I tackled this subject in my M.A. thesis. Churchill certainly did the best he could, but he stood alone; and ultimately -- and quite rightly-- he had to prioritise realistic British interests over futile Polish hopes. By strange coincidence, this evening London's historic Polish Hearth Club (opened by the Duke of Kent in 1943 and very much a gathering place for the Polish Government in Exile during and after the war) will be hosting a lecture by Jonathan Walker, entitled "Operation Unthinkable: Churchill's Plan to Free Poland in 1945" (based on his book "Operation Unthinkable"). Here's the blurb from the event listing: http://www.ogniskopolskie.org.uk/events/operation-unthinkable.aspx"As the war in Europe entered its final months, the world teetered on the edge of a Third World War. While Soviet forces smashed their way into Berlin, Churchill feared that with the wholesale movement of Allied forces out to the Far East to defeat Japan, Britain would be defenseless before Stalin. Appalled at Stalin’s land grab of Eastern Europe, Churchill ordered British military planners to prepare the top secret ‘Operation Unthinkable’—the plan for a pre-emptive Allied attack on the Soviet Empire on July 1, 1945. Using U.S., British, Polish and German forces, the invasion would liberate Soviet-occupied Poland and force Stalin back to the conference table. How close did Poland come to freedom in 1945?" RHM
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [ChurchillChat] Could anything different have been done at Yalta? Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 05:35:38 -0400 I have been having an ongoing discussion with a British colleague of mine as to the issue of Yalta. He believes that FDR was "gravely ill" and subsequently "sold out" Poland and the rest of Europe to Stalin. I must admit I have heard this in the US all the time, but never from a Brit. This also puts me in the rather ironic position of having to defend FDR (as I am a conservative libertarian) from the rhetorical attacks of a self described "soft left" Briton. Politics aside though has there ever been any serious though given as to what FDR (and Churchill) could have done better at Yalta? I have pointed my colleague to Churchill's "Operation Unthinkable" plan which basically stated that a military option against the Soviets was not feasible. I have also thought that given the circumstances -- Soviet troops all over Eastern Europe, the UK essentially bankrupt, and the war with Japan still going on -- FDR and Churchill did the best they could have done and at least got Stalin to promise free elections. WIth the benefit of hindsight, could they have done better? Regards Anthony -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
