Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conferences at Cairo and Tehran, 1943

White House Files

Log of the Trip

November 22 to 25, 1943

Monday, November 22nd. (Enroute Tunis to Cairo, and at Cairo)

9:35 a.m.	The President’s plane landed at Cairo West airport (a Royal Air Force field). This was some two and one-half hours after plane number two of our party had arrived from Tunis, and the late arrival caused some concern at the field as to the President’s safety. Two different groups of fighter-planes had been at appointed rendezvous at the scheduled times but each failed to make contact and eventually had to return to their base for refueling. The President’s plane, it developed, had detoured southward as far as latitude 28°–00′–00″ north and had then turned northward and followed the course of the River Nile up to Cairo. This route took them over the Sphinx and the Pyramids.
	The air distance from Tunis to Cairo, over the route flown by the President’s plane, was 1851 miles. The President was met at Cairo West airport by Major General Ralph Royce, U. S. A., Commanding General, U. S. Army Forces in the Middle East, and his Chief of Staff, Brigadier General G. X. Cheaves [Cheves], U. S. A. The Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek and their party had arrived in Cairo from Chungking the evening before our arrival (on November 21st.). Prime Minister Churchill and his party also arrived in Cairo on November 21st.
10:10 a.m.	The President disembarked and proceeded via automobile to Ambassador Alexander C. Kirk’s villa in the Mena District of Cairo, which is approximately seven miles west of Cairo and out near the Pyramids of Gizeh.
10:30 a.m.	The President arrived at Ambassador Kirk’s Mena villa. He made this villa his home, at Ambassador Kirk’s invitation, during his entire stay in Cairo. This villa is of medium size and is beautifully furnished. It also has a lovely flower garden in the rear with an overlooking patio, and it was there that the President spent most of his few leisure moments. The general area surrounding the President’s quarters was guarded by American soldiers.
	Mr. Hopkins and Admiral Leahy lived in the President’s villa. Admiral Brown, Admiral McIntire and General Watson and other members of our party lived in nearby villas.
	The President brought along his own valet and cooks and stewards and throughout our stay here and at Teheran those cooks and stewards prepared the President’s meals.
	The Sextant Conference was held in the Mena House Hotel, located approximately one mile west of the President’s villa and right at the very base of the Pyramids of Gizeh.
	The President was met at his villa on his arrival by Ambassadors Kirk and Averell W. [W. Averell] Harriman.
	During the afternoon, the Prime Minister, the Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek called on the President.1
8:00 p.m.	Dinner at the President’s villa for the President, Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, Mr. Hopkins, Admiral Leahy and Prime Minister Churchill.1
9:00 p.m.	Preliminary meeting of the President, Prime Minister Churchill and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek with their respective military and naval staffs and other delegates, A complete list of those present follows:2
	. . . . . . .
11:10 p.m.	The preliminary meeting, as described above, adjourned.
Tuesday, November 23rd. (At Cairo)
	During the forenoon the following persons called on the President: Mr. A. Y. Vyshinsky, First Assistant Commissar for Foreign Affairs, U. S. S. R. Mr. Vyshinsky was accompanied by Mr. Charles E. Bohlen of our State Department; Admiral Mountbatten; General Wheeler; General Wedemeyer; The Prime Minister and his daughter, Mrs. Sarah Oliver; the Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek; Generals Shang Chen, Ling [Lin] Wei and Chu Shih Ming.3
	Ambassadors Kirk and Harriman called at the President’s villa during the forenoon.4
11:00 a.m.	First plenary meeting of the President, the Prime Minister and the Generalissimo with their respective military and naval staffs and other delegates.5 Those present for this meeting were the same as for the preliminary meeting held at 9:00 p.m., Monday, November 22nd.
1:30 p.m.	The President lunched at his villa with the Prime Minister, Mrs. Oliver, Mr. Hopkins, Commander C. R. Thompson, E. H. [N. (The Prime Minister’s Naval Aide), and Mr. J. F. [M] Martin (The Prime Minister’s Secretary).6
3:15 p.m.	The President, together with Lieutenant (jg) Rigdon, worked on his mail from 3:15 until 4:10 p.m., signing the following Congressional bills: HE No. 244, 273, 400, 560, 800, 1049, 1144, 1202, 1206, 1435, 1498, 1555, 1622, 1666, 1769, 1887, 1889, 1918, 1920, 2182, 2244, 2600, 2675, 2824, 2905, 2915, and 3331.
4:15 p.m.	With the Prime Minister acting as host, the President, the Prime Minister, Mrs. Oliver, Admiral Brown, Admiral McIntire and General Watson left the President’s villa for an automobile trip to the nearby Pyramids of Gizeh and the Sphinx.7 At the Pyramids one of the native guides, who was found by chance at that late hour, was called in to give details of the history of the Pyramids that some members of the party were not familiar with. The visit to the Pyramids was made just at sunset, so that the party had the experience of seeing the sun dip behind the Pyramids, the afterglow, and the dust [dusk?] succeeding the sun.
5:15 p.m.	The President, the Prime Minister and members of their party returned to the President’s villa at 5:15 p.m.
	Colonel Elliot[t] Roosevelt arrived in Cairo this afternoon from his headquarters at Tunis. He was quartered in the President’s villa while in Cairo.
8:00 p.m.	Dinner at the President’s villa. The dinner list included the President, the Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Mr. Hopkins and Colonel Elliot[t] Roosevelt. The Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek remained after dinner until 11:00 p.m. conversing with the President and Mr. Hopkins.9
	A radiogram was received quite late this evening from Moscow informing the President that Marshal Stalin would be at Teheran on November 28th or the 29th.10 As this was a bit sooner than had been expected, immediate steps were taken to complete the details of our journey to Teheran.
	Wednesday, November 24th. (At Cairo)
	Callers at the President’s villa during the forenoon included Ambassadors Kirk and Harriman and Major Otis Bryan, A. U. S.11
11:00 a.m.	The President held a conference with General Marshall, Admiral Leahy, Admiral King, General Arnold, Lt-General Somervell, Captain Royal, Air Chief Marshal Portal, Admiral Cunningham, the Prime Minister, General Sir Alan Brooke, Field Marshal Sir John Dill, Lt-General Ismay, General Laycock, Brigadier Hollis and Mr. Hopkins. This conference adjourned at 12:40 p.m.12
	Major John Boettiger, A. U. S., joined the President’s party this morning. Major Boettiger is on duty with the Fifth Army in Italy (with the Allied Military Government organization.)
p.m.	During the afternoon the President kept appointments with the following personages at his villa: *Sir Ahmed [Ahmad] Mohammed Hassenein Pacha, Chief of the Egyptian Royal Cabinet. *His Excellency Moustafa El-Nahas Pacha, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Royal Egyptian Cabinet. (Note: King Farouk I had recently been injured in an automobile accident and was unable to call on the President during the time he was in Cairo.) His Majesty King George II of the Hellenes (Greece). His Excellency Mr. Emmanuel Tsouderos, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Greece). Lord Killearn, British Ambassador to Egypt. His Majesty King Peter of Yugoslavia. His Excellency Dr. Boxidar [Božidar] Pouritch, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Yugoslavia). His Royal Highness Prince Paul, Crown Prince of Greece. General Sir Henry, Maitland Wilson, Commander in Chief British Forces in the Middle East. General Wilson was accompanied by General Royce. Air Chief Marshal Sir Sholto Douglas, Officer Commanding Royal Air Force in the Middle East. Admiral Sir Algerson [Algernon] Willis, Commander in Chief, Levant. General R. G. W. Stone, Commander in Chief, British troops in Egypt. (The above are listed in the order in which they called.)13
5:15 p.m.	Ambassador Steinhardt, accompanied by Mr. George Allen, called on the President.14 Ambassador Steinhardt and Mr. Allen had just arrived in Cairo from Ankara, Turkey.
8:30 p.m.	President had dinner at his villa. His guests included Ambassador Harriman, Mr. Hopkins, Admiral Leahy, Admiral Brown, Admiral McIntire, and General Watson. The guests remained after dinner until 12:40 a.m., chatting and playing cards.
Thursday, November 25th. (At Cairo).
	Forenoon callers at the President’s villa included Ambassador Harriman and Sir Alexander Cadogan.15
11:30 a.m.	The President signed mail that had arrived earlier today by pouch from Washington. This mail included the Executive Order authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to take possession of and to operate part of the plant and facilities of the Remington Rand, Inc., South-port, County of Chemung, N. Y.; a message vetoing HR 1155; and a message vetoing SJ Resolution 59.
12:00	The President, the Prime Minister, Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek, members of their respective military and naval staffs and various other delegates met in the garden of the President’s villa where they posed for moving pictures and still pictures for military photographers and accredited war correspondents of the three nations concerned.16
1:30 p.m.	The President had luncheon at his villa with Lord Leathers, Mr. L. W. Douglas, Ambassador Winant and Assistant Secretary of War John S. [J.] McCloy.17
2:30 p.m.	Mr. M. F. Reilly and Major Otis F. Bryan called on the President to report on their trip to Teheran, from which they had just returned. The President shortly afterwards announced his decision to fly to Teheran, instead of flying only to Basra and proceeding on from there by train. It was considered that the travel by train would be too uncertain in view of the urgent necessity that the President be in Teheran by November 28th.
5:00 p.m.	The Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek had tea with the President at his villa.18
6:15 p.m.	Major General Donald H. Connolly, Commanding General of our Persian Gulf Service Command, called on the President to discuss desired arrangements at Teheran.19
8:00 p.m.	The President was host at Thanksgiving dinner at his villa.20 He had brought his own turkeys from Washington (they were gifts to him from Under Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius, and Mr. Joe Carter of Burnt Corn, Ala.). The dinner list included: The President, the Prime Minister, Mrs. Oliver, Sir [Mr.] Anthony Eden, Major Boettiger, Mr. John F. [M.] Martin, Commander Thompson, Lord Moran. Admiral Leahy, Ambassador Winant, Ambassador Harriman, Mr. Hopkins, Admiral McIntire, Admiral Brown, Elliot[t], Ambassador Kirk, General Watson, Robert Hopkins, and Ambassador Steinhardt. Music during the dinner was furnished by an orchestra from our Camp Huckstepp. The highlight of the dinner was the President’s toast to the Prime Minister. He told briefly the history and origin of the tradition of our annual Thanksgiving Day; of how our American soldiers are now spreading that custom all over the world; and how that he, personally, was delighted to share this one with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister rose to respond at this stage, but the President told him that he had still another toast first. The President then went on to say that large families are usually closer united than are small families; and that, this year, with the United Kingdom in our family, we are a large family and more united than ever before. The Prime Minister responded in his usual masterful and inspiring manner.
10:30 p.m.	Lt-General Stilwell called on the President.21
	Friday, November 26th. (At Cairo)
	During the forenoon the President conferred with Mr. James Landis, Ambassador Harriman, Admiral Mount-batten, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Admiral Leahy and Ambassador Winant.22
2:30 p.m.	Generals Marshall and Eisenhower called on the President. The President bestowed the Legion of Merit on General Eisenhower in recognition of his outstanding work in the cause of our country. A copy of the citation is appended, marked “A”.23
4:30 p.m.	The Prime Minister, Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Ambassador Harriman, Sir [Mr.] Anthony Eden and Sir Alexander Cadogan conferred with the President. A press communiqué announcing the completion of the first phase of the Cairo Conference was agreed upon. A copy is appended hereto, marked “B”.24 For reasons of security, it was also agreed that this communiqué would not be released to the press until after the completion of the forthcoming conference at Teheran.
6:00 p.m.	The President summoned Lieutenant (jg) Rigdon and worked on official mail that had arrived in Cairo today from Washington. There was no Congressional matter contained in this particular pouch. The President worked until 7:00 p.m. with this mail.
7:30 p.m.	The President dined at his villa with Admiral Leahy, Admiral Brown, Admiral McIntire and General Watson.
10:00 p.m.	The President turned in, in anticipation of an early rising and departure (5:00 a.m.) on Saturday for Teheran, Iran.
	The weather at Cairo during our first five days there was most pleasant; the days were comparatively warm, but the nights were always cool enough for excellent sleeping.

1. See the editorial note, post, p. 307.
1. See the editorial note, post, p. 307.
2. For those present, see the editorial note, post, p. 308.
3. See the editorial note, post, p. 310.
4. No record has been found of the substance of the conversation between Kirk and the President. Harriman’s visit was in conjunction with that of Vyshinsky. See post, p. 309.
5. For the minutes of this meeting, see post, p. 311. The term “First Plenary Meeting” was applied to this meeting, as it was the first of five plenary meetings of the Combined Chiefs of Staff with the President and the Prime Minister (and occasionally others) held at Cairo between November 23 and December 6, 1943.
6. No record of the substance of this meeting has been found.
7. No indications have been found that matters of substance were discussed. Arnold, pp. 462–463, states that he went with the President to see the Sphinx. Arnold does not mention that any other persons were in the party, and the trip to which he alludes presumably took place the following day, November 24. According to his account, he and the President discussed on that occasion the choice of a Supreme Allied Commander for the European Theater and the quantity of tonnage that could be delivered by air to China.
9. See the editorial note, post, p. 322.
10. See post, p. 385.
11. No record of the substance of these meetings has been found.
12. For the minutes of this meeting, see post, p. 329.
13. These gentlemen were accompanied by Ambassador Kirk. [Footnote appears in the source text]
14. These gentlemen were accompanied by Ambassador Kirk. [Footnote appears in the source text]
13. See the editorial note, post, p. 345.
14. No record of the substance of this meeting has been found.
15. No record of the substance of these meetings has been found.
16. The photographs appear ante, following p. 290.
17. No record of the substance of this meeting has been found. See, however, the editorial note, post, p. 346.
18. See the editorial note, post, p. 349.
19. No record of this conversation has been found.
20. See the editorial note, post, p. 350.
21. No official record of the substance of this meeting has been found. According to Elliott Roosevelt, pp. 160–162, the subjects discussed included Stilwell’s difficulties with Chiang and the Chinese Minister of War (General Ho), Lend-Lease to China, the Ledo Road, and the qualities of the Chinese soldier. A brief reference to the meeting may be found in The Stilwell Papers, p. 246.
22. No record of the substance of these meetings has been found. See, however, the editorial note, post, p. 351.
23. Not printed herein. The citation was published by the War Department in General Orders No. 6, January 11, 1944.
24. The communiqué is printed post, p. 448.