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Date: 1943
Source:Public Papers of F. D. Roosevelt, Vol 12, p. 71
The Radio Address on the Casablanca Conference was a speech delivered by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 24, 1943, following his attendance at the Casablanca Conference in Morocco. The speech was broadcast on radio and addressed to the American people, providing an update on the progress of the war and outlining the decisions made at the conference.
The Casablanca Conference was a meeting between Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and their military advisers, which took place in January 1943. The conference focused on the Allied strategy for the remainder of the war, particularly with respect to North Africa and Europe. The key decisions made at the conference included a commitment to the unconditional surrender of Germany, a shift in Allied focus to the European theater of war, and the launch of an invasion of Italy.
In his radio address, Roosevelt emphasized the importance of the decisions made at the conference, particularly the commitment to unconditional surrender, which he argued was essential for the establishment of lasting peace. He also emphasized the importance of Allied cooperation and unity, and praised the contributions of American and British soldiers to the war effort.
The Radio Address on the Casablanca Conference was significant for several reasons. First, it provided the American people with a clear sense of the progress of the war and the strategic decisions being made by Allied leaders. Second, it helped to build public support for the war effort and bolstered morale among American troops and civilians. Finally, the speech represented a key moment in the development of the Allied strategy for the remainder of the war, and helped to set the stage for the eventual defeat of Germany and the Axis powers.
In conclusion, the Radio Address on the Casablanca Conference was a speech delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in January 1943, which provided an update on the progress of the war and outlined the decisions made at the Casablanca Conference. The speech was significant for its role in building public support for the war effort, and for its contribution to the development of the Allied strategy for the remainder of the war.
Feb 12, 1943
The decisions reached and the actual plans made at Casablanca were not confined to any one theater of war or to any one continent or ocean or sea. Before this year is out, it will be made known to the world-in actions rather than words-that the Casablanca Conference produced plenty of news; and it will be bad news for the Germans and Italians-and the Japanese.
We have lately concluded a long, hard battle in the Southwest Pacific and we have made notable gains. That battle started in the Solomons and New Guinea last summer. It has demonstrated our superior power in planes and, most importantly, in the fighting qualities of our individual soldiers and sailors.
American armed forces in the Southwest Pacific are receiving powerful aid from Australia and New Zealand and also directly from the British themselves.
We do not expect to spend the time it would take to bring Japan to final defeat merely by inching our way forward from island to island across the vast expanse of the Pacific.
Great and decisive actions against the Japanese will be taken to drive the invader from the soil of China. Important actions will be taken in the skies over China-and over Japan itself.
The discussions at Casablanca have been continued in Chungking with the Generalissimo by General Arnold and have resulted in definite plans for offensive operations.
There are many roads which lead right to Tokyo. We shall neglect none of them.
In an attempt to ward off the inevitable disaster, the Axis propagandist are trying all of their old tricks in order to divide the United Nations. They seek to create the idea that if we win this war, Russia, England, China, and the United States are going to get into a cat-and-dog fight.
This is their final effort to turn one nation against another, in the vain hope that they may settle with one or two at a time-that any of us may be so gullible and so forgetful as to be duped into making "deals" at the expense of our Allies.
To these panicky attempts to escape the consequences of their crimes we say-all the United Nations say-that the only terms on which we shall deal with an Axis government or any Axis factions are the terms proclaimed at Casablanca: "Unconditional Surrender." In our uncompromising policy we mean no harm to the common people of the Axis nations. But we do mean to impose punishment and retribution in full upon their guilty, barbaric leaders...
In the years of the American and French revolutions the fundamental principle guiding our democracies was established. The cornerstone of our whole democratic edifice was the principle that from the people and the people alone flows the authority of government.
It is one of our war aims, as expressed in the Atlantic Charter, that the conquered populations of today be again the masters of their destiny. There must be no doubt anywhere that it is the unalterable purpose of the United Nations to restore to conquered peoples their sacred rights.
Cite Article : www.canadahistory.com/sections/documents
Source: Public Papers of F. D. Roosevelt, Vol 12, p. 71
Reference: Article by (Staff Historian), 2023
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