Log of the Trip
Sunday, February 11, 1945
1130: The President, accompanied by Mrs. Boettiger, took a jeep ride through the grounds and gardens of Livadia. Before he returned to his quarters he also inspected the U.S. Naval seaman guard which was drawn up outside the palace at the time.
1200: The Eighth Formal Meeting of the Crimea Conference was convened in the grand ballroom of Livadia. Present:
| For the U.S. |
For Great Britain |
For the USSR |
| The President. |
The Prime Minister. |
Marshal Stalin. |
| Mr. Stettinius. |
Mr. Eden. |
Mr. Molotov. |
| Admiral Leahy. |
Mr. Cadogan. |
Mr. Vyshinski. |
| Mr. Hopkins. |
Mr. Clark Kerr. |
Mr. Maisky. |
| Mr. Harriman. |
Mr. Jebb. |
Mr. Gousev. |
| Mr. Matthews. |
Mr. Bridges. |
Mr. Gromyko. |
| Mr. Bohlen. |
Mr. Wilson. |
Mr. Pavlov. |
| Mr. Hiss. |
Major Birse. |
|
| Mr. Foote. |
Mr. Dixon. |
|
The conference recessed at 1250.
1300: The President was host at luncheon at Livadia to the Prime Minister, Marshal Stalin, Mr. Stettinius, Mr. Eden, Mr. Molotov, Mr. Harriman, Mr. Clark Kerr, Mr. Cadogan, Major Birse, Mr. Bohlen and Mr. Pavlov.
Conference discussions continued at the lunch table under 1545, at which time the Crimea Conference formally adjourned.
1555: Marshal Stalin, after having bade the President and members of his party goodbye, left Livadia by motor for Koreiz Villa. Before the Marshal left Livadia the President presented to him for further delivery the following decorations that had been awarded by the United States to officers of the Soviet Forces:
- Legion of Merit (Degree of Chief Commander) for Marshal Vasilevsky, Chief of Staff of the Red Army;
- Legion of Merit (Degree of Chief Commander) for Marshal Novikov, Commanding General of the Red Air Force;
- Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) for Colonel General Repin;
- Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) for Lieutenant General Grendall;
- Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) for Lieutenant General Krolenko;
- Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) for Major General Levandovich;
- Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) for Major General Slavin; and
- Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) for Colonel Byaz.
As we were leaving Livadia the President was presented numerous gift packages by the Soviet Authorities at the palace, as also were various other members of the party. These packages contained vodka, several kinds of wine, champagne, caviar, butter, oranges and tangerines.
General Comment
The weather at Livadia was most pleasant during our visit. The average temperature was 40. The Russians accredited the good weather to the President and called it “Roosevelt weather.” For several days preceding our arrival the weather had been anything but favorable. At exactly the “right time,” however, it cleared and remained so generally throughout our stay at Yalta.
During the period 4-11 February, daily meetings of the three Foreign Secretaries were held in addition to their attendance at the major conferences. Livadia, Vorontsov and Koreiz shared these Foreign Secretary meetings.
Our mail was brought to Yalta by Joint Chief of Staff couriers who used the regular Air Transport Command facilities from Washington to Cairo and the shuttle service from Cairo to Saki. The average time employed for the journey from Washington to Conference Headquarters was four days.
The British party had daily mail service. Their mail was flown directly from London to Saki in “Mosquito” type aircraft, the flights following a direct course between the two points involved.
Our radio communications were handled by a two-way high-speed circuit set up between Radio Washington and the Catoctin (at Sevastopol), using Navy Radio Oran as an intermediate relay station. The messages were broadcast over the Washington “FOX” schedules and when necessary rebroadcast by Radio Oran. Communication between the Catoctin and Livadia was by a land line or by telephone.
A number of U.S. Naval personnel who speak Russian were assembled by Admiral Hewitt and sent to Yalta in the Catoctin. This team proved most helpful in working with the Soviets to complete the preparations for our visit and they were also very helpful to us as interpreters during our eight days at Livadia. They were:
- Lieut. George Scherbatoff, USNR
- Lieut. Dimitri P. Keusseff, USNR
- Lieut. C. Norris Houghton, USNR
- Lieut. Michael Kimack, USNR
- Lt (jg) John Cheplick, USNR
- Lt (jg) John P. Romanov, USN
- Andrew M. Bacha, Chief Yeoman, USNR
- Andrew Sawchuck, Yeoman 2/c, USNR
- Harry Sklenar, Yeoman 2/c, USNR
- Alexis Nestoruk, Yeoman 2/c, USNR
- Nickolas Korniloff, Yeoman 3/c, USNR
- Russel Koval, Yeoman 3/c, USNR
1600: The President and members of his party left Livadia by motor for Sevastopol. Mr. Harriman and Miss Harriman accompanied the President. Mr. Early remained behind at Livadia to iron out several details concerning the joint communiqué that had been agreed to by the President, the Prime Minister and Marshal Stalin at the final meeting of the Crimea Conference. Mr. Hopkins, Sergeant Hopkins, Mr. Bohlen, Colonel Park, Major Putnam, Lieutenant Kloock, Chief Warrant Officer Stoner, Agents Deckard, Hastings and Wood left Livadia by motor for Simferopol where they spent the night on a special sleeper-train that had been parked there by the Soviets for our convenience.
The drive to Sevastopol was over high and winding mountain roads along the Black Sea coast. It took us over the battlefield, nearly a century old, where the historic Light Brigade made its famous charge in the Crimean War of 1854-1856, and for many miles led through territory bitterly contested by the Russians and Germans in the recent Crimean campaign.
1840: The President and his party arrived in Sevastopol and proceeded to the USS Catoctin, a naval auxiliary moored at the Soviet naval base.
It was dusk when we arrived in Sevastopol but the President saw scenes of stark destruction there wrought by the Germans. The city was virtually leveled to the ground except for the walls of homes and other buildings which the mines, bombs and shells in recent battles left standing like billboards – mute testimony of the horrorful wanton Nazi vengeance. Of thousands of buildings in the city, the President was told that only six were left in useful condition when the Germans fled.
Distance traveled, Livadia to Sevastopol, 80 miles.
1855: The President and his party went on board the Catoctin where they spent the night. The Catoctin manned the rail and accorded the President full honors as he went on board.
The Catoctin served a delicious steak dinner to us, which was a real treat for us after eight days of Russian fare.
After dinner Admiral McIntire, Admiral Brown, Mrs. Boettiger and Miss Harriman attended a concert given in Sevastopol by the members of the band of the Black Sea Naval Base.
2130: Mr. Early arrived on board the Catoctin from Livadia and the encoding and radio transmission of the Conference communiqué was started. The communiqué was to be released simultaneously in Washington, London, and Moscow at 1630 tomorrow, February 12. Lieutenant Bogue and Mr. Cornelius and the communication force of the Catoctin are to be commended for the expeditious manner in which this communiqué was encoded and transmitted to Washington. See Annex A for complete text of the communiqué.
Captain C. O. Comp, USN, commanded the Catoctin. Her Executive Officer was Lieutenant Commander W. S. Dufton, USN, and her Supply Officer Lieutenant Commander E. C. Laflen, (SC), USN.