Churchills relationship with Roosevelt
o Early on
• Roosevelt was renoud for not committing despite appearing sympathetic, and charming on the surface.
• Therefore, despite their personal relationship being crucial to saving the west, Churchill had to work hard to
maintain this.
• Started badly as the Us general public disliked imperialism and saw Churchill as ‘a stinker’
• Equally Churchill had previously criticised Roosevelt in the 1940 us election campaign
• First meeting in AUG 1941 and Churchill signed Atlantic charter
❖ Which conformed that US and UK wanted no territorial gain, and they ‘respect the rights of all people to
choose their own form of government’
❖ Churchill only saw this as a tactile agreement
o Support but no intervention
• NOV 1939 neutrality act repelled so Britain could purchase American arms
❖ Made a large profit selling arms
• OCT US declares neutral zone along entire coastline so no German attacks on merchant ships
• SEP 1940 50 old US destroyers exchanged for use of 8 British naval bases
❖ However, these were old and unreliable
• MAR 1941 lease-lend act passed, allowed exchange of defence articles. Lead to 31.6 billion dollars of assistance to
Britain in 1945
❖ Took gold reserves in Africa as insurance
• Occupied Greenland so Germans couldn’t use it as a navel base
o US concerns
• Concerns with north African campaign
• Concerns that Britain would gain territory from German and Turkish colonies like in ww1
• Security of state concerned that British empire stood in the way of free trade, which would likely become a main US
war aim
• Colonialism was seen as morally wrong by Roosevelt
o US enters war- better relations
• Dec 1941 pearl harbour by japan
• Hitler declares war on US
• Churchill meets him directly at Washington, now seen as a heroic figure in US
• No invasion of France till 1944
• Us supported med strategy and ‘Europe first’
• Britain is now a member of 26 nation, grand alliance
• JUN 1942 operation sledgehammer abandoned at Churchills request instead promoting invasion in north Africa, and
at next meeting Sicily which was accepted
• Large influx of US soldiers to UK in build up to D-day
o Worsening relations
• Roosevelt disliked how Churchill supported de Galle, as he was a lower rank and didn’t represent the real French
opinion
• WASHINGTON 1943 key elements discussed with Stalin, Churchill side-line as his troops weren’t contributing on
same scale
• QUBEC 1943 splits very apparent
❖ USA favoured a attack on southern France, Churchill wanted attack in the Balkans
❖ Churchill gets no financial assistance for post-war
• TERHAN NOV 1943
❖ Refused to meet Churchill privately
❖ Met Chinese leader without Churchills knowledge
❖ Clearly wanted British attack on Burma rather than more med attacks
❖ Abandoned ‘Europe first’
❖ Disagreements over invasion of northern France
❖ Roosevelt clearly favours Stalin
❖ USA supply supreme commander on operation overlord
• YALTA 1945
❖ Free democratic elections in post war Europe
o Early on
• Roosevelt was renoud for not committing despite appearing sympathetic, and charming on the surface.
• Therefore, despite their personal relationship being crucial to saving the west, Churchill had to work hard to
maintain this.
• Started badly as the Us general public disliked imperialism and saw Churchill as ‘a stinker’
• Equally Churchill had previously criticised Roosevelt in the 1940 us election campaign
• First meeting in AUG 1941 and Churchill signed Atlantic charter
❖ Which conformed that US and UK wanted no territorial gain, and they ‘respect the rights of all people to
choose their own form of government’
❖ Churchill only saw this as a tactile agreement
o Support but no intervention
• NOV 1939 neutrality act repelled so Britain could purchase American arms
❖ Made a large profit selling arms
• OCT US declares neutral zone along entire coastline so no German attacks on merchant ships
• SEP 1940 50 old US destroyers exchanged for use of 8 British naval bases
❖ However, these were old and unreliable
• MAR 1941 lease-lend act passed, allowed exchange of defence articles. Lead to 31.6 billion dollars of assistance to
Britain in 1945
❖ Took gold reserves in Africa as insurance
• Occupied Greenland so Germans couldn’t use it as a navel base
o US concerns
• Concerns with north African campaign
• Concerns that Britain would gain territory from German and Turkish colonies like in ww1
• Security of state concerned that British empire stood in the way of free trade, which would likely become a main US
war aim
• Colonialism was seen as morally wrong by Roosevelt
o US enters war- better relations
• Dec 1941 pearl harbour by japan
• Hitler declares war on US
• Churchill meets him directly at Washington, now seen as a heroic figure in US
• No invasion of France till 1944
• Us supported med strategy and ‘Europe first’
• Britain is now a member of 26 nation, grand alliance
• JUN 1942 operation sledgehammer abandoned at Churchills request instead promoting invasion in north Africa, and
at next meeting Sicily which was accepted
• Large influx of US soldiers to UK in build up to D-day
o Worsening relations
• Roosevelt disliked how Churchill supported de Galle, as he was a lower rank and didn’t represent the real French
opinion
• WASHINGTON 1943 key elements discussed with Stalin, Churchill side-line as his troops weren’t contributing on
same scale
• QUBEC 1943 splits very apparent
❖ USA favoured a attack on southern France, Churchill wanted attack in the Balkans
❖ Churchill gets no financial assistance for post-war
• TERHAN NOV 1943
❖ Refused to meet Churchill privately
❖ Met Chinese leader without Churchills knowledge
❖ Clearly wanted British attack on Burma rather than more med attacks
❖ Abandoned ‘Europe first’
❖ Disagreements over invasion of northern France
❖ Roosevelt clearly favours Stalin
❖ USA supply supreme commander on operation overlord
• YALTA 1945
❖ Free democratic elections in post war Europe
