Roosevelt Papers
Communiqué: First Draft
[Editorial Note.—This draft was apparently an American paper. No evidence has been found of its being considered outside the American Delegation. The purport of the statements that appear in the third paragraph, however, was discussed at the Plenary Meeting on November 30, 1943. See ante, p. 581, and Churchill, p. 384.
The draft contains handwritten changes or corrections which, according to an attached note of December 2, 1943, were made by Roosevelt and Hopkins. The changes or corrections are indicated here as follows: words which were crossed out are printed in canceled type; words which were substituted for the crossed-out words, or added, are printed in italics; and other handwritten notations are described in footnotes.
Of the principal changes, the following are in Roosevelt’s handwriting: the substitution of “determination”, the addition of “greater [Page 635] part of the”, the substitution of “war”, and the substitution of “fact”. The handwriting of the addition, at the end, of the names of the Heads of Government, and perhaps of the other changes (e. g., the correction of “he” to “we”), is Hopkins’.]
Draft
We—The President of the United States, The Prime Minister of Great Britain, and The Premier of Soviet Russia, Marshal of the Red Army, have met these four days past, in this city of Teheran, and have bent our united efforts toward solutions of our military and political problems.
We express our determination that our nations shall work together in war and in the peace that will follow.
As to war—our military staffs have joined in our round table discussions, and we have concerted our plans for the final destruction of the German forces. We have reached complete agreement as to the scope and timing of the operations which will be undertaken from the East, West and South, and arrangements were made to ensure intimate and continuous cooperation.
As to peace—the road is still bloody and hard and long. But the common understanding which he we have here reached guarantees that victory will be ours.
And as to post war plans—our mutual understanding1 gives us courage to hope for an enduring peace. We recognize fully our great responsibilities to help in the writing determination of a peace which will meet approval of the greater part of the peoples of the world, and ensure a lasting surcease from war.
With our diplomatic advisors we have surveyed the problems of the future,2 and we now reiterate our aim to strengthen democratic principles in the world. We shall seek the cooperation and the active participation of all nations, large and small, whose people in heart and mind are dedicated, as are our own peoples, to the elimination of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance. We will welcome them, as they may choose to come, into a world family of democratic nations.
We say to the German people:3
“We do not seek to enslave you. We do mean to destroy not only your military forces, but also the false leaders who have led a generation of Germans into bitter excesses against common decencies, [Page 636] culminating with your being plunged, by this same leadership, into a useless war which has cost caused millions of your sons to die, and may sacrifice millions more.”4
“No power on earth can prevent our destroying the German armies by land, their submarines by sea, and their industrial war plants from the air. Our attack will be relentless.”5
Emerging from these conferences we look with confidence toward the day when all peoples of the world may live free lives, untouched by tyranny, and according to their varying desires and their consciences.
We came here with hope and determination. We leave here, friends in actuality fact, in spirit as well as in purpose.
And we shall meet again as the war—and the peace—progresses!
Winston Churchill
Joseph Stalin
- A handwritten question mark was inserted over the word “understanding”.↩
- The remainder of the sentence was bracketed in pencil, as an indication of its suggested deletion.↩
- This line and the first of the two quoted paragraphs which follow were bracketed in pencil, as an indication of their suggested deletion.↩
- The quotation mark at the end of this paragraph was crossed out, apparently before the bracketed suggestion of deletion was made.↩
- The quotation marks at the beginning and end of this paragraph were crossed out.↩