategic terms, other issues of a military-political nature were discussed in Tehran. At the conference, Churchill persistently argued for the need to put pressure on Turkey in order to force the Turkish authorities to side with the Allies against Germany. During the discussion, Stalin was skeptical of Churchill's proposal. Stalin argued that Türkiye would not succumb to any pressure and would adhere to the previously adopted policy of neutrality. Stalin told his allies: “As for Turkey, I doubt that Turkey will enter the war. She will not enter the war, no matter how much pressure we put on her..." 9. However, Roosevelt and Churchill managed to convince Stalin of the need to put pressure on Turkey to declare war on Germany. “We must try to force Turkey to fight,” Stalin finally admitted, “she has many divisions that are inactive” 10.
In subsequent meetings, at the initiative of the American side, the problem of providing military assistance from the Soviet Union to the Allied forces fighting in the Pacific theater of operations was raised.
As you know, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese air force, consisting of 180 strike bombers and torpedo bombers Nakajima B5N1 and Nakajima B5N2, attacked the American Pacific Fleet based in Pearl Harbor (in the harbor on the island of Ohau). As a result, another theater of military operations was opened, this time the Pacific.
By the time of the opening of the Tehran Conference, Anglo-American troops in Asia and the Asia-Pacific region were conducting successful battles against Japan. Between June and the end of 1943, after fierce fighting, Allied forces occupied the Gilbert Islands, the Solomon Islands (except Bougainville Island, where fighting continued until the end of the war), the western part of the island of New Britain and the southeastern part of New Guinea. In the North Pacific, American troops recaptured the Aleutian Islands in May-August 1943. But, despite these successes, the position of the allies in the Asia-Pacific region remained critical. Therefore, it was not surprising that Roosevelt turned to Stalin for help. The author of the study “World War II” - And J.P. Taylor was surprised by something else, namely Stalin’s consent to enter the war against Japan, after the final defeat of Germany. “This greatly simplified the task,” writes Taylor, “the Russians, not the Americans, would bear the brunt of the Japanese army. In Roosevelt's eyes, Stalin's shares rose even higher. The Russian proposal regarding the Far East eased Churchill’s situation” 11. But at that time, neither Stalin, nor Roosevelt, nor Churchill knew, and could not know, what the war in Asia would result in, and what severe and inhumane punishment the administration of President Truman would come up with against Japan, having seized atomic weapons.
Thus, during the meetings of the heads of government of the Big Three, the most important military-strategic and military-political agreements were reached, which had a huge impact on the further course of the Second World War. Firstly: the agreement of Churchill and Roosevelt to open the front in Europe by landing expeditionary forces led by General Eisenhower, although it did not fully ease the position of the USSR in the war with Germany, nevertheless accelerated the victory in Europe. Secondly: the conference showed that the allies are striving not only to satisfy their political ambitions, but are also unanimous in relation to the aggressors - Germany and Japan, and are interested in their speedy defeat. It was for this purpose that Stalin reacted favorably to Roosevelt's proposal to enter the war against Japan. Stalin understood that by entering the war against Japan, the Soviet Union could become a leading power, if not in the entire Asia-Pacific region, then at least in the continental parts of North and South Asia. Thirdly: the allies came to the conclusion that it was necessary to put pressure on Turkey so that it would join the war against Germany. These were the main military-political decisions made by the leaders of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.
III.State-territorial and geopolitical decisionsTehran Conference
In addition to military-political issues, issues related to the post-war world order were also discussed at the conference. US President Roosevelt outlined at the conference the American point of view regarding the creation of an international security organization in the future. He already spoke about this in general terms to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V. M. Molotov during his stay in Washington in the summer of 1942. The same issue was the subject of discussion between Roosevelt and British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden in March 1943.
According to the scheme outlined by President Roosevelt in a conversation with Stalin on November 29, 1943, after the end of the war it was proposed to create a world organization on the principles of the United Nations, and its activities did not include military issues, that is, it should not be similar to the League of Nations. The structure of the organization, according to Roosevelt, should have included three bodies:
a general body consisting of all (35 or 50) members of the United Nations, which will only make recommendations, and will meet in different places where each country can express its opinion;
an executive committee consisting of the USSR, the USA, Great Britain, China, two European countries, one Latin American country, one Middle Eastern country and one of the British dominions; the committee will deal with non-military issues;
a police committee consisting of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and China, which will monitor the preservation of peace in order to prevent new aggression from Germany and Japan.
Stalin agreed in principle with this proposal of Roosevelt, but expressed concern that small European states might be dissatisfied with such an organization, and therefore expressed the opinion that it might be better to create two organizations (one for Europe, the other for the Far East or the world). Roosevelt pointed out that Stalin's point of view partially coincides with the opinion of Churchill, who proposes to create three organizations - European, Far Eastern and American. However, Roosevelt noted that the United States could not be a member of the European organization and that only a shock comparable to the current war could force the Americans to send their troops overseas. On December 1, 1943, Stalin notified the president that he had considered his proposal and agreed to create one world organization. This agreement to create the United Nations was not formalized at that time, and no separate decision was made on this issue.
During three side-by-side conversations between the leaders of the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union, special attention was paid to the geopolitical reshaping of Europe and the world. First of all, territorial and state changes affecting Germany and Poland were considered.
The fact is that the Polish government in exile, settled in London, continued to make plans to annex to Poland the lands of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine, which were transferred to the USSR as a result of the signing of the Soviet-German pact of 1939 on the delimitation of spheres of influence in Eastern Europe. According to this agreement, Western Belarus and Western Ukraine, which previously belonged to Poland, became part of the territory of the USSR, and could no longer be returned to the Polish state. Stalin was able to entice Churchill and Roosevelt with a plan to obtain compensation for Poland at the expense of East Germany. In return for the territories that Poland was losing in the east, according to the decision of the Tehran Conference, it received in the west. The question remained how large this compensation should have been.
Until this moment, in negotiations between representatives of the Polish government in London in exile and the Western allies, there was talk only of the fact that at the end of the warEast Prussia , Danzig and Upper Silesia were to go to Poland. Ah, now Poland had to advance west to the Oder. This was Stalin's idea.
The Western Allies at first had no doubts about the sudden expansion of areas to be wrested from Germany. Churchill also came from a formulation on the new borders of Poland, approved by the participants in the Tehran Conference: “we believe that the territory of the Polish state and the Polish people, in principle, should lie between the so-called “Curzon Line” and the Oder, namely, include East Prussia and Oppeln. The actual definition of the border still requires further detailed study and, possibly, the movement of the population at some points,” Churchill said, addressing Stalin and Roosevelt 12. Despite the parties' agreement in principle, the decision on Poland's borders was never finalized at the Tehran Conference. It was necessary to convince the Polish emigrant government to abandon plans to expand territory in the East, and accept the territory of the former Germany as compensation. In addition, Stalin, unexpectedly for the president and prime minister, made a demand: “The Russians do not have ice-free ports on the Baltic Sea. Therefore, the Russians would need the ice-free ports of Konigsberg and Memel and the corresponding part of the territory of East Prussia. Moreover, historically these are primordially Slavic lands. If the British agree to transfer the specified territory to us, then we will agree with the formula proposed by Churchill” 13.
As for Germany itself and its post-war structure, Churchill and Roosevelt insisted on dividing its territory into separate states, with which Stalin initially agreed. However, upon further discussion of this problem, he sharply opposed the division of Germany into 5 or 6 independent states, as Churchill proposed to do.
Thus, already during the Tehran Conference, the contours of the future split of Germany were determined, which for many decades became a symbol of the split of the world into two opposing systems.
An important decision at the conference was made regarding Iran. The specially developed “Three Power Declaration on Iran” emphasized the need to provide economic support to the country, as well as preserve the sovereignty and integrity of Iran. In particular, the declaration stated:
“The Governments of the United States, the USSR and the United Kingdom are united with the Government of Iran in their desire to preserve the full independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran. They look forward to Iran's participation, together with other peace-loving nations, in establishing international peace, security and progress after the war, in accordance with the principles of the Atlantic Charter, which all four Governments have signed." 14
Thus, Stalin, despite all his ambitions regarding the Middle East in general, Iran in particular, signed the Declaration, refusing to further promote the influence of the Soviet Union in the Arab world.
Geopolitical and territorial-state changes in Europe, which were discussed at the conference, developed the contours of the future structure of Europe, especially Eastern Europe. No final decision has been made on this critical issue for the entire world. What will Germany be like?, what will be the political face of the countries of Eastern Europe?, what changes will occur in Asia and the Asia-Pacific region? - all these problems were still hidden in the darkness of time...
Conclusion.
World historical significance of the Tehran Conference
On December 1, 1943, the Tehran Conference with the participation of Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Stalin, Prime Minister Churchill and President Roosevelt completed its work. As a result of the conference, the Declaration of the Three Powers was developed, which affirmed the idea of joint work of the three powers not only in war, but also in peacetime. Regarding post-war cooperation, the Declaration stated: “In peacetime, we are confident that the agreement that exists between us will ensure lasting peace. We fully recognize the great responsibility resting on us and on all the United Nations to bring about a peace which will receive the approval of the overwhelming mass of the peoples of the globe and which will eliminate the scourges and horrors of war for many generations. Together with our diplomatic advisers, we looked at the challenges of the future. We will strive for the cooperation and active participation of all countries, large and small, whose people are at heart and mind dedicated themselves, like our peoples, to the task of eliminating tyranny, slavery, oppression and intolerance. We will welcome them to join the global family of democracies whenever they wish to do so." 15 This statement was of historical significance. For the first time in the history of international relations, states with such inherently different structures, foreign policy goals and management methods recognized the need for cooperation in the name of peace and prosperity, in order to prevent a new world war. Even at the opening of the conference, Stalin spoke about the historical significance of the meeting of the leaders of the three powers: “I think that history spoils us,” said the Soviet leader, addressing Roosevelt and Churchill. “She gave us very great strength and very great opportunities. I hope that we will take all measures to ensure that at this meeting, in due measure, within the framework of cooperation, we use the power and authority that our peoples have entrusted to us” 16. Thus, Stalin emphasized the need to spread this experience of cooperation in the post-war years.
In this regard, the assessment given to the Tehran meeting by the President of the United States in a telegram sent to Stalin from Cairo on December 3, 1943, that is, two days after the US President left the capital of Iran, is of interest.
“I regard these momentous days of our meeting with the greatest satisfaction,” wrote Roosevelt, “as an important milestone in the progress of mankind.” 17
As for the assessment given by Churchill, it was more restrained, although in general, and he emphasized the positive outcome of the meeting of the Big Three leaders. Thus, attempts to plead the results of the Tehran Conference, and its world-historical significance, have no basis in fact.
The role of the Tehran Conference, and its world-historical significance, lies in the fact that at this meeting the foundations were laid for new international relations of cooperation within the framework of the United Nations, which for many years became a system for maintaining peace and stability on the planet. Another important outcome of the conference was the decision to open a second front in Europe, which brought the end of the Second World War closer and opened up new prospects for mutual understanding and cooperation for the ideologically antagonistic powers.
Thus, the Tehran Conference created an unprecedented precedent, which is still used in international practice to solve fundamental geopolitical problems - the summit meeting.
Notes
1. D.A. Volkogonov “Stalin: a political portrait”
in 2 books; book 2 page 391.
2. Winston Churchill “World War II”
in 3 books; book 2. http://www.litru.ru
3. V.M. Berezhkov “Pages of Diplomatic History”
pp. 422 – 423
4. Ibid pp. 424 – 425
5. Ibid p. 425
6. Ibid. p. 427
7. D.A. Volkogonov “Stalin: a political portrait”
in 2 books; book 2 page 392.
8. B. L. Tsybulevsky, Sh. P. Sanakoev
“Tehran – Yalta – Potsdam: Collection of documents” p. 75
9. Ibid. p. 78
10. Ibid p. 83
11. And J.P. Taylor “The Second World War” p. 335
12. Great Patriotic War: Tehran Conference http://www.otvoyna.ru/tegeran.htm
13. B. L. Tsybulevsky, Sh. P. Sanakoev “Tehran – Yalta – Potsdam: Collection of documents” pp. 185 – 186
14. Ibid p. 191
15. Declaration of the Three Powers http://www.hrono.ru/dokum/194
16. D.A. Volkogonov “Stalin: a political portrait”
in 2 books; book 2 page 393.
17. A.V. Danilets is a full member of the Russian Geographical Society. Tehran Conference 1943. Lecture.
Sources and literature
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9. A.V. Danilets is a full member of the Russian Geographical Society. Tehran Conference 1943. Lecture.
From November 27 to December 1, 1943, the Tehran Conference of the Leaders of the Three Powers was held in the capital of Iran - the first meeting of all three leaders of the USA (Roosevelt), Great Britain (Churchill) and the USSR (Stalin).
Initially, other options for cities to host this event were considered: Baghdad, Istanbul, Cairo (the last option was Churchill’s desire).
Stalin, as before, refused to fly anywhere by air, so he went to the Tehran Conference of the Leaders of the Three Powers on his letter train (number 501, in a twelve-wheeled armored carriage) on November 22, 1943, which traveled through Baku and Stalingrad.
Air Marshal Golovanov recalled in his memoirs that Stalin nevertheless flew on the plane together with Voroshilov and Molotov (Viktor Grachev was at the controls).
The main goal of the Tehran Conference of the leaders of the three powers was to develop a strategy for the final defeat of Hitler's troops. Other issues of peace and war were studied:
At a certain stage, the issue of opening a second front in Western Europe (the so-called “Overlord”) seemed to be at a dead end. Soviet diplomat Rakhmanin recalled:
Churchill’s proposal to satisfy Poland’s claims to the lands of Western Ukraine and Belarus was also accepted. The eastern border of these lands was determined by the Curzon Line.
At the Tehran Conference of the Leaders of the Three Powers, Roosevelt presented the American view on the creation of an international security organization in the future.
A little earlier, he told the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. Molotov about this when he was in Washington in the summer of 1942.
This issue was also discussed between the British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and Roosevelt in March 1943.
According to the scheme that was outlined by the American president during his conversation (November 29, 1943) with Stalin (during the Tehran Conference of the Leaders of the Three Powers), after the end of the war it was planned to form a world organization on the principle of the United Nations. But military issues should not be among her activities. It should not be at all like the League of Nations. The structure of the new organization, according to Roosevelt, should have included three bodies:
- a joint body, which will include all members of the United Nations (35 or 50 people), they will only give advice and recommendations. They will hold meetings in different places, where each country will be able to express its views on this or that event.
- the administrative committee will be represented by the countries of the USA, USSR, Great Britain, China, two European countries, one Middle East, one Latin American and one of the Latin dominions. This committee will be in charge of non-military issues.
— the police committee will be represented by the countries: USA, USSR, Great Britain and China. Their responsibilities will include maintaining peace throughout the world and preventing new aggression from Japan and Germany.
Stalin liked the scheme proposed by Roosevelt.
But there was a possibility that the small countries of Europe might not like such an organization. Stalin expressed the opinion that it would be better to create two similar organizations instead. One European, and the second for the countries of the Far East or the world. In response, Roosevelt noted that this opinion coincided with Churchill's point of view. Only he proposed the creation of three organizations - American, European and Far Eastern. But as Roosevelt noted during the Tehran Conference of the Leaders of the Three Powers, the United States would not be a member of the European organization, and that only a shock comparable to an ongoing war could force the American government to send its troops overseas.
Assassination attempt at the Tehran Conference of the Leaders of the Three Powers
To ensure the safety of the American president in Tehran, he was provided with apartments to live in the Soviet embassy. Opposite it was the British embassy, and the American one was located quite far away, on the very outskirts of the city in a very dubious area. A tarpaulin corridor was created between the two embassies, which hid movement between them from outsiders. This diplomatic complex was surrounded by three rings of tanks and infantry. During the Tehran Conference of the Leaders of the Three Powers, the capital of Iran was completely blocked by intelligence services and troops. The work of all media was stopped, telegraph, telephone and radio communications were turned off. All families who worked at the Soviet embassy were temporarily evicted from the negotiation zone.
The Abwehr was tasked with organizing an assassination attempt on the leaders of the three countries. The famous Nazi saboteur, head of the SS secret service in the VI Department of the Main Directorate of Imperial Security, Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny, developed a special operation codenamed “Long Jump”. Since 1943, Skorzeny was a special agent for special assignments under Hitler. Many called him “the man with the scar” (it was he who freed Mussolini from captivity).
He also carried out several other high-profile operations, including: in 1934 - the murder of Dollfuss, Chancellor of Austria, in 1938 - the arrest of the next Chancellor of Austria Schuschinig and President Miklas. The events of 1938 were immediately followed by the invasion of German troops and the occupation of Austria. Otto Skorzeny, only in 1966, confirmed that he was tasked with killing the leaders of the three countries, or kidnapping them. According to the developed plan, he was supposed to penetrate the English Embassy from the direction of the old Armenian cemetery, where the spring originated.
On the part of the USSR, a group of professional agents was involved in uncovering this conspiracy. The message about the impending assassination attempt arrived in Moscow from the Volyn forests, from intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov.
In the spring of 1943, a radiogram was received from the center. It talked about the Germans preparing for sabotage during the Tehran Conference of the Leaders of the Three Powers. The main goal of the operation is the physical elimination of the leaders of the Big Three. The group of Soviet intelligence officers was led by Gevorka Vartanyan. They were the ones tasked with preventing the terrorist operation.
At the end of the summer of 1943, the Germans dropped a team of six radio operators near the city of Qom (70 km from Tehran), in the area of Lake Qum. They reached the suburbs of Tehran ten days later. Here they boarded a truck and drove to a villa specially prepared by local agents. From here radio contact was established with Berlin, and preparations began for a bridgehead for the landing of a special group with Otto Skorzeny. But all these plans failed. Members of Vartanyan's group, together with the British from MI6, took direction and deciphered all their transmissions. After a long search, the radio transmitter was discovered, and the entire group was captured along with it. They were forced to play a “double game” with Berlin. In order to prevent bloodshed when the second group was captured, a disclosure message was sent to Berlin. After this, the Germans decided that it was better to abandon the operation.
The Tehran Conference is the first of three conferences between the leaders of the three world powers. It was not so easy for them to get together. The main problem was Stalin.
Why Tehran?
Stalin refused to come to previous meetings, justifying his refusals on various grounds. Stalin did not come to the conference in Cairo that took place before Tehran because a representative of China was there. China was at war with Japan, and the Soviet Union remained neutral with Japan. In addition, it is also known that Stalin was afraid of airplanes. Even in Tehran, he most likely eventually arrived by train via Baku.
Tehran was chosen as the meeting location for several reasons. The main one is that, in fact, Iran was occupied by Soviet and British troops and was ruled by a “puppet” government. De facto. Several units of Soviet troops were located in the capital of Iran. Cairo, Basra, Beirut were considered as compromise options, but Tehran was the most convenient.
Roosevelt and Stalin
Roosevelt would have been more interested in meeting Stalin than anyone else. It was fundamentally important for him to know the position of the USSR in the war with Japan. Roosevelt was going to “charm” Stalin; he was famous for his “courtship.” The American president viewed the Tehran conference not as a meeting of three, but as a meeting of "two and a half." Churchill was "half".
Safety
Security issues at the Tehran conference were resolved at the highest level. The British embassy, where the meetings took place, was surrounded by several rings of security; during the conference, communications in Tehran were cut off and media outlets were banned. Such “sterility” would be impossible anywhere else. The excellent security organization made it possible to prevent the “attack of the century” organized by Otto Skorzeny.
Churchill
Churchill solved his problems at the Tehran Conference. It was they who proposed a solution to the “Polish question”. It was important to Churchill that both the USSR and the USA began to view Great Britain as an equal power. Churchill was, of course, an experienced politician, but during the Tehran Conference, he played, by and large, second fiddle. The first were Stalin and Roosevelt. Neither one nor the other liked Churchill, and it was precisely because of dislike for Churchill that a rapprochement between Roosevelt and Stalin took place. Diplomacy is a delicate matter. By the way, on the occasion of Churchill’s birthday, November 30, a gala reception was held at the embassy.
"Long Jump"
Operation Long Jump was characterized by the breadth of its design and the same breadth of stupidity. Hitler planned to kill “three birds with one stone” with one blow, but the miscalculation was that the “hares” were not so simple. A group led by Otto Skoczeny was tasked with eliminating Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt in Tehran. Kaltenbrunner himself coordinated the operation.
German intelligence learned of the time and location of the conference in mid-October 1943 by deciphering the American naval code. Soviet intelligence quickly uncovered the plot.
A group of Skorzeny’s militants underwent training near Vinnitsa, where Medvedev’s partisan detachment operated. According to one version of the development of events, Kuznetsov established friendly relations with a German intelligence officer Oster. Having owed Kuznetsov, Oster offered to pay him with Iranian carpets, which he was going to bring to Vinnitsa from a business trip to Tehran. This information, transmitted by Kuznetsov to the center, coincided with other data about the impending action. 19-year-old Soviet intelligence officer Gevork Vartanyan gathered a small group of agents in Iran, where his father, also an intelligence officer, posed as a wealthy merchant. Vartanyan managed to discover a group of six German radio operators and intercept their communications. The ambitious Operation Long Jump failed, leaving the Big Three unscathed. This was another failure of Otto Skorzenny, a great adventurer and not the most successful saboteur. The saboteurs wanted to enter the British embassy through a pipe leading from the Armenian cemetery.
Skorzeny’s operation even helped Soviet intelligence: about four hundred people were detained in Iran. The German network was practically destroyed.
Stalin and the prince
According to the memoirs of Gevork Vartanyan, when the Tehran Conference ended, only one of the three leaders of world powers, Joseph Stalin, went to express gratitude to the young Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for the reception, and the British expelled Reza Shah from the country. Of course, the young Shah was not ready for such a visit. When Stalin entered the Shah's chamber, the young Tsar jumped up from his throne, ran up, knelt down and wanted to kiss Stalin's hand, but the leader of the USSR did not allow this and raised the Shah from his knees. This very event, that Stalin expressed gratitude for the reception to the head of Iran, had a huge resonance. Neither Roosevelt nor Churchill did this.
Redistribution of the world
At the Tehran conference, in fact, all the decisions that were developed during the Yalta and Postdam conferences were adopted. The Tehran Conference was the most important of the three. The following decisions were made:
1. An exact date was set for the Allies to open a second front in France (and the “Balkan strategy” proposed by Great Britain was rejected).
2. Issues about granting independence to Iran were discussed (“Declaration on Iran”).
3. The beginning of the solution to the Polish question has been made.
4. The question of the USSR starting a war with Japan after the defeat of Nazi Germany.
5. The contours of the post-war world order were outlined.
6. A unity of views has been achieved on issues of ensuring international security and lasting peace.