Second Washington Conference
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The Second Washington Conference (19 – 25 June 1942), did not have a
code name A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...
because it was hastily called and was regarded at the time as a set of military staff conversations rather than a formal conference.Foreign Relations of the United States. Conferences at Washington 1241–1942 and Casablanca 194
Introduction: Scope of Coverage
p. xiii
The two delegations were led by the British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
and the American President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
. Immediately before the Conference started, Roosevelt held preparatory talks with Churchill in his home town of
Hyde Park, New York Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Frankl ...
on 19 and 20 June.Staff
Visits to the U.S. by Foreign Heads of State and Government—1940–1944
United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
Roosevelt about the meeting at Hyde Park. "Churchill saw all those boats from the last war tied up on the Hudson river and in one of his great bursts of imagination he said "By George, we could take those ships and others like them that are good for nothing and sink them offshore to protect the landings" I thought well of it and we talked about it all afternoon. The Military and Naval authorities were startled out of a year's growth. But Winnie was right. Great fellow, that Churchill, if you can keep up with him". So started the idea of the Mulberry Harbour. The conference discussed how the Western Allies could best aid the Soviet Union. The Americans were keen to open up a Second Front in France, but the British did not think that it was yet a feasible option and Churchill proposed developing a joint campaign in the Mediterranean Theater leading to an attack on Italy as the "soft under-belly" of the Axis. Agreement was reached to start preparations for an invasion of the North African Colonies of
Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
(
Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
).staff. Campaign Summaries of World War I
Normandy Landings, Operation "OVERLORD" 6 June 1944NAVAL-HISTORY.NET
Section "June 42". Accessed 1 July 2008
One of the first concrete measures taken by Roosevelt to facilitate this strategy was to appoint General
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
as the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Forces in the
European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...
on 25 June. Roosevelt and Churchill also held discussions with members of the Pacific War Council, King
Peter II of Yugoslavia Peter II ( sr-Cyrl, Петар II Карађорђевић, Petar II Karađorđević; 6 September 1923 – 3 November 1970) was the last king of Yugoslavia, reigning from October 1934 until his deposition in November 1945. He was the last r ...
and his Foreign Minister, and with Soviet and Chinese representatives with whom they discussed strategic problems.Foreign Relations of the United States. Conferences at Washington 1241–1942 and Casablanca 194
Introduction: Scope of Coverage
pp. xiii, xiv.


See also

* Washington Conference *
List of Allied World War II conferences This is a list of World War II conferences of the Allies of World War II. Conference names in boldface indicate the conferences at which the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union were all present. For the historica ...


References


External links


Proceedings of the Conference in the ''Foreign Relations of the United States''
{{Franklin D. Roosevelt World War II conferences Diplomatic conferences in the United States 1942 conferences 1942 in the United States 1942 in international relations 1942 in Washington, D.C. United Kingdom–United States relations