Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1945 journey to the Yalta Conference

In February 1945, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt traveled to Crimea to attend the Yalta Conference. The summit brought together Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to negotiate the final stages of World War II and the postwar international order.

Key topics of discussion included the future of Germany, the political situation in Poland, the establishment of the United Nations, and Soviet involvement in the war against Japan. Roosevelt’s journey involved complex logistics, including a transatlantic crossing via naval warship and a flight from Malta to Crimea in a modified Douglas VC-54C Skymaster, known as the ‘Sacred Cow’.