[Churchill (Winston Spencer)] .- Malta and Yalta Conferences

Typed letter signed ('John) from John Martin, Churchill's Principal Private Secretary, to John Rupert Colville, marked 'Private' and detailing the journeys to attend the conferences Malta and Yalta in January and February 1945. Martin writes "Many thanks for all the news of London in your letter of January 31. Since then, a stupor has fallen on the Private Office, and it has gone to my heart to hear Colonel Kent [Churchill] crying out again and again for news and being offered only caviare. No doubt your answer is 'tu quoque', so I am sending you this short account of our doings to supplement the official Diary [...] The flight to CRICKET [Malta] was uneventful. Our arrival, as you have doubtless heard, caused the maximum of inconvenience to the highest personages in the island, owing to circumstances directly attributable to the negligence of Master peck, which will be suitable punished on our return. The Prime Minister gave us all rather a fright by running a temperature, and the night was much disturbed by the comings and goings of Lord Moran and his consultations with local medical opinion. A bed was prepared in the Military Hospital [...] when fortunately the Colonel took a turn for the better, and a little after breakfast-time it was decided to proceed direct to our cruiser. We were immediately installed in most comfortable quarters and overwhelmed by the characteristic hospitality of the Royal Navy. [...] Colonel Kent spent most of his time in CRICKET aboard and that chiefly in bed. He was able to have long and useful conversations with Field Marshal Alexander, General Marshall, Admiral King, Harry Hopkins and 'Ed' Stettinius. [...] The President arrived on Friday morning. It was a lovely day of brilliant sunshine, and the harbour made a perfect setting for the rather spectacular scene as the President's ship moved slowly past to its berth ahead of us, the Guards of Honour at attention and the music of the Star-Spangled Banner sounding across the water. The Colonel had long talks with the President over the meal table and otherwise [...] After dinner the President went off to his plane and the Colonel followed after a conversation with Randolph. [...] We had a very easy flight from CRICKET to ALBATROSS [...] We were met on arrival by Molotov and Co. and, after an inspection of a very smart Guard of Honour and the playing of the three National Anthems (it took me back to Sunday nights at home) and being cheered by the signed of Leslie and Miss Sturdee, who had prevented us by half and hour, set out on the long drive to Yalta. This took about six and a half hours, including a longish interval for refreshments on the shores of the B. Sea [...] The road was long and often winding, but did not at all live up to the horrific description we had received. Here we are installed in a large and magnificent palace of hybrid architecture, partly gothic and partly arabesque. The principal rooms, used for meals and offices, are of ample proportions, but the bedroom accommodation is more restricted and there is considerable competition for a cold tap. Although there seemed every sign of chaos when we first reached the house, this was surprisingly quickly reduced to order and considering all the difficulties, we are now remarkably comfortably settled down. To-day has been a day of brilliant sunshine in which it would have been churlish to bear any minor inconvenience in mind. U.J. ['Uncle' Joe Stalin] came to great the Colonel in the afternoon and since then the first Plenary Session has taken place. I gather that it went well and the results were satisfactory. (The subsequent dinner party did not go so well. U.J., as a republican, refused to drink the King's health and a jest by the President about the name 'Uncle Joe' did not go down). The crashed plane on the outward journey has of course thrown a shadow over the Conference. Personally I felt most the loss of Peter Loxley, who would have been a great prop in the Foreign Office in the years when a heavy load will fall on his generation. How cruelly hard for his wife at such time", four pages stapled together, very light yellowing and folding marks, 4to, Vorontsov Villa, 4 February [1945]