Thank you for the info. I’ll have to check that out.
Also if memory serves me well it was at Tehran. By Yalta conference Stalin was fully aware on Western attitude towards such a things.
As for a Katyn massacre it really hasn’t look like any significant event at the time no matter how awful it really was. Germans has killed more Jews in a single concentration camp on a slow day.
I’m not sure if FDR ever knew about an event but even if he knew such a knowledge hadn’t any diplomatic value.
In fact FDR and Churchill lost their chance for free Europe in 1941 under Molotov visit. Stalin tasked him to discuss postwar development and all he wanted is a recognition of Soviet gains from Finland (Karelia) and Romania (Bessarabia). Subject was rejected as “too early” because Allies weren’t sure if Stalin is able to survive 1941 and it was looking laughable he was claiming any gains.
The truth is it was too late after Stalingrad. Germany’s fate was sealed at that time and Stalin clearly had an upper hand.
It is true that Germans were willing to surrender to Americans instead of Russians and there was a chance to liberate a lot of capitals including Berlin preventing Soviet control but this time US military opposed Churchill’s demand to do it.
Blame Eisenhower if you want it. He has broken diplomatic protocol and wrote directly to Stalin at the time. They lied a lot to each other and Ike’s idea was to lure Soviets into attacking Berlin before Churchill could push political decision to send American troops instead. It wasn’t that much “lure” since he knew Stalin’s aspirations on a subject and his idea was to remove all his doubts.
The message was Berlin is not important for American command. Eisenhower hasn’t given a flying !@#$ about European future at the time. It was his idea to reduce casualties and I think FDR secretly supported it for a sake of his felow Americans.
The problem is FDR hasn’t felt Cold War coming. He was pretty ideaistic with his concept of “four policemen” - US, UK, USSR and China as a future global police. Churchill was realistic, he has predicted a Cold War. He knew Britain is getting irrelevant as a power, China is still irrelevant and Soviet Union is a subject of hostile ideology to be in any stable alliance with. Stalin was realistic too and he has realized a Cold War coming. He was skeptical on UN as effective peacekeeping power as well and tried his best to build a buffer zone of friendly regimes to prevent a redux of foreign invasion. Soviets belived Red Europe is a key to their security. You coudn’t change their mind after 10 million military and 20 million civilian casualties they’ve suffered.