In what year did the Yalta conference take place? A short course in history. Yalta Conference of the Big Three. Decisions related to Polish borders

The Crimean (Yalta) conference of the heads of government of the three allied powers of the anti-Hitler coalition: the USSR, the USA and Great Britain was held from February 4 to 11, 1945. The Livadia Palace, which became the venue for official meetings, is associated with this event of world significance. In addition, during the conference, the Livadia Palace was the residence of US President F.D. Roosevelt and other members of the American delegation, for whom 43 rooms were prepared. The British delegation was stationed at the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka. The Soviet delegation led by J.V. Stalin is at the Yusupov Palace in Koreiz.

Composition of the delegations:

USSR

Head of delegation-- I.V. Stalin, Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, People's Commissar of Defense,

Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Chairman of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, Chairman of the State Defense Committee, Marshal.

V.M. Molotov - People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs;

N.G. Kuznetsov - People's Commissar of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet;

A.I. Antonov - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, Army General;

A.Ya. Vyshinsky - Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs;

THEM. Maisky - Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs;

S.A. Khudyakov - Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Marshal;

F.T. Gusev - Ambassador to Great Britain;

A.A. Gromyko - Ambassador to the USA;

V.N. Pavlov - translator.

USA

Head of delegation- F.D. Roosevelt, US President.

E. Stettinius - Secretary of State;

W. Lehi - Chief of Staff of the President, Admiral of the Fleet;

G. Hopkins - special assistant to the president;

J. Byrnes - Director of the Department of Military Mobilization;

J. Marshall - Army Chief of Staff, Army General;

E. King - Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet;

B. Somervell - Chief of Supply of the US Army, Lieutenant General;

E. Land - Administrator of Naval Transport, Vice Admiral;

L. Cooter - representative of the US Air Force command, major general;

A. Harriman - Ambassador to the USSR;

F. Matthews - Director of the European Division of the State Department;

A. Hiss - Deputy Director of the Office of Special Political Affairs of the State Department;

Ch. Bolen - translator.

United Kingdom

Head of delegation- W. Churchill, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense.

A. Eden - Minister of Foreign Affairs;

Lord G. Leathers - Minister of War Transport;

A. Cadogan - Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs;

A. Brooke - Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshal;

H. Ismay - Chief of Staff of the Minister of Defense;

Ch. Portal - Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Marshal;

E. Cunningham - First Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet;

H. Alexander - Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, Field Marshal;

G. Wilson - head of the British military mission in Washington, field marshal;

J. Somerville - member of the British military mission in Washington, admiral;

A. Kerr - Ambassador to the USSR;

A. Beers - translator.

In addition to members of official delegations, experts from the diplomatic and military departments of the three powers took part in the conference.

Also in Yalta during the meeting were Roosevelt's daughter Anna, Churchill's daughter Sarah, Hopkins' son Robert, and Harriman's daughter Kathleen.

Chronology of main events

January 1945

Work has been carried out to prepare the palaces of the South Coast for the conference.

Arrival of members of the US and British delegations to Crimea, their accommodation in the Livadia and Vorontsov palaces.

Meeting of I. Stalin and W. Churchill. Vorontsov Palace.
Meeting of I. Stalin and F.D. Roosevelt. Livadia Palace.
First official meeting of the conference. Livadia Palace.
Dinner, which was attended by F. Roosevelt, I. Stalin, W. Churchill, and a number of members of the delegations of the three powers. Livadia Palace.

The first meeting of military advisers of the three powers. Koreiz Palace.
Meeting of the foreign ministers of the three powers. Koreiz Palace.
Second official meeting of the conference. Livadia Palace.

Meeting of the Joint Anglo-American Chiefs of Staff. Alupka Palace.
Second meeting of military advisers of the three powers. Koreiz Palace.
First meeting of foreign ministers. Livadia Palace.
Third official meeting of the conference. Livadia Palace.

Second meeting of foreign ministers. Koreiz Palace.
Fourth official meeting of the conference. Livadia Palace.

Meeting of the Joint Anglo-American Chiefs of Staff. Livadia Palace
Third meeting of foreign ministers. Vorontsov Palace.
Meeting of military advisers of the American and Soviet delegations. Koreiz Palace.
Meeting of I. Stalin and F. Roosevelt. Discussion of the Far Eastern issue. Livadia Palace.
Fifth official meeting of the conference. Livadia Palace
Lunch attended by I. Stalin, F. Roosevelt, W. Churchill and a number of members of the delegations of the three powers. Koreiz Palace.

Meeting of the Joint Anglo-American Chiefs of Staff. Livadia Palace.
Meeting of the Joint Anglo-American Chiefs of Staff with the participation of F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill. Livadia Palace.
Fourth meeting of foreign ministers. Livadia Palace.
Meeting of military advisers of the American and Soviet delegations. Livadia Palace.
Meeting of I. Stalin and F. Roosevelt. Livadia Palace.
Taking photographs of conference participants. Livadia Palace.
Sixth official meeting of the conference. Livadia Palace.
Fifth meeting of foreign ministers. Koreiz Palace.

On the penultimate day of the conference, several meetings of the heads of delegations took place, preceding the next official meeting.

Sixth meeting of foreign ministers. Vorontsov Palace.
Seventh official meeting of the conference. Livadia Palace.
Lunch attended by I. Stalin, F. Roosevelt, W. Churchill and a number of members of the delegations of the three powers. Vorontsov Palace.

Eighth official meeting of the conference. Livadia Palace.
Signing of final documents by heads of delegations. Livadia Palace.
Final meeting of foreign ministers. Livadia Palace.

F. Roosevelt left Crimea on February 12. W. Churchill stayed in Sevastopol for two days to see the sites of the battles of British troops during the Crimean War of 1853-1856. He left Crimea on February 14.

Conference decisions

The results of the negotiations were reflected in the final documents of the conference.

The conference communiqué began with the section “The Defeat of Germany,” which stated that “Nazi Germany is doomed” and “the German people, trying to continue their hopeless resistance, only makes the price of their defeat heavier,” for the speedy achievement of which the allied powers joined military efforts and exchanged information , have fully agreed and planned in detail the timing, size and coordination of new and even more powerful attacks that will be launched into the heart of Germany by our armies and air forces from the east, west, north and south.”

The parties agreed on a general policy and plans for the enforcement of the conditions of Germany's unconditional surrender: zones of occupation; coordinated administration and control through a special body consisting of the commanders-in-chief of the three powers with its seat in Berlin; providing France, “if she so desires,” with a zone of occupation and a seat on the control body.

The powers of the anti-Hitler coalition stated that their “unyielding goal is the destruction of German militarism and Nazism and the creation of guarantees that Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the whole world.” For this purpose, a whole range of measures was envisaged, “including the complete disarmament, demilitarization and dismemberment of Germany,” as well as the collection of reparations, the amounts and methods of payment of which were to be determined by a special commission in Moscow.

To maintain peace and security, the Allies decided to create a universal international organization, to prepare the Charter of which a United Nations conference was convened on April 25, 1945 in San Francisco. At the same time, it was established that the principle of unanimity of permanent members would operate in the Security Council of this organization, and the United States and Great Britain would support the proposal for admission to initial membership in the organization of the Ukrainian SSR and the Belarusian SSR.

In the “Declaration of a Liberated Europe,” the Allies proclaimed: “the harmonization of the policies of the three powers and their joint action in resolving the political and economic problems of a liberated Europe in accordance with democratic principles.”

On the complex Polish issue, the parties agreed to reorganize the Polish Provisional Government "...on a broader democratic basis with the inclusion of democratic figures from Poland itself and Poles from abroad." The eastern border of Poland was determined along the “Curzon Line” with a deviation from it in some areas of five to eight kilometers in favor of Poland, and in the north and west it was supposed to receive “significant increments of territory.”

On the question of Yugoslavia, the three powers recommended the formation of a Provisional United Government from representatives of the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia and the royal government in exile, as well as a Provisional Parliament.

At the conference, it was decided to create a permanent mechanism for consultations between the three foreign ministers, whose meetings were planned to be held every 3-4 months.

In accordance with the agreement signed by the three leaders, the USSR committed to enter the war against Japan two to three months after the surrender of Germany and the end of the war in Europe, subject to:

“Preservation of the status quo of Outer Mongolia (Mongolian People's Republic);
Restoration of Russian rights violated by the treacherous attack of Japan in 1904, namely:

a) the return of the southern part of the island to the Soviet Union. Sakhalin and all adjacent islands;

c) internationalization of the commercial port of Dairen, ensuring the priority interests of the Soviet Union in this port and restoring the lease on Port Arthur as a naval base of the USSR;

c) joint operation of the Chinese-Eastern and South Manchurian Railway, giving access to Dairen, on the basis of organizing a mixed Soviet-Chinese Society, ensuring the primary interests of the Soviet Union, it being understood that China retains full sovereignty in Manchuria;

Transfer of the Kuril Islands to the Soviet Union."

The USSR expressed its readiness to conclude with China “a pact of friendship and alliance... to assist it with its armed forces in order to liberate China from the Japanese yoke.”

At the conference, bilateral agreements were also signed that determined the procedure for the treatment of prisoners of war and civilians of the states party to the agreements in the event of their release by the troops of the allied countries, as well as the conditions for their repatriation.

At the Crimean (Yalta) Conference of 1945, the foundations of the post-war world order were laid, which lasted almost the entire second half of the 20th century, and some of its elements, such as the UN, still exist today.

The Crimean (Yalta) Conference (February 4-11, 1945) was held with the participation of the heads of government of the three allied powers, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill, in the Livadia Palace - the former summer residence of Emperor Nicholas II. At the conference, fundamental issues related to the end of World War II were discussed, including the conditions of Germany’s surrender, zones of its occupation, and reparations. The most fierce disputes unfolded around Poland - the composition of its future government and the western borders of the state. The issue of creating an international security organization was resolved positively. The negotiators agreed to convene a conference on April 25, 1945 in San Francisco to establish the United Nations. Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill signed a secret agreement in Yalta, confirming Stalin’s earlier promise that the USSR would enter the war with Japan on the side of the Allies 2-3 months after Germany’s surrender.

EXTRACT FROM THE DECISIONS OF THE YALTA (CRIMEA) CONFERENCE

Defeat of Germany

We have reviewed and determined the military plans of the three allied powers with a view to the final defeat of the common enemy. The military headquarters of the three allied nations met daily in conferences throughout the conference. These conferences were highly satisfactory from all points of view and resulted in closer coordination of the military efforts of the three Allies than had ever been seen before. A mutual exchange of the most complete information was made. The timing, size and coordination of new and even more powerful blows that would be delivered into the heart of Germany by our armies and air forces from the east, west, north and south were fully agreed upon and planned in detail...

Occupation and control of Germany

We have agreed on a common policy and plans for enforcing the terms of unconditional surrender which we will jointly impose on Nazi Germany after German armed resistance has been finally crushed. These terms will not be published until the complete defeat of Germany has been achieved. In accordance with the agreed plan, the armed forces of the three powers will occupy special zones in Germany. The plan provided for coordinated administration and control, carried out through a Central Control Commission, consisting of the commanders-in-chief of the three powers, with its seat in Berlin. It was decided that France would be invited by the three powers, if she so desired, to take over the zone of occupation and participate as a fourth member in the Control Commission. The extent of the French zone will be agreed upon by the four governments concerned through their representatives in the European Advisory Commission.

Our unyielding goal is to destroy German militarism and Nazism and to ensure that Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the world. We are determined to disarm and disband all German armed forces, to destroy once and for all the German General Staff, which has repeatedly contributed to the revival of German militarism, to confiscate or destroy all German military equipment, to liquidate or take control of all German industry that could be used for military purposes. production; subject all war criminals to fair and speedy punishment and exact compensation in kind for the destruction caused by the Germans; wipe out the Nazi Party, Nazi laws, organizations and institutions from the face of the earth; remove all Nazi and militaristic influence from public institutions, from the cultural and economic life of the German people, and jointly take such other measures against Germany as may prove necessary for the future peace and security of the whole world. Our goals do not include the destruction of the German people. Only when Nazism and militarism are eradicated will there be hope for a dignified existence for the German people and a place for them in the community of nations.

Reparations from Germany

We discussed the question of the damage caused by Germany to the allied countries in this war, and considered it fair to oblige Germany to compensate for this damage in kind to the maximum extent possible.

A compensation commission will be created, which will also be tasked with considering the amount and methods of compensation for damage caused by Germany to the allied countries. The commission will work in Moscow.

United Nations Conference

We have decided in the near future to establish, together with our allies, a general international organization to maintain peace and security. We believe that this is essential both for preventing aggression and for eliminating the political, economic and social causes of war through close and constant cooperation of all peace-loving peoples.

The foundations were laid at Dumbarton Oaks. However, no agreement was reached on the important issue of the voting procedure. This conference succeeded in resolving this difficulty. We have agreed that a United Nations conference will be convened at San Francisco in the United States on April 25, 1945, to prepare a charter for such an organization in accordance with the provisions worked out during the informal negotiations at Dumbarton Oaks.

The Government of China and the Provisional Government of France will be immediately consulted and asked to join with the Governments of the United States, Great Britain and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in inviting other countries to the conference.

As soon as consultations with China and France are completed, the text of the proposals on the voting procedure will be published.

Declaration of a Liberated Europe

The Prime Minister of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the President of the United States of America consulted among themselves in the common interests of the peoples of their countries and the peoples of liberated Europe. They jointly declare that they have agreed among themselves to coordinate, during the period of temporary instability in liberated Europe, the policies of their three governments in assisting the peoples liberated from the rule of Nazi Germany and the peoples of the former Axis satellite states in Europe as they resolve them by democratic means. pressing political and economic problems...

About Poland

We gathered at the Crimean Conference to resolve our differences on the Polish issue. We have fully discussed all aspects of the Polish question. We reaffirmed our common desire to see the establishment of a strong, free, independent and democratic Poland, and as a result of our negotiations we agreed on the terms on which a new Provisional Polish Government of National Unity would be formed in such a way as to gain recognition from the three major powers.

The following agreement has been reached:

A new situation was created in Poland as a result of its complete liberation by the Red Army. This requires the creation of a Provisional Polish Government that would have a broader base than was previously possible before the recent liberation of western Poland. The Provisional Government currently in force in Poland must therefore be reorganized on a broader democratic basis, with the inclusion of democratic figures from Poland itself and Poles from abroad. This new government should then be called the Polish Provisional Government of National Unity...

The heads of the three governments believe that the eastern border of Poland should go along the Curzon line with a retreat from it in some areas of five to eight kilometers in favor of Poland. The heads of the three governments recognize that Poland should receive a significant increase in territory in the north and west. They believe that on the question of the size of these increments the opinion of the new Polish Government of National Unity will be sought in due course and that thereafter the final determination of the western border of Poland will be postponed until the peace conference...

Unity in the organization of peace as in the conduct of war

Our meeting in Crimea reaffirmed our common determination to preserve and strengthen in the coming period of peace that unity of purpose and action that has made victory in modern war possible and certain for the United Nations. We believe that this is a sacred commitment of our governments to their people, as well as to the people of the world.

Only with continued and growing cooperation and understanding between our three countries and among all peace-loving peoples can the highest aspiration of mankind be realized - a lasting and lasting peace, which should, as the Atlantic Charter says, “secure a situation in which all people in all countries could live their whole lives without knowing either fear or want.”

Victory in this war and the formation of the proposed international organization will provide the greatest opportunity in all human history for creating in the coming years the most important conditions for such a peace.

From February 4 to February 12, 1945, a conference of the leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain - took place in Crimea. The Soviet delegation was headed by I.V. Stalin, American - F. Roosevelt, English - W. Churchill. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. took part. Molotov, US Secretary of State E. Stettinius, British Foreign Secretary A. Eden, as well as the chiefs of general staff and advisers of the countries participating in the conference.

The question of a summit meeting was first raised by F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill in July 1944. The final date and place of the meeting were determined in further correspondence between the leaders of the three powers. F. Roosevelt's nomination of his candidacy for a new presidential term, his participation in the election campaign and taking office made it impossible to open the conference before the beginning of February 1945.

The US President suggested Northern Scotland, Cyprus, Athens or Malta as a meeting place, the British Prime Minister - Alexandria or Jerusalem. I.V. Stalin vigorously defended his proposal: the southern coast of Crimea, and in the end he managed to convince the allies that the Soviet government was able to ensure complete security for the conference.

The meeting of the “Big Three” took place at the final stage of the Second World War. As a result of the successful offensive actions of the Red Army, the territory of our country, most of Poland, was completely liberated, our divisions entered German territory. On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed in northern France, the long-awaited second front opened, the anti-fascist movement in the occupied countries was gaining strength, and the situation in the Pacific theater of military operations changed for the better.

At the Crimean Conference, the Allied powers agreed on joint military measures for the final defeat of the armed forces of Nazi Germany, determined their attitude towards Germany after its unconditional surrender and outlined the basic principles of a common policy regarding the post-war organization of the world.

The leaders of the Allied Powers solemnly declared: “It is our unyielding goal to destroy German militarism and Nazism and to ensure that Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the world. We are determined to disarm and disband all German armed forces, to destroy once and for all the German General Staff, which has repeatedly contributed to the revival of German militarism, to confiscate or destroy all German military equipment, to liquidate or take control of all German industry that could be used for military purposes. production; to subject all war criminals to just and speedy punishment... to wipe out the Nazi Party, Nazi laws, organizations and institutions from the face of the earth; eliminate all Nazi and militaristic influence from public institutions, from the cultural and economic life of the German people...”

It was emphasized that after the eradication of Nazism and militarism, the German people would be able to take their rightful place in the community of nations.

The most important issue at the Crimean Conference was the creation of the United Nations. The agreement on the voting procedure in the Security Council (the “Yalta Formula”) took into account the principle of unanimity of the permanent members of the Council, defended by the Soviet delegation, when making decisions on all issues related to ensuring peace and security. The communiqué adopted at Yalta emphasized that the United Nations would play an important role “both to prevent aggression and to eliminate the political, economic and social causes of war through close and constant cooperation of all peace-loving peoples.”

In the context of discussing UN issues, the Soviet delegation obtained the consent of the United States and Great Britain for the Ukrainian SSR and the Belarusian SSR to become founding members of the international organization being created.

The “Declaration of a Liberated Europe” emphasized the desire of the Allied powers to coordinate their actions in solving the political and economic problems of a liberated Europe. The declaration stated: “The establishment of order in Europe and the reconstruction of national economic life must be achieved in such a way as will enable the liberated peoples to destroy the last traces of Nazism and fascism and to create democratic institutions of their own choice.” It was stated that, in accordance with the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they would live, provision should be made for the restoration of sovereign rights and self-government to those peoples who had been deprived of these by aggressive states through violence. The determination, together with other peace-loving countries, to create an international legal order consistent with peace, security, freedom and the general welfare of mankind was confirmed.

At Yalta, the Allied Powers reaffirmed their desire to see Poland strong, free, independent and democratic and to guarantee its security. As a result of decisions taken in Yalta and later in Potsdam, Poland received a significant increase in its territory in the north and west.

At the Crimea Conference, the Soviet Union committed itself to entering the war against Japan two to three months after the end of the war in Europe. At the same time, the following conditions were set: maintaining the status of Outer Mongolia (Mongolian People's Republic); restoration of Russian rights violated by the treacherous attack of Japan in 1904, including the return to the Soviet Union of the southern part of Sakhalin Island and all adjacent islands; transfer of the Kuril Islands to the Soviet Union. The leaders of the three great powers agreed that these conditions of the Soviet Union "must be unconditionally satisfied after the victory over Japan."

The conference communique noted “the determination to preserve and strengthen in the coming period of peace that unity of purpose and action which has made victory in modern war possible and certain for the United Nations.”

The Crimean Conference, along with the Potsdam Conference, marked the end of the largest historical geopolitical conflict and determined the political appearance of the world in the second half of the 20th century. A system of international relations emerged, which, based on a new balance of forces, predetermined the need to take into account the interests of the two superpowers, which, in turn, gave international processes a high degree of controllability.

The decisions of the Crimean Conference reflected the reasonable and realistic policy of statesmen of the three powers. They showed high negotiability, made compromises without hiding political differences, agreed on rules of behavior and achieved a relative balance that kept the world in relative stability for almost fifty years.

The Yalta agreements are an invaluable methodological experience from the point of view of harmonizing the current and future international order. The decisions adopted in Yalta in concentrated form embodied the many years of experience of peoples in their struggle against fascism and militarism. The success of the conference was greatly facilitated by the measures taken by the Soviet leadership aimed at intensifying international relations, which contributed to the strengthening of the anti-Hitler coalition, the growth of trust in the Soviet Union and its international authority.

A major role in this process was played by the Soviet diplomatic service, whose activities during the war years, in the well-known expression of I.V. Stalin, was equal to the efforts of 20 divisions at the front. The struggle for the comprehensive and complete implementation of the decisions of the Crimean Conference became one of the main tasks of Soviet diplomacy not only in wartime, but also in the post-war years.

In an environment where controversy surrounds Yalta agreements remains part of the modern political struggle on the cardinal issues of war and peace, Russian diplomacy makes full use of its resources, rebuffing fabrications about alleged Soviet and Russian “violations” of the Yalta agreements or about “one-sided benefits” Yalta decisions for our country. It actively promotes a course towards strengthening international peace, general security and stability in order to establish a fair and democratic international system based on collective principles in solving international problems, on the supremacy of international law, primarily on the provisions of the UN Charter, as well as on equal rights and partnerships relations between states with the central coordinating role of the UN as the main organization regulating international relations.

Letter from the US Ambassador to the USSR W.A. Harriman to the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR V.M. Molotov with a proposal to J.V. Stalin to designate the upcoming meeting of the leaders of the three allied powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain in Yalta with the code name "Argonaut".
January 8, 1945

Letter from the USSR People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V.M. Molotov to the US Ambassador to the USSR W.A. Harriman about J.V. Stalin's agreement with the choice of the code name "Argonaut" for the upcoming meeting of the leaders of the three allied powers.
January 10, 1945

List of persons accompanying I.V. Stalin at the Crimean Conference.
January 1945

List of people who attended dinner with I.V. Stalin in the Yusupov Palace.
February 8, 1945

Lunch menu at the Vorontsov Palace with autographs of J.V. Stalin, W. Churchill and F.D. Roosevelt.
February 10, 1945

Protocol of the Crimean Conference" with signatures - E.R. Stettinius, V.M. Molotov and A. Eden (first and last page).
February 11, 1945

70 years ago, from February 4 to 11, 1945, in Crimea, which was then part of the RSFSR, the second conference of the heads of the “Big Three” - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain - was held during the Second World War.

The decisions adopted at this meeting laid the foundations of the post-war world order and formalized the division of spheres of influence between Western states and the USSR. Precisely in Crimea, provided that Moscow receives the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin,The USSR announced its participation in the war against Japan. The USA and Great Britain agreed that the USSR would receive 50% of all losses. In Yalta, the ideology of the United Nations was formed as an organization capable of preventing any attempts to change the established boundaries of spheres of influence. And the Declaration on a Liberated Europe adopted at the conference determined the principles of the policy of the victors in the territories conquered from the enemy and created the preconditions for the formation of a bipolar world.

The Soviet delegation at the conference was headed by the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin (Dzhugashvili), the American delegation by President Franklin Roosevelt, and the British delegation by Prime Minister Winston Churchill. “AiF-Crimea” recalls how the peninsula welcomed important guests.

J.V. Stalin and V.M. Molotov. Photo:

Western leaders began talking about the need to hold a repeat meeting in the summer of 1944. According to Winston Churchill, best place The Scottish town of Invergordon would be the location for the conference. Stalin, in correspondence with world leaders, reacted restrainedly to their proposals for a meeting. Thus, in a response message to Churchill on July 26, the Soviet leader wrote: “As for the meeting between you, Mr. Roosevelt and me... I, too, would consider such a meeting desirable. But in given time“When the Soviet armies are fighting along a wide front, increasingly developing their offensive, I am deprived of the opportunity to leave the Soviet Union and leave leadership of the armies even for the shortest time.”

A proposal to hold a conference “in one of the coastal cities in the south of the European part of the USSR” was made by the American side. Stalin warmly supported him. Roosevelt later said that he would prefer to come to Alexandria or Jerusalem in Egypt, which Churchill allegedly brought to his attention. But the head of the USSR said that doctors did not recommend long flights for him. As a result, Yalta became the meeting place for the Big Three.

F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill discuss the plans of the allies at the Yalta Conference. Photo: Encyclopedia “The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”

Behind the Golden Fleece

During its preparation, the Yalta Conference had the code name “Argonaut”, a “name” that Churchill came up with for it. So the British Prime Minister wrote to Roosevelt: “We are the direct descendants of the Argonauts, who, according to Greek mythology, sailed to the Black Sea for the Golden Fleece.” Stalin also liked the expressive metaphor.

Without media

The leaders of the three powers decided to make the meeting informal and not invite media representatives. On January 21, Churchill telegraphed simultaneously to Stalin and Roosevelt: “I propose that the press should not be allowed on the Argonaut, but each of us will have the right to bring no more than three or four uniformed war photographers for photography and filming. Photographs and films should be released when we deem it appropriate... Of course, the usual one or more agreed communiqués will be published." Stalin and Roosevelt agreed with the opinion of the British prime minister.

Leaders of the Big Three at the negotiating table at the Yalta Conference. Photo: Encyclopedia “The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”

Beria was “erased”

Lavrenty Beria was responsible for organizing the preparations for the meeting in Crimea. But later they tried to remove traces of the participation of the head of the NKVD in the Crimean Conference. In a photograph published in the media, where he stands next to Stalin, his face was blurred out.

Odessa - backup option

In case of bad weather in Crimea, the full conference was held in Odessa. Therefore, serious preparations were also underway in the city: renovation of the facades of houses, hotels, representative premises and roads was actively carried out. As a result, all these preparations went towards the good cause of disinformation of the German enemy, whose agents could remain in the liberated territories.

Three palaces

The conference participants were located in three palaces: the USSR delegation - in Yusupovsky, the USA - in Livadia, Great Britain - in Vorontsovsky.

The courtyard of the Vorontsov Palace, where Churchill lived during the conference. Photo: Encyclopedia “The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”

Official meetings of members of delegations and informal dinners of heads of state were held in all three palaces of the South Coast. In Yusupovsky, for example, Stalin and Churchill discussed the issue of transferring people liberated from fascist camps. Foreign ministers met at the Vorontsov Palace: Molotov, Stettinius (USA) and Eden (Great Britain). But the main meetings still took place in the Livadia Palace. Diplomatic protocol did not allow this, but Roosevelt could not move without assistance. Official meetings of the Big Three took place here eight times. It was signed in Livadia.

Half a ton of caviar

The participants of the Yalta Conference ate half a ton of caviar, as many different cheeses and butter. The delegations consumed about 1,120 kilograms of meat (live calves, cows, sheep, and poultry were brought to the central base). The vegetable menu reached 6.3 tons. The guests did not forget about drinks - they stocked up more than 5,000 bottles of wine, 5,132 bottles of vodka, 6,300 bottles of beer and 2,190 bottles of cognac. Food and drinks were brought to Crimea from all over the USSR.

I.V. Stalin, W. Churchill and F. Roosevelt at a banquet during the Yalta Conference. Photo: Encyclopedia “The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”

Dreams of Livadia

In a conversation with Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt said that when he left the presidency, he would like to ask to sell Livadia to him in order to plant many trees near it.

Stalin invited his American guest to spend a vacation in the summer of 1945 in Crimea. The US President accepted this invitation with gratitude, but the death of 63-year-old Roosevelt, which followed very soon, on April 12, prevented the implementation of his plan.

The Last Churchill

Winston Churchill was the last leader of the powers to leave Crimea. After signing the “Communiqué on the Crimean Conference,” Stalin left the Simferopol station for Moscow in the evening. The American president, having spent the night on board a US ship stationed in Sevastopol Bay, flew away the next day. Churchill stayed in Crimea for two more days: he visited Sapun Mountain, Balaklava, where the British fought in 1854-55, visited the cruiser Voroshilov, and only on February 14 he flew from the Saki airfield to Greece.

Winston Churchill at the Livadia Palace. Photo: Encyclopedia “The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”

Roosevelt's impression

The trip to Crimea made an indelible impression on the American president. Returning to Washington, he said: “I saw examples of merciless and senseless violent destruction... Yalta had no military significance and no defensive structures... Little remained of Yalta except ruins and devastation. Sevastopol was a picture of extreme destruction, and less than a dozen houses remained intact in the entire city. I have read about Warsaw, Lidice, Rotterdam and Coventry, but I have seen Sevastopol and Yalta, and I know that German militarism and Christian virtue cannot exist on earth at the same time.”

Winter 1945, Yalta. A meeting of the leaders of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition is being prepared at the highest level. Allied intelligence agencies are developing a plan to protect Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill. And for good reason: it became known that a terrorist attack was being planned in the city. Watch the film “Yalta-45” on May 7 at 17.15 on the MIR TV channel.

Do you know what the operation to ensure the safety of the Big Three leaders was called, why Roosevelt’s bathtub was repainted seven times and why Churchill went to Sevastopol after the conference? About these and other little-known details of the historical events of 1945 in Crimea - in the material "MIR 24".

The Yalta conference of the “Big Three” - the leaders of the USSR, Great Britain and the USA - played a colossal role in the history of the post-war world order. The Second World War was actually coming to an end, and the leaders of the three leading world powers of that time focused on the issues of the post-war division of the world. It was at the Yalta Conference that such important issues as the borders of Poland and the Soviet Union and the creation of independent states in the Balkans, the boundaries of Germany’s occupation zones and measures to weaken it as much as possible, the conditions for the USSR’s entry into the war with Japan and the fate of prisoners of war and displaced persons were resolved.

Unlike the Tehran Conference of 1943, at which all three countries played approximately the same role, the Yalta Conference became a de facto triumph for the Soviet Union. Start at least from the venue of the high-profile meeting. Initially, the heads of the United States and Great Britain proposed to meet in Scotland, a place equally distant from both the American and Soviet shores. Stalin abandoned the Scottish plan - as the legend goes, because he did not want to go to "men in skirts." In reality, the Soviet leader understood perfectly well that it was his country, whose army was already stationed a hundred kilometers from Berlin, that had the right to dictate its terms.

He did everything to ensure that the American and British leaders saw with their own eyes the catastrophic destruction to which the Germans subjected Soviet cities and villages. This gave Stalin a significant bargaining chip in negotiations on reparations - and as time has shown, this was the right step. After Scotland, Rome, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Athens and even Malta were proposed as a meeting place - for the same reasons - but all these ideas were rejected by Moscow in favor of Crimea. And the allies made concessions.

It took the Soviet Union only two months to organize the meeting in Yalta - despite the fact that Crimea was as devastated as all other occupied territories of the USSR. The operation to hold the meeting, initiated by Winston Churchill, received two code names. “Argonauts”, since the British Prime Minister compared himself and the US President to Argonauts sailing to the shores of the Crimea for a new golden fleece. And “Island” - for conspiracy purposes, with a hint of Malta.

Over the course of 60 days, several hundred workers from all over the country, led by NKVD and NKGB officers, as well as operatives, counterintelligence officers and military personnel, managed to do everything to make the Yalta Conference not only possible, but also to demonstrate the capabilities of the USSR for post-war reconstruction. And the desired effect was achieved!

How Marshal Stalin demonstrated who was in charge in Yalta

Both British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin Roosevelt viewed the meeting in Yalta as an opportunity, first of all, to obtain concessions from Soviet leader Joseph Stalin on the issue of military support for the operations of US and British troops in Germany. By February 1945, it was the Red Army that had achieved the most impressive results, approaching almost Berlin itself, while the Allies were much further away and were experiencing great difficulties.

The allies also understood that by agreeing to the meeting in Yalta, they placed themselves in the position of invited guests who largely depended on the host. To emphasize this, Marshal Stalin at first did not go to meet the distinguished guests arriving at the airfield in the city of Saki, and when Roosevelt, himself dissatisfied with such a violation of protocol, and at the request of Churchill, expressed his displeasure to the Soviet leader, he made it clear that the long delay in opening the second front and the unconditional leadership of the USSR in advancing to Berlin and defeating Germany give it this right. By the way, for the first official meeting of the three of us on February 4, Stalin was demonstratively late - the only time during the entire Yalta conference. And the allies also understood this hint correctly.

Looted Crimean palaces were refurbished