Memorandum of Conference Held at the White House, by Mr. Harry L. Hopkins, Special Assistant to President Roosevelt 31
| [Present:] | The President |
| Mr. Vyacheslav Molotov | |
| Mr. Harry L. Hopkins | |
| Mr. Pavlov, interpreter for Mr. Molotov | |
| Professor Samuel H. Cross, interpreter for the President. |
(The above were present at dinner in the dining room and later in the President’s study. 7:40 p.m. to 12:00 midnight.)
The President told Molotov that he visualized the enforced disarmament of our enemies and, indeed, some of our friends after the war; that he thought that the United States, England, Russia and perhaps China should police the world and enforce disarmament by inspection. The President said that he visualized Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Czechoslovakia, Rumania and other nations would not be permitted to have military forces. He stated that other nations might join the first four mentioned after experience proved they could be trusted.
Molotov asked him about China and said that the inclusion of China would depend on whether they could organize and maintain a strong central government; that he had a question mark in his mind about including China.
The President stated-that the population of our nations and friends was well over a billion people and that we would be the “policemen” and that we at least could be sure of peace for 25 years; at any rate until all of us now living are dead.
The President stated that he was presenting this to Molotov to begin preliminary discussions and he wanted Molotov to discuss it with Stalin when he returns to Moscow. The President impressed upon Molotov the importance of making no public announcement about this matter until we defeat Germany, but he earnestly hoped that there would be a meeting of minds on it at least between ourselves, Russia and Great Britain when we win the war.
Molotov stated that Russia had not considered this matter; that it needs careful thinking out and that he would talk to Stalin about it.
The President told Molotov that last August when he met Churchill in Newfoundland, one of the questions he put to Churchill when the Atlantic Charter was being drawn up was “How do we implement it?”.
The President said he could not visualize another League of Nations with 100 different signatories; there were simply too many nations to satisfy, hence it was a failure and would be a failure.
The President stated that in 1933 he proposed complete disarmament; that the French objected and the Soviet Union agreed. In 1934, when he proposed it again, England said no.32
The President said that he could see no alternative to some type of police force and, hence, compulsory disarmament, followed by inspection to see that the nations stayed disarmed, was one of the implications of the Atlantic Charter. The President told Molotov that England would agree to this if the Soviet Union and the United States insisted upon it.
[Page 574]Molotov repeated that the subject which the President was raising was the first stage of the discussion. He asked the President whether it represented his final and considered judgment, to which the President answered in the affirmative.
The President stated that China had not been consulted about this and again said that it was not clear whether they could set up a strong central government adequate to act as a policeman for Japan. Only events can determine that.
Molotov asked particularly about France.
The President said that ill the beginning he did not believe that France should be included, but that it should be considered one of the nations which might at a later date join the four powers he has mentioned.
The President raised the great danger if there were too many “policemen”. He stated that the first thing they might do would be to start fighting amongst themselves.
Molotov asked the President about Poland and Turkey. He said they might well be offended if they were left out.
The President said they would be “nominally” in and other friendly nations would be in the same status.
Molotov stated he thought the President’s proposal was extremely important; that to him it was quite realistic on the basis of our present experience and indicated clearly that he was in sympathy with it.
The President stated that it was important that Turkey should never be permitted to be a threat to Europe, to which Molotov replied that Turkey has great pretensions and, for that matter, Poland had too.
I asked Molotov whether the Polish troops were fighting on the Russian front.33 He said no; that they had three divisions in Russia and plainly indicated that the Poles were none too anxious to get in the fight.
The President said that we must have a brand new approach to world peace; that the bid balance of power theory did not work. That certain nations must be compelled to disarm.
- Copy obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N. Y.↩
- For correspondence relating to the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments, held at Geneva, see Foreign Relations, 1933, vol. i, pp. 1–355, and ibid., 1934, vol. i, pp. 1—216.↩
- For correspondence concerning the interest of the United States in the Polish Government in Exile at London and its relations with the Soviet Union on this and other questions, see pp. 100 ff.↩