Mysteries in the Archives

1945: Secret Meetings in Yalta (3x9)

Air date: Feb 23, 2013

We are in February1945 on the southernmost tip of Ukraine, the Crimean Peninsula. War is still raging in Europe. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and United States President Franklin Roosevelt left London and Washington D.C. in the greatest secrecy. They go to a summit meeting with Joseph Stalin, the man at the head of the USSR. In a palace near the seaside resort of Yalta, the three heads of state allied against Nazi Germany discuss how to end the war and how to prepare for the time that follows. Before one of the last talks, the politicians pose with big smiles for photographers and cameramen to capture this moment of – at least officially – perfect unity forever. But were they really able to overcome their different interests and come to an agreement? Why did they decide to have a secret meeting in the furthest corner of Europe, where the press was not allowed?