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ORIGINAL 1943 WARTIME EDITION — NOT A MODERN REPRINT
Offered here is an original 1943 classified World War II volume containing the papers and minutes of meetings of the TRIDENT Conference, held in Washington, D.C., in May 1943.
Titled “Papers and Minutes of Meetings — Trident Conference, May 1943,” this volume was edited and published by the Office of the U.S. Secretary, Office of the Combined Chiefs of Staff.
This is Copy No. 27and was originally classified:
U.S. SECRET / BRITISH MOST SECRET
It is accompanied by JCS Regrading Memo 52-73, dated October 3, 1973, documenting the later downgrading of the material to UNCLASSIFIED, approximately thirty years after its wartime publication.
This is an original 1943 government-produced classified wartime volume—not a facsimile, reproduction, print-on-demand edition, or later commercial reprint of the conference papers.
The TRIDENT Conference
The TRIDENT Conference, also known as the Third Washington Conference, was held in Washington, D.C., from May 12–25, 1943. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, together with their senior military advisers, met to determine Allied strategy at a crucial turning point in World War II.
TRIDENT began just as the Axis position in North Africa collapsed. With the North African campaign effectively won, American and British leaders faced major decisions about where Allied forces should strike next and how preparations should proceed for the eventual invasion of Western Europe.
The Combined Chiefs of Staff considered strategy for the defeat of Germany, operations in the Mediterranean, the cross-Channel invasion of France, the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, the continuing war against Japan, operations in Burma and China, and the allocation of Allied forces and resources between the European and Pacific theaters.
One of the conference's most important subjects was the development of plans for a cross-Channel invasion of continental Europe. The Combined Chiefs agreed that forces and equipment should be assembled in Britain for an invasion in 1944, helping establish the strategic course that would ultimately culminate in Operation OVERLORD and the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944.
The conference also addressed the enormous Anglo-American air offensive against Germany. The Combined Chiefs approved plans for a Combined Bomber Offensive, designed to weaken German military and industrial power and help prepare the way for the eventual invasion of Europe.
At the same time, Roosevelt, Churchill and their military chiefs continued to confront the global nature of the war, balancing preparations for the defeat of Germany with operations against Japan across the Pacific and Asia.
About This Volume
This volume contains the papers and minutes prepared and compiled for the Combined Chiefs of Staff in 1943, while the decisions recorded within it were part of active Allied wartime planning.
It is Copy No. 27and retains its original U.S. SECRET / BRITISH MOST SECRET designation.
The contents document high-level Anglo-American deliberations concerning the defeat of Germany, the cross-Channel invasion of Europe, strategic bombing, Mediterranean operations, the Pacific war, Burma and China, and the allocation of Allied military resources.
Bound in dark red library cloth, it was part of a series of official Combined Chiefs of Staff conference volumes documenting the major Allied wartime conferences. Related volumes covered Casablanca, QUADRANT, SEXTANT/EUREKA, OCTAGON, ARGONAUT and TERMINAL, with original classifications ranging from U.S. SECRET / BRITISH MOST SECRET to TOP SECRET.
The accompanying 1973 JCS regrading memorandum forms an especially interesting part of the volume's history, documenting its transition from a highly classified wartime record to an unclassified historical document.
Again, this is an ORIGINAL 1943 classified wartime publication. It should not be confused with later published editions, reproductions, facsimiles, digital editions or reprints containing the same historical documents.
Condition
Original WWII-era volume with age and storage wear consistent with its age and institutional use. Light foxing and shelf wear may be present, and the binding/spine may exhibit age-related fading or wear.
Copy No. 27. Originally classified U.S. SECRET / BRITISH MOST SECRET. JCS Regrading Memo 52-73, dated October 3, 1973, is included.
Please examine all photographs carefully for exact condition, contents, markings and binding. Photographs form an important part of the description.
An exceptional original documentary record of Allied strategic planning during World War II, directly associated with the Combined Chiefs of Staff, Roosevelt, Churchill, the Washington Conference, planning for the invasion of Europe, the Combined Bomber Offensive, and the developing strategy that ultimately led to Operation OVERLORD and D-Day.
Ships via USPS Ground Advantage with additional insurance.
