Roosevelt Papers
Communiqué: Second Draft
[Editorial Note.—As in the case of the first draft, this was apparently an American paper. No evidence has been found of its being considered outside the American Delegation.
The handwritten changes or corrections (indicated typographically as in the first draft, printed supra) appear to be wholly or in part in Roosevelt’s handwriting; possibly some are Hopkins’. Some of the changes made on this draft were not incorporated in the typewritten text of the third draft (printed infra). From this, it may be surmised that such changes were written in on this draft—possibly by Hopkins—at the same time they were written in on the third draft by Roosevelt.]
Second Draft1
WE2—The President of the United States, The Prime Minister of Great Britain, and The Premier of Soviet Russia, Marshal of the Red Army, have met these four days past, in this city of Teheran, and have [Page 637] bent our3 united efforts toward solutions of our4 military and political problems.5
We express our determination that our nations shall work together in war and in the peace that will follow.
As to war—our military staffs have joined in our round table discussions, and we have concerted our plans for the final destruction of the German forces. We have reached complete agreement as to the scope and timing of the operations which will to be undertaken from the East, West and South, and arrangements were made to ensure intimate and continuous cooperation.
The road is still bloody and hard and long. But tThe common understanding which we have here reached guarantees that victory will be ours.
And as to peace—our6 mutual belief7 we are confident that it will our concord gives us courage to hope that we may will make it endure. We recognize fully our great the supreme responsibilitiesy resting upon us & all the United Nations to help in the determination making of make a peace which will meet approval of the greater part command the good will of the overwhelming mass of the peoples of the world, and8 ensure a lasting surcease from war banish the scourge & terror of war for many generations.
With our diplomatic advisors we have surveyed the problems of the future. We shall seek the cooperation and the active participation of all nations, large and small, whose peoples in heart and mind are dedicated, as are our own peoples, to the elimination of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance. We will welcome them, as they may choose to come, into a world family of9 democratic nations.
No power on earth can prevent our destroying the German armies by land, their submarines U boats by sea, and their war plants & armies from the air.
Our attack will be relentless & increasing.
Emerging from these cordial conferences we look with confidence toward the day when all peoples of the world may live free lives, untouched [Page 638] by tyranny, and according to their varying desires and their own consciences.
We came here with hope and determination. We leave here, friends in fact, in spirit as well as & in purpose.
And And we shall meet again as the war—and the peace—progresses!
- In the upper left-hand corner of this draft appears the handwritten date “12/2/43”, presumably associated with the procedural note of December 2, 1943, referred to in the editorial note to the first draft, supra.↩
- This word was underlined by hand.↩
- Over the word “our” was written the word “their”, which, in turn, was crossed out.↩
- The word “our” was crossed out, and the word “their” was written above it. The word “their” was then crossed out, and the word “our” was written below the deleted typewritten “our”.↩
- After the word “problems” was written “of the three great allies”, and these words were crossed out. In the left-hand margin, apparently as a substitution for the portion of the sentence following the word “Teheran,” were written the following words: “& have shaped & formed confirmed our united policy. for the future.”↩
- The word “our” was presumably intended to be crossed out.↩
- The words “mutual belief” were struck over with typewritten “x’s”.↩
- The word “and” was presumably intended to be crossed out.↩
- After the word “of” appears an undecipherable typewritten word of five letters which was struck over with typewritten “x’s”.↩