The Yalta Conference opens after President decides upon a Black Sea locale, near the Crimea. This came despite reservations from Roosevelt’s close advisors concerning safety and distrust of Soviet intentions. Prime Minister Winston Churchill was kept from handling the principle logistic details. Both visiting heads of state stay in palaces supplied by Stalin, though under conditions hiding the devastation within the Soviet Union. Topics discussed before commencement include US support for harsh policies against Germany, the transfer of Allied forces into Italy, and tripartite zones. Roosevelt opens the conference with two stated objectives: ending the war and having a stable peace. Then, Soviet Union chief spokesman Aleksei Antonov outlines the Red Army’s advances on Berlin, while General George C. Marshall describes Allie progress on the Western Front. The first day concludes with light verbal barbs between Roosevelt and Stalin, and an evening banquet. Subsequent meetings are primarily sessions discussing military strategy for invading the West. Both sides share details of Allied action in the Pacific, plans for defeating Japan, and a repatriation of liberated prisoners.
