Original subtitles

This is Wallace David.

Germany has invaded Polland

and bombed many towns and villages.

The actual number of...

Mr. Chamberlain speaking from 10 Downing.

And that consequently, this country is at war

with Germany.

This is the BBC home service.

In a surprise attack, Germany invaded Norway by...

We interrupt this program

to bring you a bulletin from news.

Germany has invaded Denmark.

The army invaded Belgium and Holland

early this morning by land

and from the air by parachutes.

In Washington, President Roosevelt

now clearly taking a harder line on Hitler's aggression

said "this nation will remain a neutral nation",

"but I cannot ask that every American remain neutral

in thought... ".

NBC reports from London

that British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

has just resigned.

Repeating that bulletin,

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain...

With Hitler now master

of most of the continent of Europe,

the world's eyes are on Winston Churchill,

who's been prime minister for three extraordinary days.

You ask what is our policy.

I will say it is to wage war

by sea, land, and air,

with all the strength that God can give us.

To wage war against a monstrous tyranny

never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalog

of human crime.

That is our policy.

You ask what is our aim?

I can answer in one word.

Victory.

Victory at all costs.

Harry, good.

You read Churchill's cable?

Yes.

And?

The sun's over the arbor.

Join me.

Glad to, sir.

You know I can't lend Britain 40 or 50 destroyers

without the specific authorization of Congress.

Much as you know we'd both like to.

You lost a lot of weight in the hospital.

You eating enough?

Trying, you know.

What does the doctor say?

He said they got it all.

You told Churchill we're gonna be the arsenal of democracy?

Eleanor and I were talking this morning.

What we want, what we both want,

is to get you out of that little apartment of yours,

move you in here with us.

I can't do that, sir.

The whole country already thinks

I have too damn much influence with you.

They'll tear you to pieces.

You let me worry about the country,

that's what I get paid for.

Anyway,

I need you here.

All the time.

What can we do for Britain right now?

You can ship today 500,000 field rifles,

130 million rounds rifle ammo,

90075 millimeter guns,

80,000 machine guns...

Churchill's got his whole army backed up

on the beaches at Dunkirk.

He could lose it all.

I know.

Get right on it.

The German Army is bound to...

The British Army, as well as major elements

of the French and Belgian forces,

are being forced to a small and shrinking pocket

around the port of Dunkirk,

their backs to the English Channel.

This is the BBC home service.

The admiralty today requested all owners of small craft

to report for what is called a special requirement.

Something to see, Charles.

Literally hundreds of boats, from huge barges

to tiny fishing boats being manned by civilian...

A week ago, I had thought I would have to announce

the greatest military disaster in British history.

But that calamity has not befallen the Allies.

Wars are not won by evacuations,

but there was a victory inside this deliverance.

We've locked the army away.

We shall not flag or fail,

we shall go on to the end.

We shall fight in France,

we shall fight in the seas and oceans,

we shall fight with growing confidence

and growing strength in the air,

we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.

We shall never surrender, and even if,

which I do not for a moment believe,

this island or a large part of it

were subjugated and starving,

then our empire beyond the seas,

armed and guarded by the British fleet,

would carry on the struggle until,

in God's good time, the new world,

with all its power and might,

steps forth to the rescue and liberation of the old.

Tell the war department to make estimates

of how many planes, and whatever else we can spare.

Generous estimates?

Very generous estimates.

Attacks on Great Britain last night.

I am standing on a rooftop

near Picadilly Circus,

and I see the searchlights coming on now, there's one,

there's another.

Now a lot of them.

And there go the guns.

Hitler knows he will have to break us in this island

or lose the war.

Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties.

And so bear ourselves such

that if the British empire and its commonwealth

last for 1000 years, men will still say

this was their finest hour.

He's right.

Churchill's right, we have to get the destroyers to him

right now.

It's a start.

You know a lot of this could be settled if Churchill and I

just sit down together for a while.

What's stopping you?

It can't be arranged right now.

We don't have an ambassador over there,

they don't have one over here.

How about me going over for you, Mr. President?

No no, can't spare you.

I've got the State of the Union message coming up,

the budget, the third inaugural, I need you for all of them.

Plus the fight with Congress.

Yes, but if went and see it with my own eyes,

I might be some help.

Should Japan enter the war on one side,

and the United States on ours,

ample naval forces will be available

to detain Japan in the Pacific.

Who?

Harry who?

Of course I know who Harry Hopkins is.

A social worker or something involved

in Roosevelt's work relief program.

Really?

Personally?

Well now.

And if any red carpet has survived the Blitz,

by all means, roll it out for Mr. Harry Hopkins.

My dear Mr. Hopkins.

What a very great honor this is.

I do hope you've not been kept waiting.

Not at all.

Good.

Well.

This is a great occasion.

Come, I think we can possibly find a more comfortable place

to drop this.

Tell the president...

Are you warm enough, Harry?

Fine.

England in January.

Tell the president we seek no treasure,

we seek no territorial gains,

we seek only the right of man to be free,

his right to worship his god and live his life

in his own way,

secure from persecution...

Mr. Prime Minister, I don't think the president

will give a damn for all that.

You see we're only interested in how you propose

to beat that son of a bitch in Berlin.

You say you will be here for three weeks, Harry?

I will make every detail of information and opinion

available to you.

You will not leave England until you know

everything there is to know.

At 4:00 this morning, Hitler attacked and invaded Russia.

This was no surprise to me.

In fact, I gave clear and precise warning to Stalin.

Citizens of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet government and its head, Comrade Stalin,

have authorized me to make the following statement.

At 4:00 this morning, despite the fact

that there was a non-aggression pact

between the Soviet Union and Germany,

and without a declaration of war,

German troops attacked our country,

attacked our frontier in many places,

and bombed from their airplanes our cities

of Jittlemere, Kiev, Siastorpol, Karnus, and others.

Our cause is good.

The enemy will be smashed.

Victory will be ours.

This is the end.

Why, Harry?

It doesn't make sense to me.

What does Hitler have in mind?

Do you think he's trying to get the world opinion

on his side by attacking communism?

That's what he thinks,

Winston will set him straight in one big hurry.

I think Hitler has just made his first big mistake.

No one has been a more consistent foe of communism

than I have for the last 25 years.

I will unsay no word that I have spoken about it.

But all this fades away

before the spectacle which is now unfolding.

This bloodthirsty guttersnipe Hitler

has launched his mechanized armies

of slaughter, pillage, and devastation.

Can you doubt what our policy will be?

We are resolved to destroy Hitler

and every vestige of the Nazi regime.

On this, nothing will turn us, nothing.

We shall fight him by land.

We shall fight him by sea.

We shall fight him in the air.

Until with God's help, we have rid the Earth of his shadow

and liberated the people from his yoke.

It follows, therefore,

that we shall give whatever help we can to Russia.

It is not for me to speak to the action

of the United States...

A lot of people, the usual ones, are taking the position

that since Russia can't hold out,

there's no point sending them stuff then.

I don't agree.

But this I will say, if Hitler imagines

that his attack on Soviet Russia

will cause the slightest division of aims

or slackening of effort in the great democracies,

he is woefully mistaken.

Comrades, brothers, and sisters.

Men of our army and navy.

In spite of the heroic resistance of the Red Party,

the enemy continues to push forward.

Hitler's troops have succeeded in capturing Lithuania,

a considerable part of Latvia,

the western part of Belarussia,

and part of the western Ukraine.

A grave danger hangs over our country.

In case of a forced retreat,

all the rolling stock must be evacuated.

The enemy must not be left a single pound of grain

or a gallon of fuel.

All that cannot be withdrawn must be destroyed.

Conditions must be made unbearable for the enemy,

the must be hounded at every step.

His secretary of the navy says

the best information he can get

said it will take anywhere from six weeks to two months

for Hitler to clean up on Russia,

but Ambassador Davies just cabled from Moscow.

He says that the Red Army will amaze and surprise the world.

These people have shown themselves worth backing.

The advantage we should reap

if the Russians could keep the field

and go on until the winter closes is measureless.

Find out what they need, Harry,

and how we can get it.

Yes sir.

In this war of liberation, we shall not be alone.

We shall have loyal allies in the people

of Europe and America.

Our forces are numberless.

The masses of our people will rise up in their millions.

All forces of the people for the demolition of the enemy.

Forward to victory.

We've just gotten their first requests, Mr. President,

they're enormous.

3000 bombers, 3000 pursuit planes.

Well, Davies the result will depend on air power.

We are making, Marshall Stalin,

very heavy air attacks, both by day and by night

on all Germans within our reach.

Then we hope to force Hitler to bring back

some of his air power to the west,

and gradually take some of the strain off of you.

We've only got to go on fighting

to beat the life out of these villains.

We're going to have to start coordinating with the British

all across the board.

What they'll get, what we should both give to Russia,

strategy...

How about me going back over for you, Mr. President?

Would you, Harry?

Tell Churchill everything.

Especially tell him not to ask

when we're coming into the war.

I only met Churchill once, in 1918.

Yes, I was Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

We had dinner together in London, at Gray's Inn,

the whole war cabinet was there.

He was already famous.

Whatever impression he made on you, Mr. President,

I'll bet you made just as big a one on him.

He was a real stinker.

Rude as could be, lorded it over us.

Tell him I think we ought to get together personally

as soon as possible.

Set that up for me, will you Harry?

Yes sir.

The position of the Soviet forces at the front

remains tense.

The military situation of the Soviet Union

as well as Great Britain would be considerably improved

if there could be established

a front against Hitler in the west in northern France,

which could not only divert Hitler's forces from the east,

but at the same time make it impossible, Prime Minister,

for Hitler to invade Great Britain.

Anything sensible and effective that we can do to help

will be done.

I beg you, however, to realize the limitations

imposed upon us by our resources...

I fully realize the difficulties involved, but I have to...

The Germans have 40 divisions in France alone.

The whole coast bristles with cannon, wire, pillboxes

and beach mines.

To attempt a landing in force would be to encounter

a bloody riposte.

It would all be over without their having

to move a single unit from your front.

Not withstanding the difficulties, it should be done.

You must remember, Marshall Stalin,

that we have been fighting alone for more than a year.

And although our resources are growing,

and will grow fast from now on,

we are at the utmost strain,

both at home and in the Middle East,

by land and air, and also at the battle of the Atlantic,

on which our life depends,

strains our naval resources to the limit.

It should be done, Prime Minister,

and not only for the sake of our common cause,

but also Britain's own interest.

This is the most we can do at the moment.

I wish it were more.

My dear friend.

How are you feeling?

Glad to be here in July,

when a man can take his coat off indoors.

Cognac?

Please.

The situation's a little different from last time.

Russia's in.

What we want to know, of course,

is when are you going to get in?

That's the one question the president says

you can't ask me.

But, he did ask that I get you two together

in some lonely bay as quickly as possible.

The sooner the better.

What he does want us to discuss right away is,

one, your ability to withstand invasion.

He's concerned your airfields are vulnerable

to Hitler's parachute troops.

We think he's got 60,000 of them.

Second, the wisdom of trying to defend the Middle East.

Egypt, Libya, Syria, India,

the equipment and men you're sending there

might be needed here.

As far as the invasion of Britain's concerned,

we have the situation well in hand,

and we have taken special measures

to defend all our airfields.

And we would be able to tell three weeks in advance

if the Germans planned to cross the channel.

In regards to Egypt, in the Nile Valley we have an army

of half a million men, here.

Nearly half our war production is sent here.

And in spite of objections from friends,

it will be our policy

to go ahead and reinforce the Middle East.

We really need hard information

on how the Russians are doing.

That would be most valuable.

Everything.

Production, shipping, supplies, strategy,

depends on how long the Russians can hold out.

I'm wondering whether you would find it useful

for me to go to Moscow.

It's a long trip, very hazardous.

You'd be totally exhausted, Harry.

It would be worth doing if Stalin knew,

in an unmistakable way, we mean business,

not a long-term supply job.

Stalin might tell the truth, or at least part of it,

to a personal representative

of the President of the United States.

Absolutely.

Go.

Tell Stalin.

Tell him...

Tell him...

Tell him,

Britain has but one ambition today,

but one desire, to crush Hitler.

Tell him he can depend on us.

Goodbye Harry.

God bless you.

Thank you, sir.

I don't know what will happen

if Britain is fighting alone when 1942 comes.

I come, Marshall Stalin,

as a personal representative of President Roosevelt,

who considers Hitler the enemy of mankind,

and thinks the most important thing in the world

is to defeat him.

He therefore wishes to give all possible aid

to the Soviet Union in its fight against Germany.

Welcome to the Soviet Union.

Your president has asked me to talk to you

as I would talk to him.

The first thing I want to say

is concerning Hitler and Germany.

There must be a minimum moral standard among nations.

Without such a minimum moral standard,

nations cannot exist.

Therefore, our views coincide.

I have two practical questions

the president wants me to ask you first.

Can you tell me what Russia will require most

that the United States could deliver immediately?

And second, what would your requirements be

based on a long war?

Please, sit.

Immediately we require anti-aircraft guns,

machine guns, 50 caliber, to defend our cities,

the rifles, 30 caliber, I would a million or more.

For a long war, we would need aviation gasoline,

aluminum for aircraft.

Give us anti-aircraft guns and aluminum,

and we can fight for three or four years.

Come.

Come.

The Germans have found that moving mechanized forces

across Russia is very different

than moving them over the boulevards of Belgium and France.

The Germans can move up another 40 divisions,

but probably not before the hard weather sets in.

We will hold within 100 kilometers of our present position,

but tell the president that while I am absolutely confident

that we can withstand the Germans,

the question of supply is a serious one,

and we need your help.

Hold on.

Hitler's going to lose.

Now, I am sick and tired of hearing

that they are going to get this, and going to get that,

I don't want to hear what's on order,

I want to hear what's on the water.

Get those planes off with a bang,

even if they have to be taken from the American Army.

Mr. Prime Minister.

How are you feeling?

Fine, fine, fine.

I think I got what I wanted, but you can't ever be sure.

Let's go see the president.

The president, Harry.

I cannot tell you how excited I am

to finally to have the chance to meet him face to face.

I wonder if he'll like me.

What sort of man is he, Harry?

You must tell me all about him.

He doesn't remember.

Welcome aboard, Mr. Prime Minister.

A very great pleasure this is for me, Mr. President,

to meet you at long last.

But we...

In 1918, in Gray's...

And I'm absolutely delighted to meet you too, Winston.

Together at last.

Cigarette in holder and the long cigar

at last being lit from the same match.

27 years ago today, began the last war.

We must make a good job of it this time.

Twice ought to be enough.

We will talk about everything, of course.

But first, I believe these gentlemen

have a little job.

Yes, they do the same job in Britain.

What I want to hear first, Winston,

is how you think this war will be won.

This is a mechanized war, Mr. President, a mobile war.

In the air, on land, and at sea.

Immense land armies, less important by far

that in the last war.

Fighting on land, in the Middle East or north Africa, yes.

Anywhere the Germans exist

on even or fairly even terms,

there we must attack them.

But, in fortress Europe, not with land armies, not at first.

We must destroy the foundation upon which

the German war machine rests,

the economy which feeds it,

the morale which sustains it,

the supplies which nourish it,

and the hopes of victory which inspire it.

This war will be won by blockade, by subversion,

and most of all, by strategic bombing.

Yes, but...

No major land armies?

What do you tell the Russians?

The war goes upon many fronts.

And before it is over, there may be

yet further fighting fronts that will be developed,

but our resources, though immense, are limited,

and it must become a question as to where and when

those resources can best be used.

I can only reiterate the absence of a second front

simply favors our common enemy.

Mr. President, it is inevitable that America

will finally come to grips with Hitler on some battlefield.

The might of Germany is so great

that even though Russia will defend herself,

it will be very difficult for Britain and Russia combined

to defeat the German machine.

The one thing that could defeat Hitler,

and perhaps without even firing a shot,

would be the announcement that you

are going to join in the war.

I hope you won't take it amiss, Mr. President,

if I tell you that I cannot answer for the consequences

if Russia is compelled to sue for peace

and say by next spring, hope has died in Britain

that America is coming into the war.

Governments such as ours

can only move in keeping with the thought and will

of the great majority of our people.

If I were to put the issue of peace or war to Congress,

they would debate it for three months.

What I can do is look for an incident.

In the Atlantic, I can wage war and not declare it.

Hitler will have the dilemma.

Either attack our convoys and our navy,

or hold back and give us the battle of the Atlantic.

Splendid.

Harry.

You know, I met him once before, in 1918,

when he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy,

and I was in the war cabinet.

He made a most vivid impression on me even then.

Extraordinary man.

Prime Minister, the situation of the Soviet forces

during the last three weeks

has deteriorated considerably,

with the Germans having transferred to the eastern front

30 to 34 fresh infantry divisions

and an enormous number of tanks and aircraft.

They consider danger in the west a bluff

and are transferring all their forces

to the east with impunity.

Remember, Marshall...

Being convinced that no second front exists in the west

and that none will exist.

As the result, we have lost more than half the Ukraine,

and in addition, the enemy is at the gates of Leningrad.

Remember, Marshall Stalin...

There is only one way out of this situation.

To establish in the present year a second front

somewhere in the Balkans or France

capable of drawing away from the eastern front

30 to 40 divisions, and at the same time...

Although we should shrink from no exertion,

there is in fact no possibility of any British

action in the west, except air action,

which would draw the German forces from the east

before the winter sets in.

Action, however well meant, leading only to costly fiascos

will no help to anyone but Hitler.

To continue, and at the same time

ensuring to the Soviet Union 30,000 tons of aluminum

and a monthly minimum of aid amounting to 400 aircraft

and 500 tanks of medium size.

Without these two...

For our part, we are now prepared to send you,

from British production,

one half of the monthly total

for which you ask in aircraft and tanks.

We hope the United States will supply the other half.

Every possible effort, $1 billion worth, $2 billion.

Thank you.

As I was saying, without these two forms of help,

the Soviet Union will either suffer defeat

or be weakened to such an extent

that it will lose for any long period

a capacity to render assistance to its allies.

Remember, Marshall Stallin...

Experience has taught me to face up to reality,

no matter how unpleasant it may be,

and not to shrink from telling the truth.

Remember that only four months ago,

we in this island did not know whether you were coming in

against us on the German side.

Indeed, we thought it quite likely that you would.

Whatever happens, and whatever you do,

you of all people have no right to make reproaches to us.

I have cabled our mission in Moscow today

to make a commitment to Russia

of 400 additional tanks a month

and 3600 additional combat planes.

Very simply, and very bluntly,

we are pledged to pull our own oar

in the destruction of Hitlerism.

I fully sympathize with Russia in her agony.

But they have no right to reproach us.

We have acted with absolute honesty.

We have done our very best to help them

at the cost of deranging all our plans for rearmament.

And exposing ourselves to heavy risk.

I know this, and I know what you are both going through.

But...

Marshall Stalin.

We shall do our utmost to repair the grievous curtailments

which your war industries have suffered

through the Nazi invasion.

If they keep fighting, it's worth it.

If they don't, we don't have to send it.

Chekov, are you convinced

that we will be able to hold Moscow?

I am asking you with pain in my heart.

Answer me truthfully.

Answer me as a communist.

Commander of His Majesty's Armed Forces

in the Middle East, it is impossible

to explain to Parliament

how our armies have had to stand for four and a half months

without engaging the enemy in north Africa,

while all the time Russia is being battered to pieces.

Order of the day, declare a state of siege.

Moscow will be defended to the last.

Comrades, brothers and sisters.

I stated at the beginning of the war

that a serious danger was facing our country.

Today is the result of four months of war,

I must emphasize that this danger has increased.

The enemy has captured a greater part of the Ukraine,

Belarussia, Moldova, and Estonia,

has penetrated upon us, is looming like a black cloud

over Leningrad, and is menacing our glorious capital,

Moscow.

Wherein lie the reasons for the temporary setbacks

of the Red Army?

Mr. President, I earnestly hope

that you will be able to raise the general level

of your war production by an immediate short term effort.

Double it.

One of the reasons consists

in the absence of a second front in Europe.

It is a fact that there are no armies of Great Britain

or the United States on the continent of Europe

at the present, and this fact brings about a situation

where the Germans,

considering their rear in the west secure,

have the possibility of marching their troops

against our country.

If it were possible, Marshall Stalin,

to make any successful diversion upon the French shore,

we should order it, even at the heaviest cost.

All our generals are convinced a bloody riposte

is all that would be sustained.

However,

in order to clear things up and to plan for the future,

I am ready to send two generals to meet you in Moscow.

They will be able to tell you exactly what is possible

and what we think is wise.

Do you want them?

If the generals would come to Moscow

with a view to concluding an agreement

on the two fundamental questions,

war aims and plans for the post-war organization of peace,

and of mutual military assistance against Hitler,

I would naturally be very happy to meet them.

If however the mission of the generals

is confined to secondary matters,

it would not be, I think, worthwhile.

In such a case, it would be very difficult

for me to find time for the conversations.

I don't know what Stalin wants.

Bad relations, a rupture?

Who would that benefit?

Reeling from the Allied embargo

on steel and oil,

Japan did offer some diplomatic concessions,

but the president said that nothing less

than Japanese withdrawal from China and Indochina

would be acceptable.

Please get this right off to the Emperor of Japan.

Mark it personal.

Well.

This son of man has just sent his final message

to the son of god.

That's the last card I have to play

for peace in the Pacific.

How is that?

It's good.

You're not having lunch with the family?

No, my cousin Ellen Adams brought all her children down.

Hopkins.

We were gonna have lunch with them.

But it's Sunday.

I thought we might get a little quiet desk work done

while...

What is it?

No.

There must be some mistake.

I tried to keep us out of war.

I wanted to finish my administration without war.

Yesterday, December 7th, 1941,

a date which will live in infamy,

the United States of America

was suddenly and deliberately attacked

by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

I regret to tell you that very many American lives

have been lost.

Yesterday, the Japanese government

also launched an attack on Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning, they attacked Midway Island.

With confidence in our armed forces,

with the unbounding determination of our people,

we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us god.

So, we have won after all.

England will live.

The commonwealth of nations, and the empire, will live.

Once again, in our long, lioned history, we shall emerge,

however mauled and mutilated,

safe and victorious.

We shall not be wiped out.

Our history will not come to an end.

Hitler's fate is sealed.

Mussolini's fate is sealed.

As for the Japanese, they will be ground to powder!

Today, we are all in the same boat as you

and the people of the empire, Winston,

and it is a ship which will not and cannot be sunk.

We are now in this war,

we are all in it, all the way,

every single man, woman, and child is a partner

in the most tremendous undertaking

of our American history.

It will not only be a long war,

it will be a hard war.

That is the basis on which we now lay all our plans.

Franklin.

Now that we are, as you say, in the same boat,

would it not be wise for us to have another conference?

Delighted.

No need for the horseless approach to America now.

That's the way we talked to her when we were wooing her.

Now she's in the harem, we talk to her quite differently.

Prime Minister, I propose a treaty between us

with a secret protocol dealing with.

Europe's post-war frontiers.

That the Soviet Union's frontier with Poland

be based on the Kerza line,

and the Soviet Union is to regain her frontiers of 1941

with Finland and Romania,

and will recover the Baltic states.

We cannot agree to definite frontiers

without breaking pledges we have already made

to Poland and others, and we are not going to do that.

It's a pity.

A transfer of peoples to Soviet Russia against their wills

is contrary to all the principles

for which we are fighting this war,

and would dishonor our cause.

No one can foresee how the balance of power will lie

or where the winning armies will stand

at the end of the war.

It seems probable, however,

that the Soviet Union will need our aid

far more than we shall need theirs.

Hitler's losses in Russia

are the prime fact in the war at this time.

He now faces the shock

of a winter of slaughter

and the expenditure of fuel and equipment on a larger scale.

He hasn't reached Moscow yet,

and I don't think he's going to.

This message came from the Marines on Wake Island

just before they were overrun.

"Merry Christmas, send us more Japs."

Anyone want hot coffee?

No.

Tea please, Harry.

Germany's the prime enemy.

Once she's defeated, the collapse of Italy

and the defeat of Japan will follow.

Germany first.

Mhmm.

Our main objective in 1942

should be the occupation of the whole coastline of Africa.

That would reopen the Mediterranean route

for shipping to the Middle East.

And the far east, and starts to tighten a ring

around everything the Germans now control.

We'll put three divisions in north Africa,

more if necessary,

I want American forces involved as quickly as possible.

We can do more.

Help Russia every way we can.

More in Germany.

And blockade them.

Then, in 1943, the way may be cleared

to return to the continent.

Here's to 1942.

Here's to a year of toil,

a year of struggle and peril,

and a long step forward to victory.

Here here.

May we all come through it safe, and with honor.

Winston, trust me to the bitter end.

I would like to stress that it is now,

when the Soviet Union is exerting all its power

to throw back Hitler's troops,

that the fulfillment of America's deliveries,

including aircraft and tanks,

is essential to our common cause.

I'm terribly disturbed that an adequate number of ships

is not available to Russia.

This government has made a firm pledge to Russia

and we simply cannot go back on it.

Where's Harry?

Nothing could be worse than to have the Russians collapse.

I'd rather lose New Zealand, Australia, or anything else

than have the Russians collapse.

I don't want to be in the same position as the English,

and the only reason we stand so well to the Russians

is because we've kept our promises.

We've got to find some ships at once

for this Russian business.

To General Waden, Supreme Commander,

Southwest and Pacific.

I think you ought to realize how we view the situation

in Singapore.

There must, at this stage, be no thought

of saving the troops or sparing the population.

The battle must be fought to the bitter end,

at all costs.

Commanders and senior officers should die with their troops.

The honor of the British Empire and the British Army

is at stake.

With the Russians fighting as they are,

and the Americans so stubborn in the Philippines,

the whole reputation of our country and our race is invoked.

I realize, Winston, how the fall of Singapore

has affected you and the British people.

The greatest disaster in our history.

But no matter how serious our setbacks,

and I do not for a moment underrate them,

we must constantly look forward to the next moves

that need to be made to hit the enemy.

This means we now take primary responsibility

for the reinforcing of Australia and New Zealand

and getting assistance to China, and our navy.

Defense against all further advances of the Japanese.

When I reflect how I have long prayed

for the entry of the United States into the war,

I find it difficult to realize

how gravely our British affairs have deteriorated

since December 7th.

We might as well admit the difficult military side

of the problems.

There's no use giving a single further thought

to Singapore or the Dutch Indies.

They're gone.

Australia must be held,

and we are willing to undertake that.

India must be held, and you must do that.

You must hold Egypt, the canal, Syria, Iran,

and the route to the Caucuses.

I know you will not mind, Winston,

if I tell you that you should take a leaf from my notebook.

Every month I go to Hyde Park for four days,

crawl into a hole and pull the hole in after me.

I wish you would try it.

And I wish you would lay a few bricks,

or paint another picture.

I am so grateful for all your thoughts about my affairs

and personal kindness.

I went to Chatwell last week

and found spring there in all its beauty.

The goose I called

and the male black swan have both fallen victims

to the phlox.

The yellow cat, however, made me sensible

of his continuing friendship.

I had not been there for eight months.

I find it very difficult to get over Singapore,

but I hope we shall redeem it ere long.

Comrades, a long a tremendous front

from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea,

Red Army and Red Navy men are fighting fierce battles.

At Moscow the Red Army defeated the German fascist troops

which threatened to encircle the Soviet capital.

We threw the enemy back from Moscow

and continue to push him westward.

The initiative is now in our hands.

There is a winter, you know, in Russia,

where the temperature is apt to fall very low.

There is snow, there is frost, and all that.

Hitler forgot about this Russian winter.

He must've been very loosely educated.

We all heard about it at school, but he forgot it.

I have never made such a bad mistake as that.

Mr. President, I doubt if any single thing's

more important than getting some sort of front this summer

against Germany.

The war plans division says we've gotta

go to Europe to fight,

and we've gotta quit wasting resources all over the world,

and still worse, wasting time.

If we're to keep Russia in, save the Middle East,

India, Burma, gotta begin slugging with air at west Europe,

followed by a land attack, as soon as possible.

Still like the idea of French north Africa.

What do Marshall and the joint chiefs say?

Western Europe is the only place

where vital air superiority can be staged.

The only place where the bulk of British ground forces

can be committed in cooperation with US forces,

and success there will afford maximum support

for the Russian front.

What Harry will tell you, Winston,

has my heart and mind in it.

Your people and mine demand the establishment of a front

to draw off pressure on the Russians,

and these people are wise enough to see

that the Russians are today killing more Germans

than you and I put together.

Go to it, Harry.

Yes sir.

And make sure Harry gets to bed early.

I am in entire agreement in principle

with all you propose.

The conception underlying it accords

with the classic principles of war.

Concentration against the main enemy.

Marshall Stalin.

I have in mind a very important military proposal

to relieve your critical western front.

I wish you would consider sending Mr. Molotov to Washington

in the immediate future.

Molotov can arrive not later than May 15th.

It goes without saying that he will also go to London

to exchange views with the British.

Mr. Cocktail will be welcome here.

You should not agree to any proposal

to start a second front in western Europe

on any assumption that we do not mean business.

Our disposition is to take great risks

to relieve the Russian front.

At the same time, the Japanese take control

of the Indian Ocean, not only will

the Middle East be in danger,

we shall lose the oil supplies from the Persian Gulf.

Yes, Australia and the Middle East

will certainly discharge an obligation,

but our whole heart will be in the cross channel invasion

in 1943, 1942 if necessary to avert a Russian collapse.

Our view is the decision to proceed with a second front

in Europe is one of the most momentous ever faced.

The decision, once taken, cannot be reversed.

If adopted, this will constitute the major effort

of the United States in the war.

Then there is complete unanimity

in the framework of the cross channel invasion in 1943.

Full preparations can now go ahead.

I feel better about the war than any time

in the last two years.

Let me now set out my own view

of what had so far been decided

what I thought should be done.

I was ready to give the cross channel assault a fair run,

with other sugggestions, northwest Africa, northern Norway,

before the planning committee.

I was almost certain that the more it was looked at,

the less it would be liked.

But.

I had to work by influence and diplomacy

in order to secure harmonious action

with our cherished ally,

without whose aid nothing but ruin faced the world.

I did not, therefore, open any of these alternatives

at our meeting.

I've been charged by my government to come to London

to discuss the establishment of the second front.

This is no new problem.

The coming weeks and months on the Russian front

are fraught with the most serious consequences

to both of us.

You must know how we view the prospects

of throwing off at least 40 German divisions

from the USSR in 1942.

The problem of landing in France this year

is being studied.

Preparations are being made.

Please.

Thank you, thank you.

Two points should however be born in mind.

First, with the best will and endeavor

it is unlikely that any move we could make in 1942,

even if we were successful,

would draw off large numbers of enemy land forces

from the eastern front.

In the air, the position is different.

If our plan for forcing air battles over the continent

proves successful, the Germans might be faced

with the choice either of seeing

the whole of their fighter air force in the west destroyed

or making withdrawals from their air strength in the east.

The second point, relative to your proposition

that our aim should be to draw off not less

than 40 German divisions from Russia,

we have confronting us in Libya, Norway, France,

and the low countries, 44 divisions.

But we are not satisfied,

and if any plan can be made

for drawing the weight off Russia in 1942,

we shall not hesitate.

I have no doubt that you genuinely wish for the success

of the Soviet Army against the Germans this summer?

What is your view of the prospects of our success?

Whatever your views might be,

I would be glad for a frank expression of your opinion,

good or bad.

We feel great confidence in the strength and ability

of the Soviet Army.

Now, you want to talk about the treaty of alliance

between our countries.

These are the minimum conditions my government insists on.

Recovering the territory violated by Hitler,

the Baltics, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia.

We must secure our frontiers.

Poland is the most delicate question,

but the Soviet government will do its best

to come to terms with Poland.

We propose to substitute for a territorial agreement

a general treaty of alliance for 20 years,

omitting all references to frontiers.

The difficulties are mainly that we cannot go back

on our previous undertakings to Poland,

and have to take account of our own and American opinion.

The big question is, can we work with Russia,

now and after the war?

Is it Stalin's aim to overrun and communize the continent?

We are most grateful to you for meeting our difficulties

in this treaty as you have done.

I am sure the reward in the United States will be solid.

We have done a great deal,

breaking down the barriers between our countries.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Churchill is a strong man.

Very strong.

Unfortunately he'll never make a good communist.

Has launched the Africa call to the attak.

Logged it, captured Tebrook.

This may be the biggest battle we have ever fought.

Our losses so far are 10,000 men, 350 tanks, 345 guns,

enemy killed and wounded probably equal

and possibly greater than ours.

This is a business not only of armor, but willpower.

Everybody must fight!

They must fight!

Exactly as they would if Kent or Suffolk were involved!

Mr. President, I am here, as you know,

to talk about a second front.

This year Hitler is the master of all Europe.

To be sure the rations might hold and fight on

all through 1942, but it is only right to look

at the dark side of the picture.

Hitler might throw in such reinforcements in manpower

and material that the Red Army

might not be able to hold out.

So Mr. President, I put this question to you frankly.

Can you undertake such offensive action as to draw off

40 German divisions?

If the answer is yes, the war will be decided in 1942,

if no, we will fight on alone doing our best

and man will expect more from us than that.

My government wants to know what position you take

on the question of a second front

and whether you are prepared to establish one.

I request a straight answer.

You may inform Marshall Stalin

we expect the formation of a second front this year...

Mr. President.

We must never let the plan for invading north Africa

pass from our minds.

Tell Marshall Stalin...

We'll put it in the communique.

Full understanding has been reached

with regard to the creation of a second front in Europe

in 1942.

Good.

Good.

Tell Molotov to come back through London,

see Churchill again.

We are making preparations for landing on the continent

in August or September of 1942.

It is impossible to say in advance

whether the situation will be as such

as to make the operation feasible when the time comes.

We can therefore make no promise in the matter.

But if it appears sound and sensible,

we shall not hesitate to put our plan into effect.

Never before has our association been so close,

or our mutual pledge for the future so complete.

Wanting a second front

and having a second front

are two different things.

The important thing is we may be,

and probably are, faced with real problems

on the Russian front,

and must make our plans to face it.

Arrangements are being made.

Bless you, Harry.

For a landing on the coast of northern France in September.

We are disturbed here by what appears to be

a lack of clear understanding between us

in the event the Russians get pushed around.

We do not favor an operation certain to lead to disaster.

It would not help the Russians, whatever their plight.

It would gravely delay the main operation in 1943.

No responsible British military authority

has so far been able to make a plan

for crossing the channel in 1942

which has any chance of success,

unless the Germans become utterly demoralized,

of which there is no likelihood.

Tobruk has surrendered,

with 25,000 men taken prisoner.

Defeat is one thing,

disgrace is another.

What can we do to help?

I am ashamed.

I cannot understand why Tobruk gave in.

25,000 of our men put up their hands.

If they won't fight, I don't...

Send 300 Sherman tanks,

100105 millimeter self-propelled guns

to the Middle East right away.

The military misfortunes of the last fortnight

have transformed the situation throughout the Mediterranean.

We have lost upwards of 50,000 men.

Rommel has advanced nearly 400 miles from the desert

and is now approaching the fertile delta of the Nile.

The evil effects of this events have not yet been measured.

If there are any would-be profiteers of disaster,

if we labor to paint the picture in darker colors,

they are certainly at liberty to do so.

American ground forces must be put into position

to fight against German ground forces in 1942.

I do not believe we can wait until 1943

to strike against Germany.

Invading France is of such grave importance

that every reason calls for it.

If we cannot do northern France, we must take second best,

French north Africa or the Middle East.

You're gonna have to go see Winston for me again, Harry.

Mr. President.

Sorry it took us so long to get through.

The British will not willingly

go ahead with France this year.

Damn.

If France is definitely and finally out of the picture,

I want you to determine another place

for US troops to fight in 1942.

North Africa is by far the best chance

for effective relief to the Russian Front.

Take into consideration the effect

of losing the Middle East.

Here is the true second front of 1942.

Losing the Middle East would mean the loss of Egypt

and the Suez Canal.

The loss of Syria.

The Persian Gulf, access to Persian Gulf oil.

Germany and Japan joining up

and the probably loss of the Indian Ocean.

North Africa in 1942.

Full steam ahead.

As you say.

Full steam ahead.

Franklin.

About shipping for Russia.

We've been considering very carefully

the number of convoys we're able to send.

And it seems to me that any word

reaching Stalin that our supplies were stopping

would have a most unfortunate effect,

I fear not only the political repercussions in Russia,

but even more the fact that our supplies

will not reach them promptly.

I beg you not to press us on this.

Of the current convoy, only four ships

have reached our kingdom, out of 33 that were sent.

Out of 600 tanks, little more than 100 have arrived.

This cannot help anybody except the enemy.

I must reluctantly agree.

Marshall Stalin,

my naval advisors tell me that the German forces

can now guarantee the complete destruction

of any convoy to northern Russia.

It is therefore with the greatest regret

that we have reached the conclusion

that to attempt to run convoy number 18

would only involve dead loss of common cause.

At the same time, I give you my assurance

that if we can devise arrangements...

The British government refuses to continue

the sending of war supplies to the Soviet Union.

I must explain the dangers and difficulties

of these convoy operations.

In wartime, no important operation can be affected

without risks or losses.

In any case, I never expected that the British government

would stop dispatch of war materials

just at the very moment when,

in view of the situation on the Soviet-German front,

we require these materials more than ever.

Believe me, my comrade and friend.

No no, no no, strike that.

No.

Believe me, if one or two of our very few

most powerful battleships were to be lost,

the whole command of the Atlantic would be lost.

Besides affecting the food supplies by which we live,

our war effort would be crippled.

Our naval experts consider your reasons

wholly unconvincing.

They are of the opinion that with good will

and readiness to fulfill your obligations,

those convoys could be regularly undertaken.

Above all, the great convoys of American troops

that cross the ocean presently,

80,000 in a month would be prevented,

and the building up of a really strong second front in 1943

rendered impossible.

1943?

The second front in 1943?

In spite of the agreed communique

concerning the urgent task of creating a second front

in 1942, the British government postpones until 1943?

I must state in the most emphatic manner

that the Soviet government cannot acquiesce

in the postponement of a second front in Europe until 1943.

I do not propose to embark upon an argument...

Winston, your reply to Stalin must be handled

with great care.

You've got always to bear in mind

the personality of our ally

and the very difficult and dangerous situation

which confronts him.

Try to put ourselves in his place.

I am willing, Marshall Stalin,

if you invite me,

to come to meet you.

I could tell you plans we have made with President Roosevelt

for offensive action in 1942.

Believe me, there is nothing that is useful and sensible

that we and the Americans will not do to help you

in your proud struggle.

We hope to resume the convoys to September...

The enemy is moving into the area of Cortuban.

They will overrun the last line of defense.

Organize the rear guard with instructions

to fight to the death to give the army units

time to pull back.

I will come to Moscow, I will if you desire,

fix a convenient...

You can't, the enemy stands two miles from this city.

Stalingrad may fall today or tomorrow.

See to it that the commanders

of the north and northwest forces strike the enemy at once.

To delay now is a crime!

Any date would suit me.

Mrs. Harpy.

Send a telegram to the president.

I should greatly like your aid

in my talks with Joe.

I have somewhat of a raw job,

I carry a large lump of ice to the north pole.

What is it my duty to say to them?

This stubborn Bolshevik state.

I once tried so hard to strangle his birth,

and which, until Hitler appeared,

I regarded as the mortal foe of civilized freedom.

What is it my duty to say to them now?

I would not have come to Moscow

unless you had felt sure that you would be able

to discuss realities.

There are no people with weak nerves here, Prime Minister.

I suppose you want me to come to the question

of the second front.

As you wish.

I wish to speak frankly,

and to invite complete frankness from you in return.

When Mr. Molotov came to London,

I told him that we were trying to make plans

for diversion in France.

I also made it clear that I could make

no promises about 1942.

Since then, an exhaustive examination of the problem

has been carried out.

The British and American governments

do not feel themselves able to undertake a major operation

in September, which is the latest month

in which the weather is to be counted upon.

But, as you know, we are preparing

for a very great operation in 1943.

Is it impossible to attack any part of the French coast?

In 1942, yes.

There is not a single German division

of any value in France.

There are, in France, 25 German divisions,

nine of which are of the first line.

And you are unwilling even to land six divisions?

War is war, but not folly.

And it would be folly to invite disaster.

If by throwing in 150 to 200,000 men,

we could render you aid

by drawing away from the Russian front

appreciable German forces,

we would not shrink from this course on grounds of loss.

But if it drew no men away, and spoiled the prospects

for 1943, it would be a great...

My view of war is different.

A man who is not prepared to take a risk cannot win a war.

Troops must be blooded in battle.

If you do not blood your troops,

you have no idea what their value is.

Why are you so afraid of the Germans?

I cannot understand.

Have you ever asked yourself why Hitler

did not come to England in 1940,

when he was at the height of his power?

When we had only 20,000 trained troops, he did not come.

The fact is that Hitler was afraid of the operation.

It is not so easy to cross the channel.

That is no analogy.

The landing of Hitler would have been resisted

by the people.

The British landing in France

and the people would be on the side of the British.

It seems that you expect to pay your way by bombing Germany.

The present bombing of Germany's centers of industry

is nothing to what will be done in six

or even three months' time.

It is not only German industry they should be bombing,

but the civilian population too.

We look upon the morale of German civilians

as a military target.

We sought no mercy and we shall show no mercy.

If need be, we hope to shatter almost every dwelling,

in almost every city in Germany.

That would not be bad.

It'll be better still.

We've now begun to use four ton bombs.

Let's talk again about the second front,

which is what I've come for.

I do not think France is the only place

for such an operation.

We and the Americans

have decided upon another plan,

which I will now tell you about secretly.

You.

I hope nothing about it will appear in your British press.

I wish I could control the British press

as you control the Soviet press.

You have quite enough powers to exercise control

whenever you wish to.

We want to take the strain off you.

Our plan is called Operation Torch.

If we can end this year

in possession of north Africa,

we can threaten the belly of Hitler's Europe.

This is the crocodile.

Our intention is to attack

the soft underbelly of the crocodile,

and thus open another front,

and all the time holding the enemy in France.

When will this be?

No later than October 30th, 1942.

First, this Operation Torch

will hit Rommel in the back, yes?

Mmhmm.

Second, it will overhaul Spain, yes?

Third, it will reduce Germans fighting Frenchmen

in France, yes?

And fourth, it will expose Italy

to the whole brunt of the war.

And fifth, it will shorten the sea route

to the Mediterranean.

Stalin will make a big mistake

if he treats us roughly after coming so far.

Stalin is a very wise man.

You may be sure that however he argues, he understands all.

No.

Organization of the second front in Europe

was decided during the visit of Molotov to London.

You have not kept your promise.

I repudiate that statement.

An aid memoir was given to Mr. Molotov which distinctly said

"provided that it proves sound and sensible."

No we wonder whether we can in fact believe

in the African campaign.

Which is only a political front, not military.

Why are you so much afraid of Germans?

Your convoys scatter.

For the first time in history,

the British Navy turns sail,

your British infantry should be like the Russians.

They would find it not so bad.

You have to fight one way or the other.

You cannot win a war without fighting.

I pardon that remark

only on account of the bravery of the Soviet troops.

Where is the guarantee that this solemn promise

to invade western Europe in 1943

will also not be broken?

The British Prime Minister will once again prove to us

that his country is not in a position to sacrifice men.

While we're sacrificing 10,000 men a day.

No ring of comradeship in your attitude.

I have traveled far to establish good working relations.

We have done our utmost to help Russia,

and will continue to do so.

Remember, we were left entirely alone

for a year against Germany and Italy, alone.

Now I find that you do not believe the sincerity

of my statements.

Now I hear you distrust my motives.

I tell you this.

Now that the three great nations are allied,

Victory is certain provided we do not fall apart!

By god, I like your spirit.

Why should we not have some drinks?

I'm always in favor of such a policy, in principle.

What do you think, should we let Molotov have one with us?

Is the Marshall aware

that on Molotov's recent visit to Washington,

he said he was going to pay a visit to New York

entirely by himself, and the delay in his return

was not due to any defect in the airplane,

but because he was off on his own.

He wasn't in New York.

He was in Chicago with all the other gangsters.

The one thing about Molotov is he can drink.

Any differences that exist between us in this war

are all at once omitted.

We will try to remove even those differences by deeds.

Cheers.

Cheers.

Excellent.

I'm sure it was better to have it come this way

than any other.

He knows the worst, and we parted

in an atmosphere of good will.

All is clear.

A campaign in Africa and Italy.

They simply want to be the first

in reaching the Balkans.

They want us to bleed white

in order to dictate their terms to us later on.

I demand every nation,

every nation,

to defend Stalingrad.

That part that's been captured must be liberated!

Winston.

Torch.

The north African attack should be launched

at the earliest possible date.

Full blast!

I feel very strongly that the initial attacks

must be made by an exclusively American ground force,

supported by your naval and transport and air units.

The British will come in only as and when

you judge expedient.

All our hopes now are centered on the battle.

Alexander and Montgomery are going to fight against Rommel.

He may well be the key to the future.

Tell Alexander, let me have the word zip when you start.

Mr. President, Prime Minister.

Our position in the Stalingrad area has deteriorated

due to the shortage of fighters,

which makes it impossible for us to defend our troops.

If together you could supply us with 800 fighters a month,

Britain giving roughly 300, the US 500.

We will ship you 276 combat planes this month.

We will give you 150.

Tens and hundreds of thousands of Soviet men, women,

and children are dying, and Churchill wants to barter

of a couple of dozen hurricanes.

Rely only on ourselves, don't count on getting

any aid from our allies.

Zip.

The great battle in Egypt has opened well.

Mr. President, the whole force of the British Army

will be engaged.

All the Shermans and self-propelled guns which you gave me

on that dark Tobruk morning, they will play their part.

Mr. Fraser, you will have seen with pride

all that your valiant New Zealanders are doing.

Mr. Curtin, you will have observed with pleasure

the distinguished part which the ninth Australian division

are playing, they are cutting into the enemy in the air,

the ground, and the sea.

General Alexander, if your hopes can be maintained,

I propose to ring the bells all over Britain

for the first time this war.

Yes?

Thank god.

Thank god.

That sounds grand.

Congratulations.

Casualties are comparatively light.

Much below projections.

Thank god.

We've landed in north Africa.

We're striking back.

We have begun offensive operations in the Stalingrad area.

Rommel's army has been defeated.

It has been routed.

They've been very largely destroyed as a fighting force.

The operation is proceeding satisfactorily.

Now this is not the end.

It is not even the beginning of the end.

But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.