World War II Behind Closed Doors Read Online Free PDF Page A

United Nations as we know it today was clear in Roosevelt's mind at this moment in November 1943.
    Stalin's response was relatively amenable. He clearly had what for him were more important matters on his mind – notably the practical matter of how first to win the war and then to ensure the security of the Soviet Union in the immediate post-war world. Indeed, it is possible to see in this brief encounter the essential political character of each of these massive twentieth-century icons. Stalin was practical, suspicious and looking for the advantage of the moment; Roosevelt presented an extraordinary mix of crafty, workaday politician and idealistic dreamer. For whilst the visionary Roosevelt had outlined to Stalin his world-changing plans for the future of the planet, the politician in him had recognized the value of keeping Churchill out of the meeting. Not only did this prevent any impression that the Western Allies were ‘ganging up’ on the Soviets, it also allowed Roosevelt an opportunity to work his charm on Stalin – something that did not, as yet, appear to be having much effect.
    After their meeting, Stalin and Roosevelt attended the ceremonial handing over of the sword of Stalingrad by Churchill to the Soviet leader in the hall of the embassy. This was a gift from King George VI to the people of Stalingrad in recognition of their extraordinary tenacity and bravery during the siege of their city. Etched in acid on the 36-inch blade were the words: ‘To the steel-hearted citizens of Stalingrad, the gift of King George VI, in token of homage of the British people’.
    ‘There was an honour guard of the Buffs, a British regiment’, recalls Hugh Lunghi, who witnessed the ceremony. ‘The NKVD provided their own honour guard with Tommy guns. Our honour guard simply had fixed bayonets’. When Churchill formally presented the sword to Stalin, ‘he was clearly very moved, kissed the hilt and took the sword over to show it to Roosevelt, who was quite rightly taking very much a back seat at the side of the hall, and then brought it back and handed the sword to the only senior military that he had there – to Voroshilov – who took the sword, but he let it slide out of the scabbard. He clutched it to his chest and that didn't help – it fell on to his toes. He blushed all over his face, looked very discomfited, managed somehow to put it back into the scabbard again, then looked at Stalin from under his eyes and was obviously afraid he was going to get a real ticking off’.
    As Lunghi left the hall after the ceremony, ‘I heard a sort of shuffling noise behind me, and someone [was] tugging my sleeve. I was following Churchill who was just in front of me, and the person who was tugging my sleeve, of course, was Voroshilov. And I turned around, and he said: “Can you help me?” And I said: “Yes, of course, sir. What can I do?” And he said: “I'd like to speak to your Prime Minister”. So we caught up with Churchill and I said: “Excuse me, sir,” and Churchill turned round, looked a bit discomfited, and looked at Voroshilov and smiled, and Voroshilov mumbled his apology, and Churchill sort of just waved his hands…and then he [Voroshilov] wished him a happy birthday’.
    But Voroshilov had got the date wrong. The Prime Minister's birthday was the next day. ‘Churchill walked over to the legation, where he was staying’, says Lunghi, ‘and I followed him – and it was just across the road, only a few yards across the road dividing the two. And he said to me: “He [Voroshilov] must be angling for an invitation [to Churchill's birthday party the next night]. He got the date wrong, and he couldn't even play a straight bat with the sword”. So that was Churchill's verdict on Voroshilov’.
    Zoya Zarubina too was present when the sword was handed over, and she recalls the Soviet leader's emotional acceptance of the King's gift: ‘Stalin, I will tell you, never showed any outwardfeeling, but the one thing