August 9-12, 1941: A MEETING IN THE ATLANTIC
“At last—we’ve gotten together.”
- Franklin Roosevelt to Winston Churchill, August 9, 1941
At 11 am on a foggy August morning, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt shook hands on the deck of an American warship off the coast of Newfoundland. Arranged in secrecy, their meeting took place at a dire moment for Great Britain.
Two years after World War II erupted, most of Europe was under Nazi control. In the east, German armies threatened to overrun the Soviet Union. In the west, German bombers pounded Britain’s cities while U-boats attacked its vital supply lines in the Atlantic.
An ocean away from these troubles, America was at peace. But FDR knew Nazi Germany posed a mortal threat to the United States. Roosevelt had done all he could—in the face of strong isolationist opposition—to assist Britain. Now, the President was making a powerful signal of support. The meeting—later christened the Atlantic Conference—was also an opportunity for him and Churchill to assess each other. They quickly established a warm rapport. During four days of talks they produced the Atlantic Charter—a bold proclamation of shared national values. The conference included an emotional religious service aboard the HMS Prince of Wales attended by the two leaders and hundreds of British and American sailors. Carefully documented by photographers, it provided inspiring images of solidarity between their nations.
📷: NPx 48-22:3616(16); NPx 48-22:3713(61); NPx 48-22:3713(60)
In January 1941, a low point in the war for Great Britain, FDR sent Churchill a note of encouragement that included verses from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Building of the Ship. The Prime Minister had the verses reproduced in a limited set of lithographs. He brought two copies to the Atlantic Conference to be signed by him and the President. This is President Roosevelt’s copy. Learn more: https://fdr.artifacts.archives.gov/objects/26513
This poster promoting the Atlantic Charter was produced shortly after the Atlantic Conference by The Minutemen of America Incorporated, an organization that advocated for American support of Great Britain in the war. Learn more: https://fdr.artifacts.archives.gov/objects/15495
