Foreign Relations of the United States, The Conferences at Washington, 1941–1942, and Casablanca, 1943

Hull Papers

Draft Joint Declaration¹

strictly confidential

[Washington,] December 14, 1941.

Draft of Joint Declaration by the United States, Great Britain, China, the Netherlands, and Other Governments

The Government of the United States of America, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Union of South Africa, New Zealand, China and the Netherlands,

Having subscribed to a common program of purposes and principles embodied in the Joint Declaration of the President of the United States of America and the Prime Minister of Great Britain dated August 14, 1941, known as the Atlantic Charter,²

Being convinced that complete and world-wide victory of all of them is essential to defend and preserve life, liberty, independence as well as the righteous possibilities of human freedom and justice not only in their own lands but everywhere, and that the struggle in which they are now engaged is a common defense of human decencies everywhere against savage and brutal force seeking to subjugate the world, Declare:

(1) Each government pledges itself to employ its full resources against the Axis forces of conquest and to continue such employment until these forces have been finally defeated;

(2) Each government pledges itself to the other governments associated in this declaration to effect full coordination of military effort and use of resources against the common enemies;

(3) Each government pledges itself to continue war against, and not to make a separate peace with, the common enemies or any of them.

Other governments desirous of associating themselves in this declaration are hereby privileged to adhere to this declaration.

1. This draft, prepared at Hull’s request by Maxwell M. Hamilton, is the first version of what became the Declaration by United Nations; see Hull, vol. ii, pp. 1114–1115. Although there is no explicit indication that this draft was sent to the President, it appears that it was one of two drafts submitted by Roosevelt to Churchill shortly after the conference began and telegraphed by the Prime Minister to London for consideration by the War Cabinet. The evidence of this appears in the telegram of December 25 from Attlee to Churchill, post, p. 364.
2. For text, see Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. i, p. 367, or 55 Stat. (pt. 2) 1603.