Malta Conference (1945)
Encyclopedia
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
). Both leaders agreed on the undesirability of the Red Army
advancing into central Europe.
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 President Roosevelt
did not arrive until February 2, the last day of the conference.
, Ambassador 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
, Major General Jacob
.
, 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 U.S. - British Staff Conference, an overall review of cargo shipping and strategy in Northwest Europe.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
of the United States and Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
of the United Kingdom on the island of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. The purpose of the conference was to plan the final campaign against the Germans with the Combined Chiefs of Staff
Combined Chiefs of Staff
The Combined Chiefs of Staff was the supreme military command for the western Allies during World War II. It was a body constituted from the British Chiefs of Staff Committee and the American Joint Chiefs of Staff....
(the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
and the British Chiefs of Staff Committee
Chiefs of Staff Committee
The Chiefs of Staff Committee is composed of the most senior military personnel in the British Armed Forces.-History:The Chiefs of Staff Committee was initially established as a sub-committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence in 1923. It remained as such until the abolition of the CID upon the...
). Both leaders agreed on the undesirability of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
advancing into central Europe.
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 President Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
did not arrive until February 2, the last day of the conference.
Participants
Among the participants of the Conference were U.S. Secretary of State StettiniusEdward Stettinius, Jr.
Edward Reilly Stettinius, Jr. was United States Secretary of State under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, serving from 1944 to 1945....
, Ambassador Harriman
W. Averell Harriman
William Averell Harriman was an American Democratic Party politician, businessman, and diplomat. He was the son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman. He served as Secretary of Commerce under President Harry S. Truman and later as the 48th Governor of New York...
, Harry L. Hopkins, General of the Army George C. Marshall, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, Fleet Admiral Leahy, Prime Minister Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, Major General Laurence S. Kuter
Laurence S. Kuter
General Laurence Sherman Kuter was a Cold War-era U.S. Air Force general and former commander of NORAD...
(representing General of the Army H.H. Arnold who was unable to attend due to illness), Field Marshal H. Maitland Wilson
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson
Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, GCB, GBE, DSO , also known as "Jumbo" Wilson, saw active service in the Second Boer War and First World War, and became a senior British general in the Middle East and Mediterranean during the Second World War...
, Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke
Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke
Field Marshal The Rt. Hon. Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, KG, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO & Bar , was a senior commander in the British Army. He was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the Second World War, and was promoted to Field Marshal in 1944...
, Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles F.A. Portal
Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Frederick Algernon Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford KG GCB OM DSO & Bar MC was a senior Royal Air Force officer and an advocate of strategic bombing...
, Admiral of the Fleet Sir A.B. Cunningham
Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope
Admiral of the Fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope KT, GCB, OM, DSO and two Bars , was a British admiral of the Second World War. Cunningham was widely known by his nickname, "ABC"....
, General Sir Hastings L. Ismay
Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay
General Hastings Lionel "Pug" Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay, KG, GCB, CH, DSO, PC was a British Indian Army officer and diplomat, remembered primarily for his role as Winston Churchill's chief military assistant during the Second World War and his service as the first Secretary General of NATO from 1952...
, Major General Jacob
Jacob L. Devers
General Jacob "Jake" Loucks Devers , commander of the 6th Army Group in Europe during World War II. He was the first United States military officer to reach the Rhine after D-Day.-Biography:...
.
January 30, 1945
On Tuesday, January 30, 1945 at 10am, 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 McCormickLynde D. McCormick
Admiral Lynde Dupuy McCormick was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy who served as vice chief of naval operations from 1950 to 1951 and as commander in chief of the United States Atlantic Fleet from 1951 to 1954, and was the first supreme allied commander of all NATO forces in the...
, 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 U.S. - British Staff Conference, an overall review of cargo shipping and strategy in Northwest Europe.