President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill have just finished a ten-day meeting in Casablanca to discuss their plans for the "unconditional surrender" of the Axis powers. There has never been a meeting of this length between two allies, and the result was complete agreement on the future plans for the war. The reports from the conference made it clear that the two leaders and their staffs were not looking at one particular theater of war, but at the "plans and enterprises to be undertaken during the campaigns of 1943 against Germany, Italy and Japan with a view to drawing the utmost advantage from the markedly favorable turn of events at the close of 1942." President Roosevelt announced to the country that the Casablanca Conference "will be bad news for the Germans and Italians-and the Japanese."

Premier Stalin was invited to attend the conference, but he could not leave Russia at this time because of internal problems and military battles that needed his attention. It is uncertain why General Chiang Kai-Shek of China was not there, but it is assumed that he also was needed at home. Both leaders have been fully informed of the military proposals being considered. General Arnold will be meeting with Chiang Kai-Shek in Chungking to formalize definite plans for an offensive operation. The President assured the Chinese that "great and decisive actions against the Japanese will be taken to drive the invader from the soil of China." The President and Prime Minister have also been in close contact with General Henri Honore Giraud, High Commissioner of French Africa and General Charles de Gaulle, Fighting French Commander.

At the press conference held at the close of the last session, the President outlined the main objectives agreed upon by the two leaders. They intend to maintain the gains in the South Pacific and other arenas during the last months of 1942 and build on it quickly. The President does not intend to have our soldiers move toward Japan island by island, but in strong offensive actions. Secondly, the Allies are committed to sending all aid possible to the Russian front with the "objective of whittling down German manpower and munitions." The President also supports the idea of helping Russia in the land battle with Germany by "engaging the enemy as heavily as possible" in other areas to draw some of the German forces away from Russia. As already mentioned, assistance will also be sent to the Chinese armies. Finally, one of their goals is to unite the French in a war against the Axis powers.

President Roosevelt gave more insight into the plans that came out of the Casablanca Conference during his radio address on February 12, 1943. He and Prime Minister Churchill are convinced that the Axis powers are using "all of their old tricks" and propaganda to divide the Allies. The Axis countries are trying to spread the false notion that if the Allies win this war, Russia, England, China, and the United States are going to fight among themselves. They will try to "turn one nation against another, in the vain hope that they may settle with one or two at a time-that any of us may be so gullible and so forgetful as to be duped into making ‘deals’ at the expense of our Allies." The President stated that the uncompromising policy of "unconditional surrender" was not meant to harm the "common people of the Axis nations," but they do intend to punish their "guilty, barbaric leaders." Roosevelt ended his discussion of the Casablanca Conference by reminding all Americans of our history of fighting for freedom: "In the years of the American and French revolutions the fundamental principle guiding our democracies was established. The cornerstone of our whole democratic edifice was the principle that from the people and the people alone flows the authority of government. It is one of our aims, as expressed in the Atlantic Charter, that the conquered populations of today be again the masters of their destiny. There must be no doubt anywhere that it is the unalterable purpose of the United Nations to restore to conquered peoples their sacred rights."

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