The Second Washington Conference (19 – 25 June 1942), did not have a

code name A code name, codename, call sign, or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in ...

because it was hastily called and was regarded at the time as a set of military staff conversations rather than a formal conference.Foreign Relations of the United States. Conferences at Washington 1241–1942 and Casablanca 194
Introduction: Scope of Coverage
p. xiii The two delegations were led by the British Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and the American President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. Immediately before the Conference started, Roosevelt held preparatory talks with Churchill in his home town of

Hyde Park, New York Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Fra ...

on 19 and 20 June.Staff
Visits to the U.S. by Foreign Heads of State and Government—1940–1944

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

Roosevelt about the meeting at Hyde Park. "Churchill saw all those boats from the last war tied up on the Hudson river and in one of his great bursts of imagination he said "By George, we could take those ships and others like them that are good for nothing and sink them offshore to protect the landings" I thought well of it and we talked about it all afternoon. The Military and Naval authorities were startled out of a year's growth. But Winnie was right. Great fellow, that Churchill, if you can keep up with him". So started the idea of the

Mulberry Harbour The Mulberry harbours were two temporary portable harbours developed by the Admiralty (United Kingdom), British Admiralty and War Office during the Second World War to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allies of ...

. The conference discussed how the Western Allies could best aid the Soviet Union. The Americans were keen to open up a Second Front in France, but the British did not think that it was yet a feasible option and Churchill proposed developing a joint campaign in the Mediterranean Theater leading to an attack on Italy as the "soft under-belly" of the Axis. Agreement was reached to start preparations for an invasion of the North African Colonies of

Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...

(

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

).staff. Campaign Summaries of World War I
Normandy Landings, Operation "OVERLORD" 6 June 1944NAVAL-HISTORY.NET
Section "June 42". Accessed 1 July 2008 One of the first concrete measures taken by Roosevelt to facilitate this strategy was to appoint General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

as the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Forces in the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...

on 25 June. Roosevelt and Churchill also held discussions with members of the Pacific War Council, King

Peter II of Yugoslavia Peter II Karađorđević (; 6 September 1923 – 3 November 1970) was the last King of Yugoslavia, reigning from October 1934 until he was deposed in November 1945. He was the last reigning member of the Karađorđević dynasty. The eldest ...

and his Foreign Minister, and with Soviet and Chinese representatives with whom they discussed strategic problems.Foreign Relations of the United States. Conferences at Washington 1241–1942 and Casablanca 194
Introduction: Scope of Coverage
pp. xiii, xiv.

References

External links

Proceedings of the Conference in the ''Foreign Relations of the United States''
{{Franklin D. Roosevelt World War II conferences Diplomatic conferences in the United States 1942 conferences 1942 in the United States 1942 in international relations 1942 in Washington, D.C. United Kingdom–United States relations Washington, D.C., in World War II

See also

References

External links