FDR's Memo of the Atlantic Conference (original) (raw)
PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT'S MEMO DESCRIBING HIS
TRIP TO THE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
THE WHITE HOUSE Washington
August 23, 1941
MEMORANDUM OF TRIP TO MEET WINSTON CHURCHILL, AUGUST, 1941. (THESE NOTES ARE DICTATED FOR HISTORICAL PURPOSES AND FOR POSSIBLE USE IN PREPARING A MAGAZINE ARTICLE)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Harry Hopkins went to England the first time in January, 1941, I told him to express my hope to Churchill that we could meet some day to talk over the problem of defeat of Germany. Before Hopkins could deliver the message, Churchill expressed exactly the same thought to Hopkins. Thus it may be truthfully said that the meeting was suggested by both Churchill and me.
The date mentioned at that time was March or April, and the places mentioned were Bermuda or Newfoundland. I found it impossible, on account of legislation, to get away from Washington until April, and by that time the war in Greece -- and later the war in Crete -- prevented Churchill from leaving.
The trip was mentioned again in May and June and early July, and was finally decided upon about July fifteenth. Bermuda was decided against on account of the long and rather dangerous re-planing hop from here to England in case Churchill had to hurry back. The neighborhood of Newfoundland was decided on. The date of the actual rendezvous was set for August eighth, ninth or tenth.
About July twenty-seventh, the British Admiralty sent us a secret recommendation that Loon Bay, on the north coast of Newfoundland, be chosen, raising certain objections to Placentia Bay, on the South Coast, and another Bay west of it on the south coast. My Naval advisors and I told the British Admiralty we much preferred Argentia Harbor off Placentia Bay, especially as that was the new Base recently placed in commission by the Navy and already fitted with radio and manned by a number of planes, mine sweepers, etc. The Admiralty acceded to this choice.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-2-
We were then notified that Mr. Churchill would leave from Scotland on H.M.S. Prince of Wales, accompanied by several destroyers, on August fourth and that he would bring with him Admiral Pund, General Dill, Air Marshall Freeman and Harry Hopkins. I notified him that I would bring Admiral Stark, General Marshall and General Arnold. A day or two later I was notified that he would also bring Under Secretary of State Welles and Mr. Averall Harriman.
It was constantly emphasized, both in London and Washington, that the utmost secrecy before and during the trip was essential. This was, of course, obvious because the Prime Minister would traverse, both going and returning from Newfoundland, long distances in dangerous waters -- the danger being from bombing planes, heavy raiders and submarines. This was true, to a lesser extent, in the case of the President, whose Flagship would have to traverse waters from Nova Scotia, passed Halifax, to New Foundland, where submarines or raiders could readily operate. It is obvious that the return trip of both the Prime Minister and the President should be kept secret.
All of this being accepted, I was faced with a practical problem of extreme difficulty. I knew that the British Prime Minister is not constantly accompanied by newspaper men, representing the Press Associations, followed me on one of the escorting destroyers.
I considered the possibility of visiting Ottawa, being met by a cruiser at Quebec, and departing without newspaper men on a trip ostensibly to survey the defenses of the lower St. Lawrence. I realized, in the first place, it would be difficult to explain my failure to take Prime Minister MacKenzie King with me, and I knew that it would be difficult to take the head of one Dominion Government to the Churchill Conference in the absence of the Prime Ministers of the other Dominion. I then remembered that I had told my Press Conference about ten days before that I needed to get off for a cruise on the U.S.S. Potomac to the eastern coast of Maine in order to get some cool nights -- the Summer of 1941 being extremely hot in June and July. This became the basis for the plan of escape.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-3-
Several days before my departure I told the Press Conference that I intended to take a cruise on the "Potomac" but that being unable to accomodate three Press Association representatives on the small escort ship "Calipso", and, feeling, unwilling to use an active destroyer for this purpose, I could not take the Press Association representatives with me. They asked me whether I was going to go ashore at any time, and to this I replied definitely in the negative.
Therefore, on the morning of Sunday, August third, I entrained, accompanied by General Watson, Captain Beardall and Admiral McIntire, on board the U.S.S. Potomac at New London, Connecticut, that evening while it was still daylight. Many persons saw me and we stood out of the harbor into the Sound in full view of thousands, my Presidential flag flying from the main top.
It was still imperative to establish my location beyond a doubt, so on Monday morning, August fourth, we entered the harbor of Nonquit, Massachusetts. The launches went ashore and brought on board, again in full view of hundreds, the Princess of Norway, her brother, Prince Carl, her three children and two nurses, and also Mrs. Ostgaard and Mr. Bedell. We went off-shore two or three miles and fished in full view of the beach -- the entrance to New Bedford harbor, and many passing yachts. At about 6:30 P.M. we returned to Nonquit harbor and I took the party ashore and was seen by several thousand people. Returning to the "Potomac" we stood out into the dusk headed toward the Cape Cod Canal.
At eight o'clock we reversed course and, going around the south end of Cuddyhunk Island, we anchored in the midst of seven U.S. Warships at about 11 P.M., at Mememsha Bight on the western end of Martha's Vineyard. All ships darkened. At dawn Tuesday, August fifth, the U.S.S. Potomac ran along side of the Flagship "U.S.S. Augusta" and we transferred my mess crew, provisions, etc. We found on board Admiral Stark, and General Marshall, who joined the "Augusta" via a destroyer from New York late the previous evening. At 6:30 the U.S.S. Augusta and the U.S.S. Tuscaloosa, accompanied by five new destroyers, stood out into the open sea. We helded east passed Nantucket Shoals Lightship until we were far outside any shallow waters where hostile mines could conceivably be laid. That evening we were 250 miles out in the ocean.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 4 -
At this point, fits in the delightful story of what happened to the U.S.S Potomac and her little escorting ship. When we left her at Martha’s Vineyard she returned to Buzzards Bay, and the late afternoon entered the Cape Cod Canal. Captain Leahy had dressed four or five of his crew in civilian clothes and had them sit on the after deck pretending to be the President and his party. Colonel Starling, the head of the Secret Service detail swears that he knew all about my actual, location, but I have my doubts, as the Secret Service on shore and the Massachusetts State Troopers guarded the "Potomac" on her way through the Canal, and the next day the good Colonel asked at John's house at Nahant whether he and Anne expected their father to turn up there that day or the following day!
After we had got well out into deep water, east of the Nantucket Shoals, the seven ships headed north and continued toward Cape Race, Newfoundland, at about twenty-one knots all day Wednesday. Early Thursday morning we found ourselves approaching the coast of Newfoundland. The approaches to Placentia Bay and the harbor of Argentia were swept by mine sweepers and we anchored at the head of the latter harbor at 9.30 AM. Soon afterwards the old battleship "Arkansas" entered the harbor accompanied by two destroyers.
I had no previous knowledge of where my boy Franklin, Jr.’s ship, the destroyer "Mayrant" was, though I had been told that the ship was doing patrol duty somewhere off the north Atlantic coast. It was, therefore, a complete surprise when one of the destroyers accompanying the "Arkansas" turned out to be the "Mayrant". Captain Beardall, my Naval Aide, sent a message to the Commanding Officer of the "Mayrant" directing that Ensign Roosevelt report to the Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet on board the "Augusta", and Franklin was, therefore, completely surprised when he found on coming on board that he was to report to the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy himself. I detailed him as my Junior Travel Aide for the great occasion and he borrowed what I always call "the gold spinach", i.e., the aiguillettes, which a Presidential Aide wears on his right shoulder and which all other Aides wear on their left shoulder.
That afternoon Franklin and I got into the whale boat, cruised close along shore inspecting the waterfront and the Argentia base development, and doing some bottom fishing for small cod and flounders.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-5-
In the evening I had for dinner and for a conference Admiral Stark, General Marshall, Admiral King, General Arnold, Major General Burns, Admiral Taylor, Commander Sherman and Colonel Bundy, in order to discuss many matters prior to our conference with the British.
On Friday, August 8th, my boy Elliott flew down from Gander Lake and was also detailed to me as Presidential Aide. He did not know until the previous evening that I was in Newfoundland waters and was almost as much surprised as Franklin, Jr.
At four in the afternoon Sumner Welles, the Under Secretary of State, and Averell Harriman, recently back from London, arrived by plane from Washington. They dined with me but were quartered on the "Arkansas". It should be noted that every night of the whole trip, either when we were at sea or in Argentia harbor, we "darkened ship" after sun-down, and although there were twenty-eight warships in Argentia harbor, this was carried out so effectively that not single light could be seen on any ship.