CHURCHILL ARRIVES IN U.S. FOR CONFERENCE WITH FDR
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 22, 1941, only three weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain arrived here in the Nation's Capital for a week long conference with President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States.
The Washington Conference, code named "Arcadia", came at the suggestion of the Prime Minister. The British Broadcasting Company called it "the most complete unification of military effort ever achieved" by the two nations.
Mr. Churchill lodged for most of the conference at the White House. The Prime Minister slept in the Rose Room, now known as the Queen's Bedroom*, located on the second floor of the mansion. Harry Hopkins, FDR's adviser, referred to it as the "Headquarters of the British Empire."
SOURCES
"Editor's Note on ARCADIA Conference," The George C. Marshall Foundation, www.marshallfoundation.org/
"Washington Conference," World War 2 People's War, www.bbc.co.uk/
The Queen's Bedroom
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 22, 1941, only three weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain arrived here in the Nation's Capital for a week long conference with President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States.
The Washington Conference, code named "Arcadia", came at the suggestion of the Prime Minister. The British Broadcasting Company called it "the most complete unification of military effort ever achieved" by the two nations.
The meetings began on the evening of the 22nd of December as FDR and Mr. Churchill, along with their advisers, "talked at length about the strategic situation."
The conference continued through the New Year and did not conclude until the 14th of January 1942. At the end, a joint declaration was issued that stated the first objective of the Allied partners would be the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Mr. Churchill lodged for most of the conference at the White House. The Prime Minister slept in the Rose Room, now known as the Queen's Bedroom*, located on the second floor of the mansion. Harry Hopkins, FDR's adviser, referred to it as the "Headquarters of the British Empire."
*The Queen's Bedroom is now decorated in the 1868 Federalist style. The bed is thought to have belonged to Andrew Jackson.
SOURCES
"Editor's Note on ARCADIA Conference," The George C. Marshall Foundation, www.marshallfoundation.org/
"Washington Conference," World War 2 People's War, www.bbc.co.uk/
The Queen's Bedroom
The White House (2000)
White House Museum
