Two weeks after the United States entered World War II, the Arcadia Conference (also known as the First Washington Conference) was held in Washington, DC, from December 24, 1941 to January 14, 1942. Working together with senior military leaders from the United States and Great Britain, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill made the initial crucial decisions for the combined war effort at this important meeting. One of these established the Combined Chiefs of Staff, comprising the high-ranking officers who would become the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and their British counterparts. It was this consultative body of top military leaders that would refine the Allied military strategy and approve all significant military decisions for the duration of conflict. The most consequential decision reached at Arcadia was that of “Germany first,” making the defeat of Germany the prime Allied objective. Additionally, plans to invade North Africa, which would come to fruition in November 1942 with Operation Torch, were extensively studied and discussed. Arcadia was the first in a series of high-level conferences held by the US and British leaders in Washington, DC; Casablanca; Quebec; Cairo; Tehran; Malta; Yalta; and Potsdam to formulate the Allied grand strategy. At the Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam conferences, the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was also in attendance and played an important role. ISBN 9780160938870 (Mobi) and ISBN 9780160938887 (PDF) are companion formats to this work also available for Free download. The WW II Inter-Allied Conferences series consists of the following products available for free download: Post-Arcadia Conference (Washington, DC), January 23–May 19, 1942: ISBN 9780160938900 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938894 (ePub); ISBN 9780160938917 (PDF) Casablanca Conference (Morocco), January 14–24, 1943: ISBN 9780160938931 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938924 (ePub); ISBN 9780160938948 (PDF) Trident Conference (Washington, DC), May 12–25, 1943: ISBN 9780160938795 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938788 (ePub); ISBN 9780160938801 (PDF) Quadrant Conference (Quebec City, Canada), August 14–24, 1943: ISBN 9780160938825 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938818 (ePub); ISBN 9780160938832 (PDF) Sextant Conference (Cairo, Egypt), Eureka Conference (Tehran, Iran), and the Second Cairo Conference (Egypt), November 22–December 7, 1943: ISBN 9780160938856 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938849 (ePub); ISBN 9780160939266 (PDF) Octagon Conference (Quebec City, Canada), September 12–16, 1944: ISBN 9780160939259 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160939273 (ePub); ISBN 9780160939280 (PDF) Argonaut Conference (Malta and Yalta, Soviet Union), January 30–February 11, 1945: ISBN 9780160939303 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160939297 (ePub); ISBN 9780160939242 (PDF) Terminal Conference (Potsdam, Germany), July 17–August 2, 1945: ISBN 9780160939235 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160939310 (ePub); ISBN 9780160939327 (PDF)

Only nine days after the Arcadia Conference (also known as the First Washington Conference) was held in Washington, DC, the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) again convened for a series of twenty meetings between January 23 and May 19, 1942. All of these meetings were held in Washington, DC. During these meetings, the CCS focused on the situation in the Southwest Pacific area known as the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) area, which included Burma; support of Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek; and the possibility of a German attack on England. The use of US Army and Navy aviation against Japan was also discussed. In addition to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and the British Chiefs of Staff Committee, some of these CCS meetings were attended by members of Allied and Commonwealth countries when issues relating to their national interests were considered. The Post-Arcadia Conference was the second in a series of high-level conferences held in Washington, DC; Casablanca; Quebec; Cairo; Tehran; Malta; Yalta; and Potsdam to formulate the Allied grand strategy. At the Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam conferences, the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was also in attendance and played an important role. ISBN: 9780160938900 (Mobi) and ISBN: 9780160938917 (PDF) are companion digital formats to this product and are also available for free download. The entire World War II Inter-Allied Conferences series consists of these products available for free download: Arcadia Conference (Washington, DC), December 24, 1941–January 14, 1942: ISBN 9780160938870 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938863 (ePub); ISBN 9780160938887 (PDF) Casablanca Conference (Morocco), January 14–24, 1943: ISBN 9780160938931 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938924 (ePub); ISBN 9780160938948 (PDF) Trident Conference (Washington, DC), May 12–25, 1943: ISBN 9780160938795 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938788 (ePub); ISBN 9780160938801 (PDF) Quadrant Conference (Quebec City, Canada), August 14–24, 1943: ISBN 9780160938825 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938818 (ePub); ISBN 9780160938832 (PDF) Sextant Conference (Cairo, Egypt), Eureka Conference (Tehran, Iran), and the Second Cairo Conference (Egypt), November 22–December 7, 1943: ISBN 9780160938856 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160938849 (ePub); ISBN 9780160939266 (PDF) Octagon Conference (Quebec City, Canada), September 12–16, 1944: ISBN 9780160939259 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160939273 (ePub); ISBN 9780160939280 (PDF) Argonaut Conference (Malta and Yalta, Soviet Union), January 30–February 11, 1945: ISBN 9780160939303 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160939297 (ePub); ISBN 9780160939242 (PDF) Terminal Conference (Potsdam, Germany), July 17–August 2, 1945: ISBN 978-0-16-093923-5 (Mobi); ISBN 9780160939310 (ePub); ISBN 9780160939327 (PDF)

The First Washington Conference, codenamed Arcadia, was a secret meeting held in the days immediately following the entrance of the United States into World War II. It was the first meeting between the United States and Britain to determine military strategy. Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and their top military advisors spent hours making major decisions that would determine the direction of the Allied war effort. The main achievement of the conference was the “Europe first” decision, declaring that the defeat of Germany was the highest priority. Neither side knew what to expect before this momentous meeting. Before the war, the British and the Americans had differing strategic concerns, especially about the Pacific and East Asia: differences of such contrast that the conference was in jeopardy of ending early if not resolved. The narrative uses a chronological approach that examines in detail each day of the conference. This day-by-day methodology shows the gradual development of rapport between the allied chieftains, why and how it forged relationships, and the undercurrent of tension as each ally sought to ensure its national interests while cooperating with the other in a grand alliance. Historian and retired Brigadier General John F. Shortal skillfully unravels the inside story of this pivotal meeting. He shows how the working and personal relationships between Roosevelt and Churchill, as well as their military chiefs of staffs, first took root and then blossomed during the conference. Code Name Arcadia makes a major contribution not only to the history of World War II, but also to our understanding of the power structure of the postwar world.