The Tehran Conference

Joseph Stalin.

At the end of 1943, the Allies met again in Tehran, Iran (this is known as the Tehran Conference). The location was chosen to make it easier for the Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin, to attend. The only attendees were the "Big Three": the U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union. Stalin had not been able to attend the Casablanca Conference because of the German invasion of his country, which was threatening the capital city, Moscow. By late November, Stalin was able to leave Moscow and meet with Churchill and FDR.

The meeting was not easy. Stalin was a dictator used to getting his own way, and he had no concern for human rights. Before the war, he had had been responsible for the deaths of millions of Soviet citizens. Anyone who crossed him was murdered. In August 1939, he approved a pact with Nazi Germany in which the two dictatorships agreed to divide up Europe between them. At Tehran in 1943, Stalin made no secret of the fact that his main goal in the war was to invade and occupy Eastern Europe and force it to become part of the Soviet Union.

How did FDR deal with a dictator who was also an ally? Find out by viewing this slideshow.

The Big Three Meet

The Big Three meet

The Tehran Conference marked the first time FDR and Stalin had met. The long, 7,000-mile journey had taken a toll on FDR's already bad health, but he projected strength in front of Stalin.

Conflicting Goals

Stalin, on the left, talks with FDR on the right. FDR seems like he is trying to understand his difficult ally.

FDR's goal, shared by Britain, was to plan the long-awaited Allied invasion of Western Europe and to force Stalin to agree to the points of the Atlantic Charter—namely, Stalin had to agree not to permanently occupy the nations the Soviet Union invaded as it drove the Nazis out of Eastern Europe. Stalin's goal was the direct opposite: He insisted that the U.S. allow him to move the border of the Soviet Union west so that the eastern half of Poland became part of the Soviet Union. Stalin also demanded that the Allies support the fascist dictator of Yugoslavia, contrary to the terms of the Atlantic Charter.

Giving in to Stalin

FDR opposed these demands, but Stalin threatened that if he could not have eastern Poland, he would negotiate a separate peace with Germany. At last, FDR and Churchill agreed to allow the Soviet Union to take eastern Poland and to support fascist Yugoslavia. Poland was an Allied nation, but the U.S., France, and Britain withdrew their official diplomatic recognition from representatives of the Free Polish government in exile (shown in this image) in June 1945. Stalin was free to swallow Poland up.

One Fight at a Time

FDR looked worn out and unhappy by the end of the Tehran Conference.

FDR was not happy with the outcome of the Tehran Conference, but he was pressured by Churchill to focus on the invasion of Western Europe. Once Germany was conquered, the U.S. and Britain could join together to control the Soviet Union. The most important thing was defeating the common enemy, Germany, and the Allies needed the Soviets to fight hard from the east while the U.S. and Britain fought hard from the west.

Check your understanding of the Tehran Conference and Allied relations by dragging the items on the left to the correct categories on the right.

wanted to maintain the sovereignty of conquered nations

U.S.

Soviet Union

That is correct.

You should review this topic.

wanted to annex eastern Poland

U.S.

Soviet Union

That is correct.

You should review this topic.

threatened to negotiate with Germany

U.S.

Soviet Union

That is correct.

You should review this topic.

demanded support for Yugoslavia

U.S.

Soviet Union

That is correct.

You should review this topic.

withdrew recognition of Poland's free government

U.S.

Soviet Union

That is correct.

You should review this topic.

The U.S. found it hard to negotiate with the Soviet Union in 1943.

The Big Three Meet

Conflicting Goals

Giving in to Stalin

One Fight at a Time

Complete