Preparations for the Conference in Yalta

1. Preparations for the Conference in Yalta • Determination of place and date of summit. • Why Yalta? • Roosevelt’s goals at the conference: • World organization; • Questions regarding Germany; • Questions regarding the Far East; • Stalin’s goals at the conference: • Solving the Polish question in his favour – majority in new government, recognition of the existing Soviet-Polish boundary; • Questions regarding the Far East; • Germany. • Churchill’s goals at the conference: • Poland – try to receive majority in new government for London Poles and Prime Minister’s position for Mikolajczyk; • The fate of Germany; • Question of French zone and their participation in the occupation of Germany. • Churchill asking Roosevelt for meeting before the conference. • The meeting at Malta.

2. Beginning of the Conference • The first plenary session – military reports and discussion of the situation on fronts. • Dinner and the “Uncle Joe” incident. • The second plenary session – beginning of discussions about the political problems (there were 8 plenary sessions at the conference and 7 of them were dedicated to the political issues). • Discussions about the future international organization designed to maintain peace and security in the world. • Decisions regarding the world organization: • The founding conference would be held in San Francisco and it would begin its work on April 25, 1945; • Establishing the “Veto” for the permanent members of the Security Council (in Yalta it was considered to be only four permanent members: USA, USSR, Great Britain and China, but afterwards France also got the permanent membership). It does not work only on procedural questions; • Invitations to the conference would be send to the co-signatories of the “United Nations Declaration” plus to the countries who would declare war on Germany till March 1, 1945; • Two Soviet republics – Ukraine and Byelorussia got the membership in the organization of the United Nations (Stalin was asking for membership to all 16 Soviet republics).

3. Polish and German Questions at the Conference • Decisions on Poland: • New government had to be formed, though no decision was made on percentages of London and Lublin Poles in it; • “The Curzon Line” with insignificant changes in favour of Poland was declared to be a new Soviet-Polish border; • It was decided to compensate Poland the loss of lands to the Soviet Union by giving it appropriate territory from Germany, though the exact border between Germany and Poland was not determined. Soviets were pressing for the Western Neusse river as a border, while British thought about Eastern Neusse. • Decisions on Germany: • Germany divided into four zones; • Creation of the Control council on German affairs and giving France place in it; • Decision to force Germany pay reparations after the war, but the exact sum of reparations was not determined.

4. Roosevelt and Stalin agreed on Far East Questions • Stalin’s notification to Roosevelt that he needed something for the entrance into the war against Japan – fall of 1944. • Stalin’s wishes: Southern Sakhalin, Kuril islands, ports in China, control over the railways in Manchuria. Harriman’s (US ambassador in Moscow) advise to Roosevelt not to give Stalin Kuril islands. • Talks in Yalta between Roosevelt and Stalin. Roosevelt never understood that Stalin wanted to open hostilities against Japan and give him everything, even Kuril islands. • Agreement on the Far East.

5. Other Decisions of the Conference • Decisions on Yugoslavia: • Agreement between Tito and Šubašič had to be come into force immediately; • The Provisional Parliament had to be organized on the basis of Antifascist Veče and some members of the pre-war Skupschina, who did not cooperate with Germans; • Yugoslavian-Italian and Yugoslavian-Bulgarian boundaries had to be determined later. • Decision to create council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs. They had to gather once in 3-4 months in the capitals of allies. The first meeting had to be held in London. • Decision to discuss the question of Turkish straits and Montreux Convention by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Turkey would be notified about the results of the discussion. • Discussions about Iran and South-Eastern Europe, but no decisions were made. • Evaluations of the Conference. Who was the winner: Stalin, Roosevelt or both of them?