American Airpower Comes of Age

CAIRO, TEHRAN, PALESTINE, CAIRO, ITALY
strategy to be followed. Pogue explained that FDR “reviewed the US strategic
position with his advisors.” Pogue, 309.
91. Gurkhas are a race of Rajput Hindus, noted for their warlike characteristics,
who settled in the province of Gurkha, Nepal, in the eighteenth
century and soon became dominant in the area. Forty battalions of Gurkha
troops served with the British Armies during World War II.
92. Arnold’s reference is to Marshall’s association with Secretary of War
Newton D. Baker from 1916 to 1921. Arnold erred in identifying Baker as a
West Point graduate. Forrest C. Pogue, George C. Marshall, Education of a
General (New York: Viking Press, 1963), 208, makes only brief mention of
Marshall in relation to Baker.
93. At 1:00 P.M., when the session with the president ended, FDR indicated
that no meeting was planned for the afternoon. At lunch with Stalin
and Churchill, the schedule was changed to call for a formal session at 4:00
P.M. By then, Marshall and Arnold had begun their sightseeing tour north
into the mountains. Marshall’s account is in Pogue, George C. Marshall,
Organizer of Victory, 310; and Arnold’s in Global Mission, 465.
94. FDR met at 3:00 P.M. alone (except for interpreters) for a short time
with Stalin and, at 4:00 P.M., briefly with Molotov. Elliott Roosevelt has commented
briefly on the latter meeting, of which no other account exists.
During the former with the Soviet leader, several topics were discussed
including fighting on the Soviet fronts but much of the recorded conversations
dealt with France, General de Gaulle, and postwar colonial possessions.
The 4:00 P.M. first plenary meeting with FDR, Churchill, Stalin, the
CCS, and four Russians was presided over by FDR and proved to be a very
important session. Churchill very ably presented his arguments for pushing
for the capture of Rome, inducing the Turks to enter the war and continued
British-American operations in the eastern Mediterranean, even at the risk
of delaying Overlord for two to three months. His most clever ploy was that
neither he nor the president could “make any decision until they knew the
Soviet views on the subject[s].” Stalin response was unequivocal in that he
“questioned the wisdom of dispersing allied forces,” insisting on the need for
Overlord and Anvil, and emphasizing the need for both of these promised
invasions of France. The Soviet leader further predicted correctly that
Turkey would not enter the war in spite of any inducements and stated that
once Germany was defeated Russian reinforcements could be sent to Siberia
“and then we shall be able by our common front to beat Japan.” The
accounts of all the meetings are in FRUS CT, 482–508. See also Bryant,
61–63.
95. The reference is to Maj Gen Donald H. Connolly, USA, CG, Persian
Service Command and an old friend of Harry Hopkins. A US State
Department official, otherwise unidentified, also accompanied them.
96. It is not clear why Arnold met with this group instead of attending
the Tripartite Military meeting that took place at 10:30 and lasted for three
hours that morning. The five major participants at the latter included Leahy,
Marshall, Brooke and Portal plus Voroshilov of the USSR. The discussions
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