Malta Conference (1945)

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Malta Conference (1945)

The Malta Conference took place on the island from January 30 to February 3, 1945. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met with their top military and diplomatic teams to plan the final Allied push against Germany with the Combined Chiefs of Staff. A key aim was to present a united stance against the Soviet Union at the upcoming Yalta Conference, though unity did not last once Yalta began. The talks were given code names ARGONAUT and CRICKET.

Roosevelt arrived on February 2, the last day of the meeting. Participants included U.S. officials Edward Stettinius, W. Averell Harriman, Harry Hopkins, George C. Marshall, Ernest King and Leahy, and British leaders Churchill and Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, along with senior officers and staff.

On January 30 at 10 a.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff met at Montgomery House in Malta. Attendees discussed the agenda for the next American-British Staff Conference and reviewed cargo shipping and strategy for Northwestern Europe. The minutes show the focus on joint planning for the war’s final phase.