Office of the Historian

740.0011 European War 1939/17699: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

[Extract]
London, December 19, 1941—11 p.m.
[Received December 19—8:45 p.m.]

6147. Your 5885 deeply appreciated. Eden’s cables which I am forwarding in a summary statement confirm your judgment. The following is a summary of a 4-hour conversation that Eden had with Stalin:

It began with a full survey of the political situation when Stalin produced draft projects of two treaties, one to cover mutual military assistance irrespective of the war and the other political collaboration now and after the war. The terms do not greatly differ from those which Eden had foreshadowed and the latter gave Stalin a draft prepared on the approved basis. A further meeting was to take place on the following day to evolve an agreed text which Eden thought would not present any insuperable difficulty.

Stalin then suggested the signature of a secret protocol embodying the joint views of the British Government and the Soviet Government for a settlement of postwar frontiers and outlined in detail his conception of such a settlement for Europe as a whole which was drastic and severe upon Germany. Eden told him that for many reasons it was impossible for him to enter into a secret agreement; he was pledged to the United States Government not to do so; the British Government’s own discussion of a peace settlement had not advanced to this point and he would have to consult his colleagues. He would, however, take back a full account to London where the proposal would be studied and the matter could then be taken up through diplomatic channels.

Stalin agreed to this and also to the proposals being communicated to the United States Government. His desire was to establish that our war aims were identical as then our alliance would be stronger. If our war aims were different then, he said, there was no true alliance.93

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Winant
  1. For an indication of Stalin’s attitude in relation to the Far East, as contained in a part of this telegram which is not printed, see Vol. iv, p. 1029, footnote 64.↩