Office of the Historian

Roosevelt Papers: Telegram

President Roosevelt to Prime Minister Churchill1

top secret
priority
[U.S.S. “Baltimore”,2] 8 August 1944.

Personal and top secret for the Former Naval Person from the President. Number 595.

Thanks for your number 744.3 I am still in the Aleutians but will be back in Washington in ten days.

I hope you are right about the climax but I can not feel quite as optimistic in view of the distances involved both in France and on the Russian Front.

Can you give me one week more to consider all the implications of Octagon? My present thought is that, for many reasons you will [Page 14] understand, it would be a mistake for me to go to Scotland especially in view of Uncle Joe’s failure to come. My present inclination is to give greater consideration to Bermuda especially if we can make it a small meeting of Staffs and not a full Staff meeting as it was in Quebec.4 We could both live on our ships. As you know, domestic problems are unfortunately difficult for three months to come.

I hope you will have a grand trip and wish I could be with you.

Tell Clemmie5 I am hereby ordering you not to take unnecessary risks.

Roosevelt
  1. Sent to the White House Map Room; forwarded to the United States Naval Attaché, London, via Navy channels.↩
  2. Roosevelt was en route from Kodiak Island to Auk Bay, Alaska. Concerning his whereabouts in the period July 13–August 17, 1944, see ante, p. 10, fn. 1.↩
  3. Supra.↩
  4. i.e., at the First Quebec Conference. See Foreign Relations, The Conference at Washington and Quebec, 1943.↩
  5. Mrs. Churchill.↩