Quebec Conference, 1943

Mackenzie King, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill at the first Quebec Conference.
Mackenzie King, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and the Earl of Athlone at La Citadelle.

The First Quebec Conference (codenamed "QUADRANT") was a highly secret military conference held during World War II between the British, Canadian and United States governments. The conference was held in Quebec City, August 17, 1943 – August 24, 1943. It took place at the Citadelle and at the Château Frontenac. The chief representatives were Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, hosted by Canada's prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King.[1]

The allies agreed to begin discussions for the planning of the invasion of France, codenamed Overlord in a secret report by the Combined Chiefs of Staff. There were also discussions to increase the bombing offensive against Germany and continue the buildup of American forces in Britain prior to an invasion of France. In the Mediterranean (a theatre on which Churchill was very keen) they resolved to concentrate more force to remove Italy from the alliance of Axis Powers and to occupy it along with Corsica.

There were discussions about improving the coordination of efforts by the Americans, British and Canadians to develop an atomic bomb.

It was decided that operations in the Balkans should be limited to supplying guerrillas whereas operations against Japan would be intensified in order to exhaust Japanese resources, cut their communications lines and secure forward bases from which the Japanese mainland could be attacked.

In addition to the strategic discussions, which were communicated to the Soviet Union and to Chiang Kai-Shek in China, the conference also issued a joint statement on Palestine, intended to calm tensions as the British occupation was becoming increasingly untenable. The conference also condemned German atrocities in Poland.

Churchill and Roosevelt also secretly signed the Quebec Agreement to share nuclear technology.

Following the conference, Churchill holidayed at a fishing camp[2] and then, on August 31, 1943, delivered a radio address[3] before travelling by special train to Washington, D.C. to resume talks with Roosevelt.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Quebec City: 400 Years of History". Retrieved 2013-01-23. Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King hosted Churchill and Roosevelt, but did not participate in the conferences.
  2. ↑ "Mr. King Leaves Today For Quebec To Meet Churchill". Ottawa Citizen. 1943-08-30. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  3. ↑ "Text of Premier Churchill's Address". Ottawa Citizen. CP. 1943-08-31. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  4. ↑ "Churchill Urges Parley of Three Allied Nations". St. Petersburg Times. UP. 1943-09-01. Retrieved 2013-01-23.

See also

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