The Big Parade

At Cairo the Generalissimo and Mme. Chiang Kai-shek were the first to arrive, flying in from Chungking aboard a four-engined U.S. transport plane. Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, with their separate parties, traveled to Africa by ship, made the last leg of the trip by plane.

Tenants had been cleared out of the fashionable Mena House hotel, out near the Pyramids, and troops moved in, setting up barbed-wire barricades around an area of three square miles. When the President drove in, his limousine, with curtains drawn, was led by two motorcycle out riders, two jeeps carrying four soldiers with submachine guns at the ready, a command car mounting a machine gun.

Big Brass. The top staffs settled down in villas and houses surrounding the hotel. There were 34 villas altogether, divided into seven "defensive zones." Around them bristled anti-aircraft guns, searchlights, pillboxes, gun emplacements, fire-watcher towers.

Heading the U.S. delegation were the joint chiefs of staff: Admiral Leahy, General Marshall with a party of 15 officers, the Navy's Admiral King with six, Air Forces General Hap Arnold with eleven. For the Service Forces, Lieut. General Brehon Somervell brought a staff of nine. Army, Navy, Air had separate groups. General Eisenhower came up from Algiers; Lieut. General Stilwell and Major General Chennault flew in from China.

Britain's contingent was even bigger. China's delegation was small by comparison: ten officers headed by General Shang Cheng, Director of Foreign Affairs of the National Military Council; Chiang Kai-shek acted only as head of his political mission, consulting with Roosevelt and Churchill on general questions but attending none of the military discussions.

Sons and Daughters. The Chiangs were virtually inseparable, Madame acting as interpreter for her husband. Afternoons they strolled hand in hand in the gardens of their villa and talked over the day's events.

Churchill brought along his daughter, Mrs. Vic Oliver (full title: Section Officer Sarah Oliver, WAAF), as aide-de-camp and hostess. Trim in her blue uniform, she stunned a group of important British naval officers (who had not recognized her) by saying crisply: "You can't have any drinks before noon."

Robert Hopkins came with his father and acted as semiofficial photographer for the party, sharing this task with Colonel Elliott Roosevelt, who had hustled down from Italy. The President's son-in-law, Major John Boettiger, left his AMG job in Italy, appeared in Cairo.

The bar on the hotel's main floor did a rush business from 9 a.m. to midnight. Scotch ran out the first night, but there was no repetition of that disaster; the Government hospitality fund had shipped 35 cases out from Britain, also provided 500,000 cigarets and 1,250 cigars.

Formal entertaining ranged from small teas to elaborate dinners; President Roosevelt gave a Thanksgiving Day feast, with turkey and cranberries. The President and Churchill found time near the end of the Conference to visit the Sphinx. President Roosevelt wore a blue-grey suit most of the time; Churchill varied between a set of his zippered coveralls and a dazzling white sharkskin number, with a five-gallon cowboy hat.

Roosevelt and Churchill flew to Teheran (the Chiangs had left Cairo for China). Big missions were with the President and Prime Minister. Only Foreign Minister Viacheslav M. Molotov and Marshal Klimenti Voroshilov accompanied Stalin on his first trip outside Russia since the Revolution.

The President arrived late Saturday afternoon, Nov. 27, and went straight to the handsome American legation. That night the President was invited to move into the main building of the Russian Embassy, where the meetings were to be held.

The Neighbors. Next day, after lunch, Roosevelt moved over and took up quarters at the Embassy, receiving a smart salute from tall Soviet tommy-gunner guards as he entered. There, in his sunny private sitting room, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin met face to face and spent their first hour together. Stalin had simply walked over on the gravel path from another of the Embassy houses, his living quarters for the meeting. An hour later Churchill and Eden walked in from the British Embassy, directly across the street, and joined the group with Molotov.

By blocking off all entrances, hanging up big cloth screens at the end of the street and opening the wide iron gates, guards converted the two embassies and their grounds into one big compound. For the four days of the conference the Big Three lived and worked there, dining together each night, never more than 200 yd. away from each other.

Roosevelt wore a business suit by day, dinner clothes at night. Churchill, who apparently realized how thoroughly the Russians were not amused by his "siren suit" at Moscow, wore the uniform of an R.A.F. air commodore, usually changed to dinner jacket at night. One evening he appeared as an honorary colonel of the Fourth Hussars, his old regiment. Stalin alternately wore two types of Marshal's uniforms, one in beige khaki, the other in slate-blue with white trouser-stripes.

The Friends. Molotov started the social ball rolling with a tea on Sunday, at which the delegates showed some awe of one another, and Stalin took it on himself to move around and get everyone talking. But the ice was broken with a vengeance at dinner, and stayed broken. Stalin enthusiastically sipped Roosevelt's special Martinis (the President decided against trying out old-fashioneds). Toasts were mostly in champagne, but Churchill stuck to his favorite still wines.

Kingpin social event of all turned out to be Churchill's birthday dinner (he was 69) at the British Embassy on Tuesday. Winnie had been planning it all day. He insisted on checking his party's place cards before dressing, then by 8:15 was back, impeccable, in jacket and black tie, nervously puffing a cigar and peering at his watch.

Roosevelt and his party arrived first, and in a few moments the reception room was jingling with the clink of glasses and gold braid. Stalin and party arrived five minutes early--precisely enough time for one drink.

At dinner Churchill announced that toasting would follow the Russian style --everyone toasting everyone else. Later estimates of the toast total ranged from 35 to 50, but all accounts agreed that Stalin joined in all, amiably ambling around the table to clink glasses with the person being toasted.

Stalin gave toasts to "My fighting friend Churchill" and "My fighting friend Roosevelt." Churchill responded with toasts to "Stalin the Great" and saluted the President twice over, as "Roosevelt the President" and "Roosevelt the Man." The party roared on in high good humor, until young Private Hopkins' eyes were boggling out at the flow of liquor and the animated scenes around him: General Marshall and Randolph Churchill talking to Elliott; Molotov excitedly talking with Eden and Cadogan; Hap Arnold laboriously exchanging anecdotes with Voroshilov.

Two days later the Big Three had moved on. Stalin unquestionably had gone back to Mother Russia. Early this week Roosevelt and Churchill turned up in Cairo to make big medicine with President Inoenue of Turkey. Present also was the Russian Ambassador to Turkey. After a three-day pow-wow this new foursome issued a terse statement which spoke of "closest unity," "identity of interests" and "firm friendship."

Meanwhile in Teheran there was general relief and relaxing of the rigid security guard. Said one tired Tommy: "Blimey, I'm glad it's over. Now we can get into town again."

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