From: bolton8@juno.com
Date: Sat Jan 14 2006 - 12:18:13 PST
> January 14 1943 Roosevelt and Churchill begin Casablanca Conference.
> . . . . . . . most important, in a controversial declaration, they
announced that the Allies
>would accept only unconditional surrender from the Axis powers, a
decision that
>caused consternation on all sides as too extreme . . . . . . . . .
EVERETTE,
Being a WWII history and trivia buff myself I'd like to add a little
extra to the above.
In 1993 when parts of the British 'Official Secrets Act' ran out an
interesting behind-the- scenes tidbit surfaced.
During the closed door meeting FDR pushed for Unconditional Surrender
while Churchill opposed it on the grounds that this would force Germany
into fighting to the bitter end, thus extending the war longer than a
military surrender would.
After the meeting, and in front of reporters and movie cameras, FDR
announced that the Allies would only accept unconditional surrender.
Churchill was not only blind sided, but caught in a bind in that he dared
not show any sign of dissent between the Allies while on camera, and was
forced to agree with Roosevelt.
Which explains the sudden 'Churchill scowl' visible on film when FDR
made the unconditional surrender announcement.
LANCE
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