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and
30 NOVEMBER 1944
PRIORITY
PERSONAL AND SECRET
NUMBER 662
TO: THE PRIME MINISTER
FROM: THE PRESIDENT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
I SHALL NEVER FORGET THE PARTY WITH YOU AND UNCLE JOE (STALIN) A YEAR AGO AND WE MUST HAVE MORE OF THEM THAT ARE EVEN BETTER.
FRIENDLY WISHES
(SIGNED) F.D.R.
PRIME MINISTER’S PERSONAL TELEGRAM
PRIME MINISTER TO PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT No. 842.
Personal 3.12.44
Thank you for the kind message on my birthday, which gave me the greatest pleasure, and also for the framed quotation from Abraham Lincoln (famous American President) with your own charming note upon it. I was given this when I woke up. I cannot tell you how much I value your friendship or how much I hope upon it for the future of the world, should we both be live to see the end of the war.
30 NOVEMBER 1944
PRIORITY
PERSONAL AND SECRET
NUMBER 662
TO: THE PRIME MINISTER
FROM: THE PRESIDENT
EVER SO MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY.
I SHALL NEVER FORGET THE PARTY WITH YOU AND UNCLE JOE A YEAR AGO AND WE MUST HAVE MORE OF THEM THAT ARE EVEN BETTER.
AFFECTIONATE REGARDS
(SIGNED) F.D.R.
[P.M. has seen - deleted]
COPY
PRIME MINISTER’S
PERSONAL TELEGRAM
SERIAL No T. 2230/4.
PRIME MINISTER TO PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT No. 842.
Personal 3.12.44
I am deeply grateful to you for your most kind message on my birthday, which gave me the greatest pleasure, and also for the framed quotation from Abraham Lincoln with your own charming note upon it. This reached me, by sure hands, when I awoke. I cannot tell you how much I value your friendship or how much I hope upon it for the future of the world, should we both be spared.
This is an exchange of telegrams between President Roosevelt and Churchill on Churchill’s birthday.
Churchill and Roosevelt exchanged birthday telegrams and presents each year throughout the war. The previous year, Churchill had celebrated his 69th birthday at the Tehran Conference with Roosevelt and Stalin. Churchill expresses deep gratitude for the present and the message in November 1944. By this time he and Roosevelt had had a growing number of disagreements about how the war should be planned and what preparations should be made for the end of the war. Churchill was also frustrated at the postponement of a meeting with Stalin and Roosevelt to discuss a post war settlement (see Source 5). Churchill was also upset that Roosevelt did not visit Britain despite his constant invitations.
Following the D-Day invasion of June 1944 and the allied advance through France and Eastern Europe it became increasingly obvious that Germany would eventually be defeated. However, Churchill felt increasingly excluded from Roosevelt’s planning and there is obvious tension shown in other telegrams (Source 5). Despite these disagreements this telegram reveals that there is still a personal friendship between the two leaders.
Another significant factor throughout this period was Roosevelt’s health which, by this stage, was seriously compromised and affected his ability to engage with issues. Churchill was deeply concerned at this information he was receiving about Roosevelt’s health
Remember we are hoping that this source can be useful to us in investigating what was special about the relationship between Britain and America in the latter years of the Second World War. Sources usually help historians in two ways:
Which of the inferences below can be made from this source?
On a scale of 1-5 how far do you agree that this source supports this inference? | Which extract(s) from the source support your argument? | |
Churchill and Roosevelt remained friendly despite their differences | ||
These telegrams only show the personal relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt | ||
The telegrams have no value for assessing the relationship between Britain and America | ||
There was a special relationship between Britain and America during WW2 |
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