Eyewitness to Yalta
Posted by Jonathan on June 26th, 2005 (All posts by Jonathan)
Here’s a fascinating account of the 1945 Yalta conference from the point of view of Robert Hopkins, son of FDR advisor Harry Hopkins, who attended as an official photographer.
(via Milt’s File)
June 26th, 2005 at 6:02 pm
What struck me in R. Hopkins’ account was that his father didn’t trust the Red Army to allow Robert to be the first American to film Berlin, but he trusted Stalin to allow free elections in Poland.
(Or did he?)
I’m left wondering if the negotiators for the Allies really expected Stalin to keep his word, or were they willingly blinded by the fatigue of a long war. It seems that when the Red Army made moves towards Japan in ’45, we had all the evidence we needed that Stalin was not a “team player.”
-Steve
June 26th, 2005 at 10:51 pm
Soviet Hospitality
But were they gin or vodka martinis? I would think gin. I hope they brought smelling salts for the director of protocol.
June 27th, 2005 at 3:08 am
Excellent account, thanks for the link.