Historian Robert Dallek on Winston Churchill

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ROBERT DALLEK: I think the most important thing that comes out of the meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt in early 1942 is a commitment on Roosevelt's part to fight Europe first. To struggle first against Germany and put Japan and the Pacific as a secondary theatre in the in the conflict. And this is what Churchill was after. This is what he came over to get, a commitment from Roosevelt to do Europe first.

They were already beginning to be at cross purposes as to when they'd cross the Channel, because what the American military was talking about was getting into Europe, striking at the German forces directly head-on, into the heart of France and Churchill was very dubious about this because he was fearful that it would produce a military disaster. So he wanted to wait for as long as he could until he was as confident as he could be that this invasion would succeed.

Now the American military wasn't going to be reckless and Roosevelt wasn't going to be reckless and they knew they didn't have the resources in 1942 to do this, but they wanted to put this on the agenda. So this is something which is in the background as a point of tension between Roosevelt and Churchill and the American and British military chiefs. But the more important point is that they agree on a Europe-first strategy.

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