Chapter 218 Volume 6, Chapter 28, Climax: The Death of Roosevelt

President Roosevelt dies at the height of the war The world mourns I give a speech in Parliament I cannot attend the funeral A memorial service is held in St. Telegram April 14 My telegram to Stalin April 15 and 16 Eden calls from Washington. On Thursday, April 12, President Roosevelt died suddenly in Georgia Hot Springs at the age of sixty-three.That afternoon, while his portrait was being done, he suddenly fell ill, fell unconscious, and died a few hours later. It has been pointed out in previous chapters that the problems posed by the imminent victory are comparable in their complexity to the gravest dangers of war.Indeed, Roosevelt died arguably at the height of the war, just when his authority was most needed to guide American policy.When I received the bad news early on Friday morning, the thirteenth, I felt a blow to my body.

My relationship with this remarkable man has played a huge part in the long and turbulent years we have worked together.Now that those relationships are over, a sense of deep and irreparable loss overwhelms me.I'm going to the House of Commons, which is due to meet at eleven o'clock.In just a few words I suggest that we should adjourn immediately in memory of our remarkable friend.This unprecedented approach due to the death of a foreign head of state was in line with the unanimous wish of all members of parliament. After only eight minutes of meeting, they slowly filed out of the conference room.

All countries mourn Roosevelt in one way or another.A flag bordered with black was hoisted over Moscow.When the Supreme Soviet met, they stood in silence.Japan's prime minister expressed deep sympathy for the Americans who had lost their leader, to whom he credited America's favorable position today. On the contrary, what was said on the German radio, Roosevelt will go down in history as the man who incited the present war to become World War II; Such a president who gained power in the Soviet Union. I said in my telegram to Mrs. Roosevelt: Please accept my deepest sympathies for your sad loss.It is also a loss to the cause of liberty in Britain and around the world.My heart goes out to all of you.

Personally, I lost a dear and precious friendship forged in the flames of war.I am sure you will take comfort in the greatness of his exploits and the glory of his reputation. Harry Hopkins has been my valuable contact on many occasions, and I have called as follows: I know how much your grief must be.You and I feel that we have lost one of our greatest friends, one of our most valiant fighters for our common cause.In addition to the loss of the official relationship that binds us together, I also feel a very painful personal loss.I have a genuine affection for Franklin. On Tuesday, April 17th, when Parliament meets, I propose to convey to His Majesty the deep condolences of Parliament and their profound sympathy for Mrs. Roosevelt and for the Government and people of the United States.It was customary for the leaders of the parties to speak in support of such a proposal, but there was a spontaneous feeling that I should speak for the House of Commons alone.I cannot find more appropriate words today than I could have said in the emotion of that sad event.

I said: My friendship with this great man began and matured in this war.We honor his exploits and fame today.I had seen him once, after the last war, but only for a few minutes.As soon as I entered the Admiralty in September 1939, he sent me a telegram asking me to correspond directly with him about the Navy or other matters, whenever I thought it necessary.I did this after I got permission from the Prime Minister.Knowing President Roosevelt's keen interest in naval warfare, I give him a stream of news concerning our naval affairs and various operations, including especially the battle at the mouth of the Platte River, which illuminated the first bleak winter of the war.

I have been able to exchange telegrams with the President in the closest and most pleasant society when I have been Prime Minister and the war broke out in the most dire intensity, while our own life and death were still in the balance.This situation continued throughout the whole ups and downs of the world struggle until last Thursday when I received his last telegram.The telegrams showed that he had not waned with his usual clarity and vigor in dealing with difficult and complex problems.I may point out that such correspondence (increased, of course, after the entry of the United States into the war), including telegrams between us, amounted to more than seventeen hundred.There were many long telegrams, most of which dealt with more difficult issues which could not be formally settled at other stages and had to be discussed at the level of the Head of Government.To these correspondences must be added our nine conferences, one in Argentina, three in Washington, one in Casablanca, one in Tehran, two in Quebec and finally in Yalta.There were about 120 days of close personal contact, most of which I lived with him in the White House, or at his home in Hyde Park, or at his villa in the Blue Mountains city he called Shangri-La.

I admire him as a statesman, doer and military leader.I have great confidence in his integrity, touching character and insight, and I have a personal respect for him that cannot be expressed in words today. I should call it a friendship.His love for his country, his respect for its constitution, and his ability to judge the shifting tendencies of public opinion are always evident.But to this must be added his beating magnanimous heart, which was constantly aroused to action by the sight of the aggression and oppression of the weak by the powerful.Now that the heart has stopped beating forever, it is indeed a loss, a painful loss for humanity.

President Roosevelt's illness weighed heavily on him.It was a miracle that he managed to overcome his physical ailments amidst the turmoil and storms of many years. There is not one man in millions who is so crippled by disease and crippled as he is, who would try to engage in a life of physical and mental strain, and hard, never-ending political controversy.Not one person in millions dares to try, and not one person in a generation will succeed.He not only entered this field, not only was active in it, but also became the indisputable protagonist in that scene.In this extraordinary effort of spirit over flesh, of will over physical imperfection, he was encouraged and supported by that noble woman, his devoted wife, whose lofty ideals were on par with his, and today the House of Commons is full Outpouring of deep and respectful sympathy for her.

There is no doubt that the President foresaw the great dangers hanging over the pre-war world.More prescient than most well-informed people on both sides of the Atlantic.He devoted all his energy to promoting preventive military preparations acceptable to American peacetime public opinion. When discord began to appear there was no doubt on which side his sympathies were directed.The fall of France, and the imminent doom of Great Britain, which most people outside the island believed, pained him greatly, though he never lost faith in us.These things pained him, not only for Europe's sake, but also because America itself would be in grave danger if we were routed or lingered in German servitude.What England endured in our solitary emergency filled him and countless numbers of his countrymen with the warmest feelings for our people.During that harsh winter of 1940-1941, Hitler and his fellow countrymen felt as much as any of us, perhaps Even more intensely, because the imagined pain is often more severe than the actual one.Undoubtedly, the sufferings endured by the English, and especially the Londoners, kindled a fire in the hearts of the Americans more difficult to quench than the conflagration to which we suffer.Also, at that time, despite General Wavell's victory (due indeed to our sending of reinforcements to him), there was widespread concern in the United States that Germany, after adequate preparations in the spring of 1941, , will definitely invade us.In January the President sent to England the now late Mr. Wendell Wilkie, who, though an opponent of the President and a candidate for the Opposition, shared his views on many important issues.Mr. Wilkie brought a letter from President Roosevelt in his own hand, containing the famous lines of Longfellow:

The ship of nations, sail forward! Sail forward, mighty Commonwealth! human beings in distress, is preoccupied with all their future hopes, Pin on your destiny. It was about that time that he devised an extraordinary measure of aid called Lend-Lease.This approach is the most disinterested and generous fiscal bill of any nation ever to be found.Its effect was to greatly increase the fighting power of Britain, and to serve all war effort, to make us appear to be more numerous and more powerful.That fall, I met with the President for the first time during the war in Argentina, Newfoundland, and together we drafted what became known as the Atlantic Charter.I believe it will long serve as a guide for the people of our two countries and the rest of the world.

All this time the Japanese have been hiding in extreme secrecy and preparing their schemes of treachery and greed.When we next meet in Washington, Japan, Germany, and Italy have declared war on the United States, and our two countries are already fighting shoulder to shoulder.Since then, despite all the hardships and setbacks and disappointments, we have always continued to expand our achievements, advancing on land and sea.I need not dwell here on the series of great wars taking place in the Western Hemisphere, let alone another ongoing on the other side of the world.Nor do I need to speak of our plans with our great ally, Russia, in Tehran, since they are now fully implemented. But in Yalta I noticed that the president was sick.His charming smile and his cheerful and unrestrained demeanor have not disappeared, but his complexion is extremely pale and thin, and his eyes often have a sense of loss.When I took leave of him at Alexandria, I must confess that I had already had a vague sense of apprehension that his health and strength were failing.But nothing can alter his indomitable sense of duty.To his deathbed he faced his innumerable tasks without flinching, and when death came upon him suddenly he had accomplished his task.He has done his job in life.As the saying goes, he died in the line of duty, and we might more properly say that he died like his soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought alongside our soldiers around the world, carrying out their mission to the end. Like the battlefield.His death was truly admirable!He has saved his country from the greatest danger and the gravest misery.The sure and sure light of victory was already cast upon him. In days of peace he had extended and stabilized the foundations of American life and unity.In war he raised the might, might, and honor of the great republic to heights never attained by any nation in history.With the left hand the United States led the victorious Allied forces into the heart of Germany, and with the right hand on the other side of the globe, smashing the power of Japan like a spear, and all the while massaging ships, munitions, supplies, and food of all kinds. to aid its allies big and small But all this would be nothing more than worldly power and majesty if he had not devoted so much of his life to the cause of human liberty and social justice, adding to it a splendor which would forever be known to the world .He left behind a resolute and capable men to manage the myriad interconnected divisions of the vast American war machine.He left behind a successor, a man who came out to undertake the task with firm step and full confidence, and Ez accomplished the purpose for which he was intended.We can only say this, that in Franklin Roosevelt we have lost the greatest American friend that ever lived, and the greatest freedom fighter who brought aid and comfort from the New World to the Old. Shocking and sudden as the news of Roosevelt's death was, I have said before that since I parted from him in Alexandria after Yalta I had been feeling that his strength was failing.I have tried in my private telegrams to ease tensions on important policy issues arising from our correspondence due to the antagonistic attitude of the Soviet Union, but I have not fully understood the seriousness of the President's health degree.I know that he has no habit of drafting his own official telegrams, so I can't see any change in style.Oliver Littleton saw him on the 29th of March and telegraphed on the 30th that he was taken aback by his description. I couldn't help but want to fly to the funeral at first, and I already had a plane ready.The Earl of Halifax telegraphed that Hopkins and Stettinius were greatly moved by the idea that I might go, and enthusiastically agreed with me that it would be of great advantage to go.Truman later asked him to tell how he would personally value the opportunity to see me as soon as possible, and that a visit during the mourning period would be a natural and convenient opportunity if I intended to go.Mr. Truman meant that after the funeral I could have two or three days of talks with him. But the very busy official business pressure on me prevented me from leaving the country at this most critical and difficult time, so I had no choice but to obey my friend's wish. I sent the following telegram to the President: I regret very much that it is now impossible for me to change my plans, approved this morning by the King and the Cabinet, under which all arrangements have been made for debate in Parliament next week, including my address to the late President on Tuesday. The eulogy, as well as accompanying the emperor to hold a memorial service in St. Paul's Cathedral and other matters.I sincerely look forward to meeting you soon.Meanwhile the Foreign Secretary knows all about our common cause. Later, when I looked back on this matter, I regretted that I did not adopt the new president's suggestion.I hadn't met him before, and I felt that there were a lot of things that would be of great value if I could talk to him, especially if it could be broken up into several days, without rush or formality.I find it odd that Roosevelt, especially in the last few months, did not fully acquaint his Vice President and likely successor with the full course of events, and did not involve him in the resolutions that were being carried out.This appears to be extremely detrimental to our cause.There is no comparison between experiencing the situation personally and predicting the situation, and colleagues relying on reading files to understand the situation after the situation changes.Mr. Eden, for example, is my colleague, and he knows everything, so he can take over all the leadership from me at any moment, although I am currently in good health and energy.But the Vice President of the United States leaps from a position of little knowledge and power to supreme power.How could Mr. Truman understand and measure matters of life and death at the height of this war?Everything we know about him since then is that he was a man of fortitude and fearlessness, capable of taking the biggest decisions.But in the first few months his position was extremely difficult, which prevented him from developing his excellent talents to the full. The new President sent a very friendly reply to my first formal telegram of condolence and tribute. I wrote it like this April 13, 1945 Please accept my personal condolences on the loss of you and the American people on the loss of our most outstanding friend.I wish I would have the privilege to relive with you the close camaraderie that I have enjoyed with the President during these terrible years, forged in the great cause we all fought for.I extend to you my respectful best wishes as you rise to the most difficult of responsibilities in the victorious ranks of the United Nations. Mr. Truman assured me that he would do everything in his power to further the cause to which President Roosevelt had devoted his life, and to preserve and enhance the close and strong relationship he and I had created between our two countries.He wished to meet me and at the same time promised to send me a telegram concerning Stalin's telegram to him regarding Poland. 【１】 【1】See Chapter 25. A few days later I received a very helpful telegram from our ambassador. Earl of Halifax to Prime Minister April 16, 1945 Anthony and I met with Harry Hopkins this morning.We all thought he looked frail and emaciated. He was not terribly surprised by the President's death, and said it was a good thing he didn't have a stroke like Wilson and left him devastated. He had been noticing for some time the president's unusual weakness.He has been able to do very little work. He believes that the death of the president has created a whole new situation.In this situation we had to start from scratch.One thing is for certain, that going forward policy will be driven to a greater degree by the unanimity of the Senate.As for how this matter will proceed, it is impossible to predict.It mostly depends on his personal judgment of those people he has to deal with. On the whole, Harry thought, your decision not to come now would be the best thing to do.Giving Truman a few weeks to act independently had great advantages.At the same time you can communicate with him personally so that he starts to feel that he knows something about you.Anthony also thinks that is better, especially in the future, if possible, or if Truman is coming to inspect the American army, it is best to let him stop in London halfway.On the usual grounds, we welcome him, and Roosevelt has promised to do so.Harry approves of that idea As for Truman himself, he had asked Harry to give him a briefing on foreign and international policy, which Harry was doing, but he must not continue in his present position.Truman probably didn't want the land, and Harry wouldn't be doing the job anyway.Truman's approach would be very different from Roosevelt's: he preferred to run his own affairs.So Harry's expertise would be useless.They had a conversation yesterday, and they mentioned the future, but only said that when Harry got better, they would definitely talk again Truman's hobby is the study of strategic history. It is said that he has read a lot of books on this topic. This may be an interesting thing.Here one evening he undoubtedly demonstrated his astonishing knowledge of the Battle of Hannibal.He thinks highly of Marshall. I wrote to Stalin saying: Prime Minister to Marshal Stalin April 14, 1945 I have received your call of April 7th.Thank you for the tone of reassurance in the telegram, I believe the crossword misunderstanding can now be considered over. 【１】 【1】Chapter 26, page 387 and below. (Translator of the original page number) I am deeply saddened by the passing of President Roosevelt, with whom I had developed a very close personal friendship during the last five and a half years. What is all the more precious to me after this sad event is the many pleasant exchanges of courtesies and memories that have bound you and me together, even in the midst of all the dangers and difficulties we have overcome . I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and Molotov for the hospitality my wife received during her visit to Moscow and for all the care she received during her travels in Russia.We consider it a great honor to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, for her work in alleviating the great suffering of the heroic Red Army wounded.The money she raised may not be much, but this is an offering of love, not only from the rich, but mainly from the small pockets of the poor, who pride themselves on giving out small donations each week. In the friendship between the peoples of our two countries, in the mutual understanding between the governments of the two countries, and in the mutual respect between the armies of the two countries, lies the hope for the future of the world. Marshal Stalin to the Prime Minister: April 15, 1945 I have received your telegram concerning the death of President Roosevelt. From President Franklin Roosevelt, the Soviet people saw an outstanding statesman and an indomitable fighter who promoted close cooperation among the three countries. 【１】I think steadfast is a more correct translation.Churchill President Roosevelt's friendly attitude towards the Soviet Union will always be the highest evaluation and memory of the Soviet people.Personally, I feel all the more poignantly the loss of this great man, our mutual friend. Eden was in Washington at this time, and he sent a telegram: Foreign Secretary (Washington) to Prime Minister: April 15, 1945 After I arrived here this morning, the ambassador and I had a conversation with Stettinius.Stettinius said both Stalin and Molotov were deeply saddened by the president's death.Stalin had asked Harriman if, at such a time, he could do anything to help foster unity among the great allies.Stettinius said that, fortunately, Harriman did not answer Poland immediately, but suggested that it would be a good thing if Molotov could come to San Francisco for the meeting.Stettinius seized this opportunity and called to urge Molotov not only to go to San Francisco, but also to Washington first for talks.Stettinius had called me an hour ago to say that the Russians had agreed to do this, and that Molotov was coming on the American plane sent to fetch him.So I expect him to be here on Tuesday.At that point, I think we should start talking about Poland. 2. This is all good news, but we shouldn't have too much hope, because it depends on Molotov's attitude after he comes.Regardless, it's exciting to have the opportunity to wrestle with the issues 3. This afternoon Stettinius talked to me again about the debate on Poland in the House of Commons this week, and said that he hopes you can point out that the matter has taken a new turn because of the meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries.I agreed, but I told him that, in my opinion, there would be no harm in letting the Russians know that we were deeply concerned that the Moscow Committee had not been able to make progress so far on the Yalta resolution.I feel strongly that we must continue to exert firm pressure on the Russians.There is no reason for optimism yet, and the best hope of success for any talks here is to make the Russians fully aware that if the negotiations fail, there will be serious consequences for us all. Another call the next day: Foreign Secretary (Washington) to Prime Minister: April 16, 1945 Edward and I had our first audience with the President this morning.He made a good impression on us.I told him that you were very moved and happy to receive the first telegram he sent you.I have repeatedly said that you regret not being able to come to Washington in person at the funeral of the late President, but I have said that you hope to see him sooner rather than later.The president said he was extremely grateful for the outpourings.We should understand that he has inherited a heavy responsibility.He must be familiar with a wide range of issues.yet his intention is to continue along the same lines as the late president's foreign policy Then I turn to the question of your meeting with the President, who may recall that President Roosevelt had planned to visit Europe at an early date and London was the first place he would visit.If President Truman finds it possible to carry out this plan, I know that His Majesty the King and you and the entire British Government will be very pleased.The President said he would be happy to do so, but we should understand that he has a number of urgent tasks to accomplish here at the moment.He had to deal with a number of pressing domestic problems.He also had to familiarize himself with the late president's policies on many issues.It is therefore impossible for him now to answer in the affirmative.In any case, I get the impression that he is happy to come, although the date of his arrival may be later than President Roosevelt originally intended. I send your telegram about Mikoleček to the President with the text of what Mikoleček said.He asked me to thank you and said that he seemed to think Mikoleček's comments made sense.I know the State Department is extremely pleased with this development The impression I got after meeting the President was that the new President was honest and friendly. He was aware of the enormity of his new responsibilities, but was not intimidated.He couldn't have been more enthusiastic when he talked about you. I believe we will have a loyal collaborator in him.I was very encouraged by this first conversation. I reply as follows: Prime Minister to Mr Eden (Washington): April 24, 1945 While I would love to meet the President in person, I do not wish to travel to the United States for the next sixty days.It is likely that elections will begin before that period.We cannot say for sure about this until we have a clearer view of the current military outcome.I believe that the Emperor and the British Government will send the most sincere invitations to the President. I don't think there will be any inconvenience ninety days from now, because by then the general election will either have already been held or will be postponed until October. This question cannot be decided at this time. And so, with a sense of shared loss, we resume our arduous journey.