Malta Conference (1945)

Last updated
Malta Conference
ARGONAUT
CRICKET
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Churchill in Malta - NARA - 196998.jpg
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill at the Malta Conference
Host countryFlag of Malta (1943-1964).svg  Malta
DateJanuary 30 – February 3, 1945
Venue(s)Montgomery House
Cities Floriana, Malta
ParticipantsFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg  United States
Precedes Yalta Conference

The Malta Conference was held from January 30 to February 3, 1945 between President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom on the island of Malta. The purpose of the conference was to plan the final campaign against the Germans with the Combined Chiefs of Staff (the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and the British Chiefs of Staff Committee). Politically, the overriding purpose was to present a united front against Stalin in the Yalta Conference a few days later. That did not happen once Yalta began, much to Churchill's disappointment. Both leaders agreed on the undesirability of the Red Army advancing into central Europe.

Contents

The Conference was given the code names of ARGONAUT and CRICKET, as well as several others.

The Malta Conference began on January 30, 1945, but Roosevelt did not arrive until February 2, the last day of the conference. [1]

Participants

Among the participants of the Conference were U.S. Secretary of State Edward Stettinius, U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union W. Averell Harriman, Harry L. Hopkins, General of the Army George C. Marshall, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, Fleet Admiral Leahy, Prime Minister Churchill, British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, Major General Laurence S. Kuter (representing General of the Army H.H. Arnold who was unable to attend due to illness), Field Marshal H. Maitland Wilson, Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles F.A. Portal, Admiral of the Fleet Sir A.B. Cunningham, General Sir Hastings L. Ismay and Lieutenant General Jacob Devers. [1]

January 30, 1945

The conference was held at Montgomery House in Floriana Malta - Floriana - Triq San Publiju + Montgomery House 01 ies.jpg
The conference was held at Montgomery House in Floriana

On Tuesday, January 30, 1945 at 10 a.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff met in Montgomery House, Malta. Present were General of the Army Marshall, Fleet Admiral King, Major General Kuter, Lieutenant General Somervell, Lieutenant General Smith, Rear Admiral Duncan, Rear Admiral McCormick, Major General Bull, Major General Hull, Major General Wood, Major General Anderson, Brigadier General Loutzenheiser, Brigadier General Lindsay, Captain McDill, Colonel Peck, Colonel Dean, Colonel Lincoln.

The minutes show they worked on the agenda for the next American-British Staff Conference, an overall review of cargo shipping and strategy in Northwestern Europe. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)</span> United States Army distinguished service medal

The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Army that is presented to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility. The performance must be such as to merit recognition for service that is clearly exceptional. The exceptional performance of normal duty will not alone justify an award of this decoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yalta Conference</span> 1945 WWII allied discussion of postwar reorganization

The Yalta Conference, also known as the Crimea Conference, held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe. The three states were represented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and General Secretary Joseph Stalin, respectively. The conference was held near Yalta in Crimea, Soviet Union, within the Livadia, Yusupov, and Vorontsov palaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William D. Leahy</span> US Navy admiral, ambassador (1875–1959)

William Daniel Leahy was an American naval officer who served as the most senior United States military officer on active duty during World War II. He held multiple titles and was at the center of all major military decisions of the U.S. during World War II. As fleet admiral, Leahy was the first U.S. naval officer ever to hold a five-star rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. He has been described by historian Phillips O'Brien as the "second most powerful man in the world" for his influence over U.S. foreign and military policy throughout the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dill</span> British Army officer and diplomat (1881–1944)

Sir John Greer Dill, was a senior British Army officer with service in both the First World War and the Second World War. From May 1940 to December 1941 he was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), the professional head of the British Army, and subsequently served in Washington, D.C., as Chief of the British Joint Staff Mission and then Senior British Representative on the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combined Chiefs of Staff</span> Supreme military staff for the United States and Britain during World War II

The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) was the supreme military staff for the United States and Britain during World War II. It set all the major policy decisions for the two nations, subject to the approvals of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South West Pacific Area (command)</span> Allied military command in World War II

South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific War. SWPA included the Philippines, Borneo, the Dutch East Indies, East Timor, Australia, the Territories of Papua and New Guinea, and the western part of the Solomon Islands. It primarily consisted of United States and Australian forces, although Dutch, Filipino, British and other Allied forces also served in the SWPA.

The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States, who had served during the American Civil War as commissioned officers in Federal service, or who had served and thereafter been commissioned, and who thereby "had aided in maintaining the honor, integrity, and supremacy of the national movement" during the Civil War.

The First Washington Conference, also known as the Arcadia Conference, was held in Washington, D.C., from December 22, 1941, to January 14, 1942. President Roosevelt of the United States and Prime Minister Churchill of the United Kingdom attended the conference, where they discussed a future United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malta Summit</span> 1989 meeting between the heads of state of the US and Soviet Union

The Malta Summit was a meeting between US President George H. W. Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on December 2–3, 1989, just a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It followed a meeting that included Ronald Reagan in New York in December 1988. During the summit, Bush and Gorbachev declared an end to the Cold War, although whether it was truly such is a matter of debate. News reports of the time referred to the Malta Summit as one of the most important since World War II, when British prime minister Winston Churchill, Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin and US President Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed on a post-war plan for Europe at the Yalta Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allied leaders of World War II</span> Political and military leaders of the Allied nations during World War II

The Allied leaders of World War II listed below comprise the important political and military figures who fought for or supported the Allies during World War II. Engaged in total war, they had to adapt to new types of modern warfare, on the military, psychological and economic fronts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurence S. Kuter</span> United States Air Force general

General Laurence Sherman Kuter was a Cold War-era U.S. Air Force general and former commander of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). Kuter was born in Rockford, Illinois in 1905, and graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York on June 14, 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Order of Foreign Wars</span> U.S. veterans and hereditary association

The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Membership is composed of active duty, reserve and retired officers of the United States Armed Services, including the Coast Guard, National Guard, and allied officers, and their descendants, who have served during one of the wars in which the United States has or is engaged with a foreign power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest African Air Forces</span> Military unit

Northwest African Air Forces (NAAF) was a component of the Allied Mediterranean Air Command (MAC) during February–December 1943. It was responsible primarily for air operations during the Tunisian Campaign and bombing of Italy. Its commander was Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz of the United States Army Air Force. NAAF was created following a reorganization of the command structure of Allied air forces in the Mediterranean Theatre. The other components of MAC were Middle East Command (MEC), AHQ Malta, RAF Gibraltar and 216 Group.

The Coronation Honours 1911 for the British Empire were announced on 19 June 1911, to celebrate the coronation of George V which was held on 22 June 1911.

The King's Birthday Honours 1950 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of the King, and were published in supplements to the London Gazette of 2 June 1950 for the British Empire, Australia, Ceylon and New Zealand.

The 1945 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1945 for the British Empire, Canada, and the Union of South Africa to celebrate the past year and mark the beginning of 1945.

The 1943 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 29 December 1942.

The 1877 Birthday Honours were appointments by Queen Victoria to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of the Queen, and were published in The London Gazette on 30 May and 2 June 1877.

References

  1. 1 2 3 United States Department of State Foreign relations of the United States. Conferences at Malta and Yalta, 1945 Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1945 lxxviii, 1032 p., [11] p. of plates : ill., folded maps (1 col.) : 24 cm.