Yalta Conference
A rare color photo of a tired-looking FDR after the overnight flight from Malta to Saki airport on the Crimean Peninsula, February 3, 1945
Excerpt from Anna Roosevelt diary offering details on the arduous drive from Saki to Yalta and FDR's first impressions of the town, February 3, 1945.
Sarah Churchill, Anna Roosevelt, and Kathleen Harriman, the daughter of US Ambassador Harriman, at the Yalta conference, February 1945.
The Big Three at Yalta in a rare color photograph, February 8, 1945
Minutes of the Yalta conference indicating the go-ahead for the United Nations, February, 1945
A letter FDR sent to Stalin during the Yalta conference over the issue of Poland, February 6, 1945
The military press pool at Yalta, February 8, 1945
Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin enjoy a light moment in the courtyard of the Livadia Palace, Yalta, February 8, 1945
Key Issue: A critical priority for Roosevelt during the Yalta Conference was Soviet agreement and participation in the post-war international organization of the UN (United Nations). Russian cooperation with the United Nations, Roosevelt believed, was essential for maintaining peace and preventing the outbreak of a future Third World War, especially considering Russia’s growing strength as a world power. Complications arose when in exchange for their participation, Russia demanded an overarching veto power on the UN Security Council and full representation for each of the sixteen Soviet republics in the General Assembly. Eventually through compromise on all sides at Yalta, the Soviet Union agreed to join the United Nations with the more limited veto proposed by the US and three Soviet seats in the General Assembly.