America, Hitler and the UN: How the Allies Won World War II and Forged Peace

273 Pages·2011·6.21 MB·English

by  Dan Plesch

Plesch-5480013 Plesch5480013˙fm December1,2010 16:11
Dan Plesch is the Director of the Centre for International Studies and
Diplomacy at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of
London. His previous books include The Beauty Queen’s Guide to World
Peace.
‘Inthisbook,DanPleschopensalong-lockeddoorandshinesapiercing
searchlightonapastwhichhasgreatimpactonthepresent–thevirtually
unknownoriginsoftheUNinthedarkdaysofWorldWarII.Agenuine
revelationwhichheputsintoitschallengingandtroubledmoderncontext.’
—JonathanDimbleby
‘The story of the United Nations between its creation as a war-fighting
alliancebyRooseveltandChurchillinJanuary1942anditsestablishment
asaglobalpeace-keepingorganizationatSanFranciscothreeyearslater
hasneverbeenfullytold;butwithoutitwecannotfullyunderstandeither
theconductofthewarinitslatterstagesnorthenatureoftheimperfect
peacethatfollowed.DanPleschhasnowpulleditalltogetherinalivelyand
provocativestudythatnotonlyfillsthisgapbutwillmakeusre-examine
manycurrently-heldassumptionsaboutthemakingofthepost-warworld.’
—SirMichaelHoward,founderofWarStudies
atKing’sCollege,London
‘Therearecertainlymanylessonsinthisbookthatstatesmenandleaders
indefence,securityandinternationaleconomicswoulddowelltotakeon
boardtoday.’
—AdmiralLordBoyce,ChiefofUKDefenceStaff2001–2003
‘Television histories of World War II have been made obsolete by Dan
Plesch’sbook.’
—JerryKuehl,AssociateProducer,‘TheWorldatWar’
‘ThisbookshouldberequiredreadingfortheObamaadministrationand
the leaders of other countries as well. It is an historical treasure trove of
documents and anecdotes about the origins of the United Nations as a
projecttowinthewarandsecurethepeace.’
—ThomasG.Weiss,PresidentialProfessorofPoliticalScience,
TheCityUniversityofNewYork
‘TheUnitedNationswasnotcreatedoutofnothing.Beforeitbecamean
organization,itwasthenameofthewartimeallianceagainstNazismand
fascism.DanPleschperformsagreatserviceinremindingusofthisearly
history,andofatimewhenpublicopinionintheworld’sgreatdemocracies
understoodtheneedforbindingglobalarrangementsto“savesucceeding
generationsfromthescourgeofwar”.’
—EdwardMortimer,formerlyDirectorofCommunications
intheExecutiveOfficeoftheUnitedNationsSecretary-General
Plesch-5480013 Plesch5480013˙fm November30,2010 15:45
‘Thisbookisthemostoriginalandgroundbreakingreappraisalofthecon-
ductofWorldWarIIin65years.Histhesisthatthe‘UnitedNations’(which
includedSovietRussia)wonthewaragainstNaziGermanyandthatsub-
sequentColdWarpoliticsobscuredthistruth,ismeticulouslydocumented
andsupported.Thisisa“mustread”foreverystudentofmodernandcon-
temporary history, international politics and international relations, and
moderninternationalpolicymakers.’
—ChrisBellamy,DirectoroftheGreenwichMaritimeInstitute
andauthorofAbsoluteWar:SovietRussiaintheSecondWorldWar
‘Afascinatingbookfullofnicetidbitsonedoesn’twanttoskip.’
—SirRichardJolly,formerlyAssistantSecretaryGeneral
oftheUnitedNationsholdingseniorpositionsinUNICEFandUNDP
‘Magnificent.America,HitlerandtheUNforthefirsttimeshowsthepresent
UnitedNationsinthefullcontextofitswartimeparentage.Indoingso,it
provides an important new dimensionboth for the world organization’s
currentandever-growingresponsibilities,andforthosewhoareresponsi-
bleforchartinganddevelopingitsfuture.’
—SirBrianUrquhart,formerUndersecretary-General
oftheUnitedNations
Plesch-5480013 Plesch5480013˙fm November30,2010 15:45
AMERICA,
HITLER
AND THE
UN
HOW THE ALLIES WON WORLD WAR II
AND FORGED A PEACE
Dan Plesch
Foreword by Sir Brian Urquhart
Plesch-5480013 Plesch5480013˙fm November30,2010 15:45
Publishedin2011byI.B.Tauris&CoLtd
6SalemRoad,LondonW24BU
175FifthAvenue,NewYorkNY10010
www.ibtauris.com
DistributedintheUnitedStatesandCanadaExclusivelybyPalgraveMacmillan
175FifthAvenue,NewYorkNY10010
Copyright©2011DanPlesch
TherightofDanPleschtobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhasbeen
assertedbyhiminaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsinareview,thisbook,oranypart
thereof,maynotbereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,or
transmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,
recordingorotherwise,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.
ISBN:9781848853089
AfullCIPrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
AfullCIPrecordisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:available
TypesetinPalatinobyMPSLimited,aMacmillanCompany
PrintedandboundinGreatBritainbyCPIAntonyRowe,Chippenham
Plesch-5480013 Plesch5480013˙fm November30,2010 15:45
For Linds, Susie and Robster
Plesch-5480013 Plesch5480013˙fm November30,2010 15:45
Plesch-5480013 Plesch5480013˙fm November30,2010 22:25
Contents
ListofPhotographsandIllustrations ix
ListofTables xi
ListofMaps xii
ForewordbySirBrianUrquhart xiii
Preface xv
Introduction 1
1. AmericabeforePearlHarbor:ostrichorowl? 11
2. Americagoestowar:thecreationoftheUnitedNations 31
3. WeaponsfortheAllies:MotowngoestoStalingrad 59
4. KeepingtheAlliestogether:CasablancaandTehran 75
5. Justiceforwarcrimes:AuschwitzandNuremburg 101
6. Post-warreliefandreconstruction:UNRRA 119
7. Moneyandtrade:BrettonWoodsandHavana–
prosperityforall? 141
8. Security:DumbartonOaks,YaltaandSanFrancisco 163
Conclusion 185
Chronology 188
GlossaryoftheUnitedNationsinWorldWarII 192
Appendix:SelectedGallupPolls,1938–45 193
Notes 209
Bibliography 222
Index 249
Plesch-5480013 Plesch5480013˙fm November30,2010 15:45
Plesch-5480013 Plesch5480013˙fm November30,2010 15:45
List of Photographs and Illustrations
1 UnitedNationsDayParadeinLondonatBuckingham
Palace,14June1942.(PhotobyHansWild/TimeLife
Pictures/GettyImages) 4
2 ThefutureQueenElizabethIIwithherparentsandother
dignitariesreviewtheUnitedNationsDayParade,London,
14June1942.(PhotobyHansWild/TimeLifePictures/
GettyImages) 5
3 AdolfHitlerandBenitoMussolini.(PhotobyAlfred
Eisenstaedt/PixInc./TimeLifePictures/GettyImages) 15
4 TheDutchcityofRotterdamafterGermanbombing
inMay1940.(PhotobyTimeLifePictures/OfficeOfWar
Information/NationalArchives/TimeLifePictures/
GettyImages) 16
5 JosefStalinandHarryHopkinsinMoscow,July1941.(Photoby
MargaretBourke-White//TimeLifePictures/GettyImages) 23
6 ThechurchserviceattheChurchill-RooseveltAtlanticCharter
meeting.(PhotobyLAPI/RogerViollet/GettyImages) 24
7 AtypicalUSnewspaperheadlinefromearly1942.(Brownsville
Herald,Texas,14March1942,atwww.newspaperarchive.com) 42
8 GeorgeC.MarshallandHenryL.Stimson.(Photoby
ThomasD.Mcavoy/TimeLifePictures/GettyImages) 51
9 UnitedNationsflag,1944.(PhotobyRalphCrane/TimeLife
Pictures/GettyImages) 52
10 TheUnitedNationsatSimpson’sServicesClub,Piccadilly,
London.(Artwork:Simpson’s) 54
11 LondonLiberalJewishSynagogueserviceforthevictory
oftheUnitedNationsintheWorldWarandthe
ensuingpeace.(BritishLibrary) 55
12 Lend-LeaseandtotalUSwarcosts.(Stettinius,LendLease,1943) 61
13 AhopefulUSnewspaperheadlineofJanuary1943.(Times
Herald,Olean,NewYork,25January1943,at
www.newspaperarchive.com) 77
14 FranklinD.RooseveltandWinstonChurchillatCasablanca,
January1943.(PhotobyTimeLifePictures/National
Archives/TimeLifePictures/GettyImages) 81
15 TheexpansionofLend-Lease,1941–3.(Stettinius,LendLease,
1943) 96