Editorial Note
Aside from the brief references to surrender policy in connection with pre- Husky propaganda, no record has been found of any consideration by Roosevelt and Churchill of the policy of unconditional surrender. An exchange of telegrams between the American Embassy in London and the Department of State immediately following the conference, however, indicates that this policy was reaffirmed in the course of the Washington meetings. In his telegram 3594, May 25, 1943, not printed, Ambassador John G. Winant reported having been informed the previous day by an official of the British Foreign Office that the British regarded favorably the preliminary report of the Foreign Ministers of the exiled governments in London on draft armistice terms for the Axis countries. Winant further reported that the British would shortly have their own armistice terms in sufficiently tangible form to communicate them to the United States Government. The following reply to Winant, which was prepared at the White House and initialed by Roosevelt, was sent as telegram 3367, May 27, 1943, to London: “Personal for the Ambassador to take up with Mr. Eden. The President is greatly concerned by report in your 3594, May 25th, relating to your talk with Ronald. The President and the Prime Minister were in complete agreement that our joint present position is that there shall be no armistice but that the policy of unconditional surrender be the sole criterion at this time. Therefore, the President is disturbed at any discussion of armistices in any place.” (740.00119 EW/1478)