Significance of the Tehran Conference of 1943. The Big Three Meetings

As usual, Stalin refused to fly anywhere by plane. He left for the conference on November 22, 1943. His letter train No. 501 proceeded through Stalingrad and Baku. Stalin rode in an armored, spring-loaded twelve-wheeled carriage.

In the memoirs of Air Marshal Golovanov, there are references to the flight of Stalin and all the Russian representatives of this conference, prepared by him personally. Two planes flew. Golovanov personally managed the second. The first, which was driven by Viktor Grachev, flew Stalin, Molotov and Voroshilov.

Objectives of the conference

The conference was intended to develop a final strategy for the fight against Germany and its allies. The conference became an important milestone in the development of international and inter-allied relations, a number of issues of war and peace were considered and resolved at it:

• the exact date for the opening of the second front in France by the allies was set (and the "Balkan strategy" proposed by Great Britain was rejected),
• issues of granting independence to Iran were discussed ("Declaration on Iran")
• the beginning of the solution of the Polish question
• about the beginning of the USSR war with Japan after the defeat of Nazi Germany
• the contours were outlined post-war device the world
• reached a unanimity of views on issues of ensuring international security and lasting peace

Opening of the "second front"

The main issue was the opening of a second front in Western Europe.

After much debate, the Overlord problem came to a standstill. Then Stalin got up from his chair and, turning to Voroshilov and Molotov, said with irritation: “We have too many things to do at home to waste time here. Nothing good, as I see it, is turning out. " This is a critical moment. Churchill understood this and, fearing that the conference might be disrupted, made a compromise.

Polish question

W. Churchill's proposal was accepted that Poland's claims to the lands of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine would be satisfied at the expense of Germany, and the Curzon Line should be the border in the east. On November 30, a reception was held at the British Embassy to mark Churchill's birthday.

Post-war world structure

• de facto, the Soviet Union was granted the right to annex a part of East Prussia as an indemnity after the victory
• also, F. Roosevelt proposed to divide Germany into 5 states

Security issues in the post-war world

US President Roosevelt presented at the conference the American point of view regarding the creation of an international security organization in the future, about which he general outline already told the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. Molotov during his stay in Washington in the summer of 1942 and what was the subject of discussion between Roosevelt and the British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden in March 1943.

According to the scheme outlined by the president in his 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 like the League of Nations. The structure of the organization, according to Roosevelt, should have included three bodies:

• a common 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 composed of the USSR, USA, Great Britain, China, two European countries, one Latin American country, one Middle East country and one British dominions; the committee will deal with non-military matters.

• a police committee composed 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 called the scheme outlined by Roosevelt good, but expressed his fear 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 would not be able to be a member of a European organization and that only a shock comparable to the current war could force the Americans to send their troops overseas.

Assassination attempt on the leaders of the Big Three

For security reasons in the Iranian capital, the President of the United States stopped not at his own embassy, ​​but in the Soviet one, which was located opposite the British one (the American embassy was located much further, on the outskirts of the city in a questionable area). A tarpaulin corridor was created between the embassies so that the movements of the leaders were not visible from the outside. The diplomatic complex thus created was surrounded by three rings of infantry and tanks. For three days of the conference, the city was completely blocked by troops and special services. In Tehran, the activities of all media were suspended, the telephone, telegraph and radio communications were turned off. Even the families of Soviet diplomats were temporarily "evacuated" from the zone of the upcoming negotiations.

On the Soviet side, a group of professional intelligence officers took part in solving the assassination attempt on the leaders of the Big Three. Information about the impending terrorist attack was reported to Moscow from the Volyn forests by scout Nikolai Kuznetsov, and in the spring of 1943 a radiogram came from the center, which said that the Germans were planning to sabotage in Tehran during a conference with the participation of the leaders of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, with the aim of sabotage is the physical elimination of conference participants. All members of the group of Soviet intelligence officers led by Gevork Vartanyan were mobilized to prevent a terrorist attack.

At the end of the summer of 1943, the Germans dropped a team of six radio operators into the Qumskoye Lake area near the city of Qom (70 km from Tehran). After 10 days, they were already near Tehran, where they changed to a truck and got to the city. From a villa specially prepared for this by local agents, a group of radio operators established radio contact with Berlin in order to prepare a springboard for the landing of saboteurs led by Otto Skorzeny. However, these ambitious plans were not destined to come true - Vartanyan's agents, together with the British from MI6, took bearings and deciphered all their messages. Soon, after a lengthy search for a radio transmitter, the entire group was captured and forced to work with Berlin "under the hood." At the same time, in order to prevent the landing of the second group, during the interception of which it was impossible to avoid losses on both sides, they were given the opportunity to convey that they had been discovered. Upon learning of the failure, Berlin abandoned its plans.

Several days before the conference, arrests were made in Tehran, resulting in the arrest of over 400 German agents. The last to be taken was Franz Mayer, who went deep underground: he was found in an Armenian cemetery, where he, having painted and let go of his beard, worked as a gravedigger. Of the large number of agents discovered, some were arrested, and most were recruited. Some were handed over to the British, others were deported to the Soviet Union.

Conference memory

• "Tehran-43" - TV feature film in 1980 about the prevention of the Tehran terrorist attack

Notes (edit)

Literature

• Tehran conference leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain / Gromyko A .. - M .: Publishing house of political literature, 1974. - T. 2. - 175 p. - (Soviet Union on international conferences the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945). - 100,000 copies
• Karpov V. Generalissimo. Book 2. - M.: Veche, 2011. - 496 p. - 2000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-9533-5891-0
• Berezhkov V. Tehran 1943. - Moscow: Publishing House of the Novosti Press Agency, 1968. - 128 p. - 150,000 copies
• Churchill, Winston Spencer Closing the Ring. - Boston: Mariner Books, 1986. - Vol. 5.- 704 p. - (The Second World War). - ISBN 978-0395410592

Links

• "Declaration of the Three Powers" and "Declaration of the Three Powers on Iran"
• Shvanits V.G. 4-2010 Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill in Iran ( Stalin, Roosevelt und Churchill in Iran, Webversion (German))

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See what the "Tehran Conference" is in other dictionaries:

1943 conference of the leaders of the three allied powers in World War II: the USSR (JV Stalin), the USA (F. Roosevelt) and Great Britain (W. Churchill); took place on November 28 on December 1 in Tehran (Iran). Adopted Declarations on Joint Actions in the War ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

1943, conference of the leaders of the three allied powers in World War II: the USSR (JV Stalin), the USA (F. Roosevelt) and Great Britain (W. Churchill); took place on November 28 on December 1 in Tehran (Iran). Adopted Declarations on Joint Actions in the War ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Tehran conference- (Teheran Conference) (28 Nov. 1 Dec. 1943), meeting of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin in the capital of Iran. During the meeting, Stalin, who had been invited to an inter-allied conference for the first time, was informed about the forthcoming opening of the Second Front at 3. ... ... The World History

TEHERAN CONFERENCE- - the conference of the leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and England, which took place in Tehran on November 28 - December 1, 1943. The conference adopted a Declaration on joint actions in the war against Germany and on post-war cooperation of the three powers ... Soviet legal dictionary

Tehran conference- Teger conference (1943) ... Russian spelling dictionary

Tehran Conference of 1943- On November 28, December 1, 1943 in Tehran (Iran) a conference of the leaders of the three allied states of the anti-Hitler coalition took place: Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR Joseph Stalin, US President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister ... ... Encyclopedia of Newsmakers

The Tehran Conference of 1943 was a conference of the leaders of the three allied powers in the Second World War: the USSR (I.V. Stalin), the USA (F. Roosevelt) and Great Britain (W. Churchill). Held on November 28, December 1 in Tehran (Iran). Adopted Declarations on ... ... Historical Dictionary

TEHERAN CONFERENCE 1943, a conference of the leaders of the three allied powers in World War II, members of the anti-Hitler coalition: the USSR (JV Stalin), the USA (F. Roosevelt) and Great Britain (W. Churchill); took place on November 28, December 1 in ... ... Russian history

Conference of the leaders of the three allied powers in World War II: the USSR (JV Stalin), the USA (F. Roosevelt) and Great Britain (W. Churchill); took place on November 28 on December 1 in Tehran (Iran). Adopted Declarations on joint actions in the war against ... ... Political science. Dictionary.

The leaders of the three allied holdings took place on 28. XI 1. XII. The head of the Soviet government JV Stalin, US President F. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister W. Churchill, as well as their diplomatic advisers and ... ... Diplomatic Dictionary

F.D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister W. Churchill. At the conference, which took place from November 28 to December 1, 1943, for the first time the "Big Three" - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill - gathered in full force.

At the conference, the desire of Roosevelt and Stalin to come to an agreement was clearly indicated. Churchill initially adhered to the old strategy of isolating the Russians. Roosevelt suggested that the Soviet representative be present at all Anglo-American meetings before general conversation... The idea of ​​global regulation international relations equally impressed Roosevelt and Stalin. Churchill was conservative in this respect, 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 the plans of military actions of the allies. Despite the decisions of the previous Allied conferences, Churchill again raised the question of postponing the landing of Anglo-American troops in France and instead carrying out a number 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 at about the same time to prevent the transfer of German forces from the Eastern to the Western Front.

The Big Three agreed to try to force Turkey to enter the war on the side of the Allies.

The conference discussed the question of the future of Germany. Roosevelt and Stalin spoke in favor of splitting Germany into small states in order to exclude the revival of German expansionism. Roosevelt proposed to divide Germany into five parts and transfer Kiel, Hamburg, Ruhr and Saar to the control of the United Nations. Stalin made special emphasis on the fact that the unification of Germany must be prevented at all costs. The final decision on this issue, however, was not taken.

The question of Poland was painful at the conference and controversial for Soviet-British relations. By this time, Stalin had broken off relations with the Polish government-in-exile based in London. The issue of the execution of Polish servicemen in the Katyn forest near Smolensk, put forward with the support of the British, was viewed by the Kremlin 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 to move the western Polish border to the Oder. Realizing that Moscow would fight to the death in this matter, Churchill agreed with this proposal, noting that the land received by Poland was much better than the land it was giving away. Stalin also said that the USSR expects to get Konigsberg and move the border with Finland further from Leningrad.

The conference clearly indicated the consent of the Western allies to meet Stalin halfway on the territorial issue. Here, a claim 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 USA also for the first time since Wilson took over global functions; 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 the participants declared "their desire to preserve the full independence, sovereignty and territorial inviolability of Iran."

In conclusion, Stalin promised 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.

APPENDIX

Declaration of the Three Powers

We, the President of the United States, Prime Minister of Great Britain and Prime Minister Soviet Union, have met over 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 during the war and in subsequent times of peace.

As for the war, representatives of our military headquarters participated in our negotiations for round table and we agreed on our plans to destroy the German armed forces. We have come to full agreement on the scope and timing of the operations to be undertaken from the east, west and south.

The mutual understanding we have achieved here guarantees our victory.

With regard to peacetime, we are confident that the existing agreement between us will ensure lasting peace... We fully recognize the high responsibility that rests on us and on all the United Nations for the implementation of a peace that will receive the approval of the overwhelming majority of peoples. the globe and which will eliminate the scourge and horror of war for generations to come.

Together with our diplomatic advisers, we examined the problems of the future. We will strive for cooperation and active participation of all countries, large and small, whose peoples have devoted themselves in heart and mind, 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.

No power in the world can prevent us from destroying German armies on land, their submarines at sea and destroying their military factories from the air.

Our offensive will be merciless and growing.

Having finished our friendly meetings, we are confidently awaiting the day when all the peoples of the world will live freely, free from tyranny, and in accordance with their different aspirations and their consciences.

We arrived here with hope and determination. We are leaving here as true friends in spirit and purpose.

ROOSEVELT
Stalin
CHURCHILL

The conference of the leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, held in Tehran from November 28 to December 1, 1943, is one of the largest diplomatic events of the Second World War. It became an important stage in the development of international and inter-allied relations of this period.

The Tehran Conference, during which a number of important issues of war and peace were considered and resolved, played a significant role in rallying the anti-Hitler coalition to achieve final victory in the war and in laying the foundation for the further development and strengthening of Soviet-Anglo-American relations.

The meeting in Tehran convincingly showed that, despite the fundamental difference in the political and social structure of the USSR, on the one hand, and the United States and England, on the other, these countries could successfully cooperate in the struggle against a common enemy, they sought and found a mutually acceptable solution to the problems that arose between them. controversial issues, although they often approached these issues from completely different positions.

The military and political cooperation of the Soviet Union, the United States of America and Great Britain during the Second World War is one of the greatest lessons of history that cannot be consigned to oblivion.

The purpose of this work is to reflect the contradictions that arose at the Tehran conference between its participants on the key problems of international politics, and to determine the significance of the conference for the further waging of war and the organization of peace.

Objectives - to reveal the positions of each of the parties on the main issues and reflect the decisions taken by the conference.

1. The Tehran Conference is the first meeting of the heads of three governments.

At the suggestion of the Soviet government, the conference was held in Tehran, from November 28 to December 1, 1943. The Tehran Conference is one of the largest diplomatic events of the Second World War. It became an important stage in the development of international and inter-allied relations of this period.

The meeting in Tehran, during which a number of critical issues of war and peace were considered and resolved, played a significant role in rallying the anti-Hitler coalition to achieve final victory in the war and in laying the foundation for the further development and strengthening of Soviet-Anglo-American relations.

The Tehran conference convincingly showed that, despite the fundamental difference in the political and social structure of the USSR, on the one hand, and the United States and England, on the other, these countries could successfully cooperate in the struggle against a common enemy, they sought and found a mutually acceptable solution to the disputes that arose between them. issues, although they often approached these issues from completely different positions.

It was in Tehran that the exact date was finally set for the Allies to open a second front in France and the British "Balkan strategy", which led to a protraction of the war and an increase in the number of victims and disasters, was rejected. The adoption by the conference of the decision to deliver a joint and final blow to Hitlerite Germany fully corresponded to the interests of all countries that were part of the anti-Hitler coalition.

The Tehran conference outlined the contours of the post-war order of the world, reached a unanimity of views on issues of ensuring international security and lasting peace. The meeting in Tehran had a positive impact on inter-allied relations, strengthened trust and mutual understanding between the leading powers of the anti-Hitler coalition.

The Tehran conference of the leaders of the three allied powers took place in an atmosphere of outstanding victories of the Soviet armed forces, which led to the end of a fundamental turning point in the course of not only the Great Patriotic War, but the entire Second World War. The Nazis had already been expelled from Donbass and left-bank Ukraine. November 6, 1943 Kiev was liberated. By the end of 1943. more than half of the territory of the USSR seized by the enemy was cleared. However, fascist Germany remained a strong adversary. She still controlled the resources of almost all of Europe.

The results and consequences of the victories of the Soviet Army radically changed the military-political situation in the world, as well as the alignment and balance of forces in the international arena.

The scale of the military operations of the Western Allies was, of course, incomparable with the military operations of the Soviet troops. The Anglo-American troops who landed in Italy after its surrender in September 1943 were opposed by only 9-10 German divisions, while on the Soviet-German front 26 enemy divisions acted against the Soviet troops, of which 210 were German. And yet, by the end of 1943. the victory of the allied countries over the common enemy was much closer, and relations between them were strengthened and strengthened.

This was confirmed by the results of the Moscow conference of the foreign ministers of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain, as well as the agreement reached on a meeting of the leaders of the three allied powers in Tehran.

Operation Overlord. The landing of the allied forces in Normandy. June 1944

At dawn on June 6, 1944, the waters of the English Channel resembled a boiling cauldron. 6 thousand warships and transport ships moved from the ports of Great Britain to the shores of France, the roar of 11 thousand aircraft shook the air, hundreds of thousands of aerial bombs, shells of naval guns fell on German positions on the coast of Normandy. Parachute assault forces descended from heaven to earth and entered the battle on the move. The marines landed on the shore. The "longest day" began - the landing of the Anglo-American expeditionary forces on the western coast of the European continent - the territory of North-West France ("The Longest Day" is a novel by the American journalist Cornelius Ryan, written in 1959. It tells the story of "D-Day" , the first day of Operation "Overlord" for the landing of the allied anti-Hitler troops in Normandy. - Ed.). By the end of the day, about 100,000 soldiers and officers of the allied armies were concentrated on the Norman beaches and began the battle to expand the bridgehead. So the second front was opened in Western Europe. The agreement on its opening was reached at a conference of the leaders of the three allied powers in Tehran, which was held from November 28 to December 1, 1943.

Operation Overlord begins. June 1944

The concept - "second front" - in the diplomatic and military correspondence of the Soviet leadership and Western allies meant fighting armed forces of the United States and Britain in Western Europe, namely in Western Europe, because only a crushing simultaneous attack on Germany from the east and west, from the territories directly leading the armies of the anti-Hitler coalition states to the borders of Germany itself and to the capital of the Third Reich, allowed the Allies to take the citadel of the Nazi bloc into a powerful vice. Only such conditions ensured victory over the Nazi Reich in the entire Second World War.

On June 4, 1943, a message from F. Roosevelt was received in Moscow, in which he, on his own behalf and on behalf of W. Churchill, informed the Soviet government about the measures taken by the allies to Far East and in Africa, about their desire to withdraw Italy from the war in the near future. Concerning the question of a new postponement of the opening date of the second front to 1944, Roosevelt wrote: a large number of people and materials to enable a comprehensive invasion of the continent at this time. "

This fact alone contributed to the rapprochement between Roosevelt and Stalin, much to Churchill's displeasure. It was there, in Tehran, that friendly relations were established between Roosevelt and Stalin, which continued until Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945.

But there were also considerations of a purely military-strategic nature. First, after the Battle of Kursk, the world war took its internal dynamics... Militarily, the USSR did not need a second front. It became clear to everyone, including Roosevelt, that the Soviet Union was able to single-handedly defeat Germany. The United States needed a second front in order to establish favorable post-war positions in control over Europe, over Germany, and through Europe and Germany over the rest of the world in order to gain trump cards in the post-war, as it was believed, bargaining with the Soviet Union.

Secondly, it turned out that it was like the school of Roosevelt that prevailed, who believed that cooperation with the USSR during the war should be continued in cooperation with the Soviet Union after the war. Without this cooperation, Roosevelt believed, the world would be doomed to an arms race. The arms race, according to Roosevelt, was incompatible with a healthy world economy. It was necessary to create, as he put it, the construction of four policemen. These are 4 powers - the United States, the USSR, Great Britain and China. They alone had to keep certain armed forces, all the rest had to be disarmed. Both the defeated and the aggressors. Like the winners, France, Poland, etc. But this had to be done in agreement with the Soviet Union.

At first, the US delegation at the Tehran Conference took an indefinite, wait-and-see position on the issue of creating a second front against Nazi Germany. However, on the whole, it was guided by the decisions of the Anglo-American conference in Quebec held in August 1943. The decisions of the Quebec Conference were in line with the strategic direction adopted by the United States government.

The essence of this strategic orientation was that it was no longer possible to delay the opening of a real second front. The danger of further delay, as well as the perniciousness of the British doctrine that “Germany can be defeated by a series of exhausting operations in northern Italy, the eastern Mediterranean, Greece, the Balkans, Romania and other countries - satellites, ”said, in particular, the US Secretary of War G. Stimson, who wrote to Roosevelt in August 1943:“ In light of the post-war problems that we face, such a position ... seems extremely dangerous. We, like Great Britain, have made a clear commitment to open a valid second front. We cannot expect that even one of our pin-prick operations can deceive Stalin into believing that we are true to our obligations. ”(Stimson Henry L., Bundy McGeorge. On Active Service in Peace and War. New York , 1947. P. 436-437).

President Roosevelt himself was aware of the danger of a further postponement of the second front. On the eve of the Tehran conference, he told his son that "if things in Russia continue as they do now, then it is possible that next spring there will be no need for a second front!" (Roosevelt Elliot. Through his eyes. - M., 1947. S. 161).

A British delegation led by Prime Minister Churchill arrived in Tehran with their own plans.

The course of the war, in which "the honor of almost all victories on land belongs to the Russians" (Churchill Winston S. The Second World War, vol. V. Boston, 1951. P.126) worried the British even more than the Americans. If England, they believed, “does not come out of this war on equal terms” with the USSR, its position in the international arena could change dramatically, and Russia would become “the diplomatic master of the world” (ibid.).

The British ruling circles considered the way out of this situation not only to intensify military operations by the Anglo-American armed forces, but above all to revise strategic plans adopted jointly with the Americans in Quebec in August 1943, with the aim of refusing or at least further postponing the second front in northwestern France and replacing it with operations in Italy, the Balkans and the Aegean Sea, with access to the South Eastern Europe and the southwestern border of the Soviet Union.

Acceptance of these plans, most fully set out in the memorandum of the British Chiefs of Staff of November 11, 1943, "fully and completely" approved by the Prime Minister, the British side tried to achieve on the eve of the conference of the three powers in Tehran in order to appear before the Soviet Union in a united front with the Americans ...

The American side, however, actually avoided discussing European strategy issues at the Cairo Conference (November 22-26, 1943), realizing that “the final decisions will depend on the results of the negotiations in Tehran with the Russians” (Matloff M. From Casablanca to “Overlord ". - M., 1964. S. 418). Churchill was irritated, but not discouraged by the position of the Americans, and, as noted by the American historian R. Sherwood, in Tehran he made a "last and, one might say, desperate attempt" to defend his plans (Robert Sherwood. Roosevelt and Hopkins. Through the eyes of an eyewitness. - M ., 1958.T. 2.S. 484). The discussion about the second front was opened by President Roosevelt at the first meeting of the Tehran conference on November 28, 1943. He announced that at the Anglo-American conference in Quebec in August 1943, a decision was made to invade France around May 1, 1944. the president immediately made a reservation that if the United States and England were to conduct large amphibious operations in the Mediterranean, the invasion of France might have to be postponed for two or three months. The Americans, he said, did not want to “postpone the date of the Canal invasion beyond the months of May or June. At the same time, the President noted, there are many places where the Anglo-American troops could be used. They could be used in Italy in the Adriatic region, in the region Aegean and finally, to help Turkey if she enters the war ”(Churchill Winston S. The Second World War. Vol. V. Boston, 1951. P. 126).

Roosevelt was interested in the opinion of the Soviet delegation on the question of how the allies could most significantly alleviate the situation of the Soviet Union, as well as how best to use the Anglo-American forces stationed in the Mediterranean Sea.

USSR, USA and Great Britain I. Stalin, F. Roosevelt, W. Churchill during the Tehran Conference of 1943

The Soviet delegation proposed to base all operations in 1944 on Operation Overlord, that is, the landing in northwestern France, and, as support, to invade southern France - either simultaneously with the first operation, or a little earlier or later.

However, the British Prime Minister again tried to convince Stalin and Roosevelt of the preference for military operations in the Balkans, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, by postponing Operation Overlord. He tried to replace the opening of a second front in France with the development of operations in Italy and in the Balkans, so as to ensure the occupation of Central and Southeast Europe by Anglo-American troops, and transfer the question of the timing of the start of operations across the English Channel to the "military specialists".

The opening of an effective second front against Nazi Germany was once again under threat. In the current situation, the Soviet delegation showed decisiveness and firmness. ... The Nazis' transition to strategic defense was fraught with great danger in the absence of military operations in the West. Without a second front, Germany could freely regroup its forces and maneuver its reserves, which would significantly complicate the actions of Soviet troops at the front.

The head of the Soviet delegation therefore repeated that the leaders of the USSR, the USA and England should resolve three main questions: the date of the start of the Overlord, the commander-in-chief of this operation, and the need for an auxiliary operation in southern France.

At a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States and Britain, held on the morning of November 30, 1943, after a lengthy discussion, it was decided that the United States and Britain would launch Operation Overlord during May 1944, concurrently with an auxiliary operation in southern France. Last operation will be undertaken to the extent that available amphibious supplies will allow.

Planning Operation Overlord. From left to right: Supreme Commander of the Expeditionary Force in Europe D. Eisenhower, Air Marshal T. Lee-Mallory, Air Marshal A.U. Tedder, Field Marshal B.L. Montgomery

As a result, at the Tehran Conference, the issue of opening a second front in Western Europe was finally resolved and it was agreed that the Anglo-American troops would land in the amount of 35 divisions in northwestern France in May 1944, and that this operation would be supported by the landing of troops in Southern France. Stalin, in turn, announced that Soviet troops would launch an offensive at about the same time in order to prevent the transfer of German forces from the eastern to the western front. it critical decision The Tehran conference was recorded in a secret agreement, which also contained no less important point: "The conference ... agreed that the military headquarters of the three powers should henceforth keep in close contact with each other regarding forthcoming operations in Europe."

The decision taken in Tehran to coordinate the actions of the allies against the common enemy was a success for the Soviet government. The decision to deliver a crushing joint blow to Hitlerite Germany fully met the interests of the anti-Hitler coalition as a whole.

In Tehran, the Soviet delegation has achieved a lot. The date for the opening of the second front in Western Europe was determined - May 1944, the question of the commander-in-chief of this front was resolved. Churchill's Mediterranean strategy, according to which the main forces of England and the United States were to attack Germany through Italy and the Balkans, collapsed: Roosevelt supported Stalin.

In the "Declaration of the Three Powers" adopted on December 1, 1943, the participants in the Tehran Conference declared full agreement on the scale and timing of operations to be undertaken from the east, west and south. Confidence was expressed that the agreement of the three powers would ensure lasting peace between peoples.

DECLARATION OF THE THREE POWERS

We, the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of Great Britain and the Prime Minister of the Soviet Union, have met over 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 during the war and in subsequent times of peace.

As for the war, representatives of our military headquarters participated in our roundtable talks and we agreed on our plans to destroy the German armed forces. We have come to full agreement on the scope and timing of the operations to be undertaken from the east, west and south.

The mutual understanding we have achieved here guarantees our victory.

With regard to peacetime, we are confident that the agreement that exists between us will ensure a lasting peace. We fully recognize the high responsibility that rests on us and on all the United Nations for the implementation of a peace that will receive the approval of the overwhelming majority of the peoples of the world and which will eliminate the scourges and horrors of war for many generations.

Together with our diplomatic advisers, we examined the problems of the future. We will strive for cooperation and active participation of all countries, large and small, whose peoples have devoted themselves in heart and mind, 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.

No power in the world can prevent us from destroying German armies on land, their submarines at sea and destroying their military factories from the air.

Our offensive will be merciless and growing.

Having finished our friendly meetings, we are confidently awaiting the day when all the peoples of the world will live freely, free from tyranny, and in accordance with their different aspirations and their consciences.

We arrived here with hope and determination. We are leaving here as true friends in spirit and purpose.

ROOSEVELT
Stalin
CHURCHILL

The Tehran conference convincingly showed that, despite the fundamental difference in the political and social structure of the USSR, on the one hand, and the United States and England, on the other, these countries could successfully cooperate in the struggle against a common enemy, they sought and found a mutually acceptable solution to the problems that arose between them. controversial issues, although they often approached these issues from completely different positions, which were based, among other things, on the different geopolitical interests of the parties.

Postage stamp of the USSR No. 878 1943, dedicated to the Tehran conference

Victor Gavrilov, Leading Researcher
Research Institute (Military History)
Military Academy of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces

On November 28 - December 1, 1943, a conference of the leaders of the three allied states of the anti-Hitler coalition took place 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 there for the first time.

The military decisions stated that Operation Overlord would be undertaken during May 1944, along with the operation in Southern France, with Soviet troops launching an offensive at about the same time to prevent the transfer of German forces from the east to the western front. It was envisaged that the military headquarters of the three powers must henceforth keep in close contact with each other regarding the upcoming operations in Europe, and that a plan to mystify and deceive the enemy in relation to these operations should be agreed between these headquarters.

The Western allies, on the basis of their military-strategic plans in Southeast Europe, proposed to expand assistance to the Yugoslav partisans and involve Turkey in the war against Germany.

During the discussion on the opening of the 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 of great importance.

In addition to military issues, the conference discussed issues related to the post-war world order. The United States raised the issue of dismembering Germany after the war into five autonomous states. Great Britain proposed to separate Prussia from Germany, and to include the southern regions of the country together 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 Consultative Commission.

At the Tehran conference, a decision was generally agreed on the transfer of Konigsberg (now Kaliningrad) to the USSR.

In Tehran, a preliminary agreement was reached on the establishment of Poland's borders along the "Curzon Line" of 1920 in the east and along the Oder (Odra) River in the west. Thus, the territory of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus was recognized as ceded to the USSR.

The "Declaration on Iran" was also adopted, in which the participants declared "their desire to preserve the full independence, sovereignty and territorial inviolability of Iran."

At a conference between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin, the question of creating an international security organization was preliminary 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 have agreed on plans for the destruction of the German armed forces in terms of 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 on the basis of information from open sources