"There's a myth that Roosevelt gave Stalin Eastern Europe. I was with Roosevelt every day at Yalta"
- W. Averell Harriman
About this Quote
This quote by W. Averell Harriman is describing the myth that President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave away Eastern Europe to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at the Yalta Conference in 1945. Harriman was the U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union at the time and existed at the Yalta Conference. He is denying the misconception by mentioning that he was with Roosevelt every day at Yalta which Roosevelt did not offer away Eastern Europe.
The Yalta Conference was a meeting in between the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to talk about the post-World War II reorganization of Europe. The conference led to the division of Germany and the facility of the United Nations. It is essential to keep in mind that the Soviet Union had already inhabited much of Eastern Europe prior to the Yalta Conference.
Harriman's quote is a crucial reminder that Roosevelt did not provide away Eastern Europe to Stalin at Yalta. It is a misconception that has been perpetuated for many years, however it is not true. The Soviet Union had actually already occupied much of Eastern Europe prior to the Yalta Conference and the decisions made at the conference did not change that.
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