The Kremlin Letters: Stalin’s Wartime Correspondence with Churchill and Roosevelt

by David Reynolds (Editor), Vladimir Pechatnov (Editor)

A penetrating account of the dynamics of World War II’s Grand Alliance through the messages exchanged by the "Big Three"

Stalin exchanged more than six hundred messages with Allied leaders Churchill and Roosevelt during the Second World War. In this riveting volume—the fruit of a unique British-Russian scholarly collaboration—the messages are published and also analyzed within their historical context. Ranging from intimate personal greetings to weighty salvos about diplomacy and strategy, this book offers fascinating new revelations of the political machinations and human stories behind the Allied triumvirate.

Edited and narrated by two of the world’s leading scholars on World War II diplomacy and based on a decade of research in British, American, and newly available Russian archives, this crucial addition to wartime scholarship illuminates an alliance that really worked while exposing its fractious limits and the issues and egos that set the stage for the Cold War that followed.

Genres: History, War, Nonfiction, World War II, Politics, Military Fiction, Russia

680 pages, Hardcover

Published November 27, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database. For more information please see David Reynolds.

A Professor of International History and a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. He was awarded a scholarship to study at Dulwich College, then Cambridge and Harvard universities. He has held visiting posts at Harvard, Nebraska and Oklahoma, as well as at Nihon University in Tokyo and Sciences Po in Paris. He was awarded the Wolfson History Prize, 2004, and elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2005. He teaches and lectures both undergraduates and postgraduates at Cambridge University, specialising in the two world wars and the Cold War. Since October 2013 he has been Chairman of the History Faculty at Cambridge.

Reviews

[Jaap Hoogenboezem · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book presents about 75% of Stalin's letters from and to Roosevelt and Churchill, and provides context for each of them. It thus tells the story of the command of the Second World Wat at the highest strategic level, from the German invasion of the Soviet Union to the liberation. It is more interesting than the many books that have been written on the wartime conferences (the usual way to analyse the big three policy making) because it follows the day to day political and military developments, discussions and decisions.

[mimi ☕️]

this must be some juicy gossip how have i never heard of this

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Reynolds and Vladimir Pechatnov’s “The Kremlin Letters: Stalin’s Wartime Correspondence with Churchill and Roosevelt” is an extraordinary scholarly achievement that opens a rare window into the inner workings of World War II’s Grand Alliance. Drawing on more than a decade of research in British, American, and newly accessible Russian archives, the editors present over 600 messages exchanged between Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt from 1941 to 1945, accompanied by rich, contextual commentary that transforms the volume from a mere collection of documents into a vivid diplomatic narrative. The book’s structure is both accessible and illuminating. The correspondence is arranged chronologically, with editorial commentary interwoven to provide historical context and analysis. This approach not only clarifies the shifting priorities and personalities of the “Big Three,” but also highlights the tensions, misunderstandings, and occasional camaraderie that shaped the alliance. The editors’ commentary is widely praised for its even-handedness and for drawing out the nuances of each leader’s strategy and worldview. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its ability to humanize these colossal figures. The letters range from terse military demands to surprisingly personal greetings, revealing both the political machinations and the genuine efforts at relationship-building. Churchill’s attempts to decode Stalin’s mercurial tone, Roosevelt’s maneuvering to bring the Soviet Union into the Allied fold, and Stalin’s shrewd manipulation of both Western leaders are all on display. The editors also shed light on the logistical and psychological complexities of wartime communication—translations, ciphers, and the anxieties of waiting for a reply. Crucially, “The Kremlin Letters” dispels the myth of a simple East-West divide, showing instead a dynamic triangular relationship in which Roosevelt’s vision often clashed with Churchill’s, and both struggled to understand and manage Stalin’s suspicions and ambitions. The book’s commentary reveals how the seeds of the Cold War were sown amid the alliance’s successes, as mutual distrust and divergent postwar aims became increasingly apparent. For historians, students, and general readers alike, this volume is indispensable—not only as a trove of primary sources, but as a masterful analysis of the personalities and politics that shaped the modern world. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of wartime diplomacy and the origins of the postwar order.

[Ionut Iamandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce reiese la capătul lecturii unui astfel de maraton arhivistic, dincolo de pitorescul adresărilor, de testele de încredere, chiar de geloziile care apar între ei – pentru că trei e impar, și temele apărute în acest timp i-au dispus uneori în formatul 2 + 1 –, este marea divergență a agendelor, fapt care de altfel explică foarte bine Războiul Rece succedent. Una urmărea Roosevelt, alta voia Stalin și cu totul altceva viza Churchill. Roosevelt dorea un fel de domesticire a Uniunii Sovietice, proces început încă de cînd a luat inițiativa recunoașterii noului stat bolșevic, în 1933, iar pe frontul intern evitarea unui nou izolaționism american. Voia să facă din SUA și URSS polii stabilității postbelice – ceea ce, de altfel, a și rezultat, chiar dacă în variantă negativă. În acest scenariu nu mai e mult loc pentru Marea Britanie, un stat scăpătat comparativ cu glorioasa lui epocă victoriană. Ceea ce însă nu îi convenea lui Churchill, care a spus explicit că nu intenționa să rămînă în istorie drept premierul care a scris epitaful Imperiului Majestății Sale. Iar în privința ambițiilor coloniale, Churchill s-a întîlnit cu Stalin, căruia, în buna tradiție țaristă, i se redeșteptase gustul pentru colonialismul de tip buffer zone, de această dată în variantă bolșevică, plasat în zona estică a Europei, înspre Germania. Din această perspectivă, este foarte interesant de urmărit consecința divergențelor de agendă asupra României și de constatat că, de fapt, ea n-a avut aproape nici o șansă de a se feri din calea sovietizării. Pur și simplu, Bucureștiul a fost o simplă haltă în prima jumătate a secolului trecut, în care trenul salvator nu a avut programată de la început nici o oprire.

Mai multe în Dilema Veche: https://dilemaveche.ro/sectiune/carte...

[Ietrio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short version: it is impossible to quantify how much whitewashing went into producing this volume.

Long version: Stalin was an angelic personality, a providential player in the holy war against Hitler. Even after he was denounced, intelligentsia from all over the Western World refused to accept it, and the general consensus was reached only after the said generation of intellectuals was dead. New documents have surfaced during 1940s and 2000s, but historians seems to overwhelmingly prefer the orthodoxy they were told during the student years and few are the books using the new data.

Churchill was quite public and his powers were limited, but Roosevelt was a man who did the same things as Stalin: concentration camps, extermination, mass destruction, indoctrination of the public, sinecures for his political supporters, control of the economy, although at a smaller scale than Stalin because of the Constitutional limits. He had organized a secret police, the later CIA, a FBI mandated to investigate political adversaries regardless of state borders. And Roosevelt is still a revered politician. Unlike Stalin, he has streets named after him all over the World.

So are the authors intellectually honest? I have no idea.

Are the texts complete? Are the texts a reflection of what was discussed, or they are merely the acceptable texts from many others like them? I don't know.

The lecture is going to be interesting, but probably very misleading, reflecting the views sanctioned by some Master of Ceremony.

[Paul Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding history, replete with scads of primary source material (the letters) interspersed with authors comments to add perspective to the letters. Stalin comes across fairly positively, goading his counterparts to open the second front and keep the convoys of lend lease supplies moving. Reacting negatively to reports that the English speaking allies were negotiating behind his back with the German command in Italy. Usually attempting to cooperate with his allies. A wily negotiator in his own right, getting Churchill and Roosevelt to agree to his choice of location of the first two summits, Tehran and Yalta. While Yalta is looked upon by most as a sellout to the Soviets, Reynolds makes the point that each side gained agreements it was after. Another break from traditional views is the Warsaw massacre of Polish nationalists by the Germans while the Red Army awaited the results, Reynolds opines that the Germans had just launched an offensive in Poland and the Red Army was dealing with that rather than the Warsaw uprising. Later the Red Army did fly in supplies to the nationalists. Roosevelt comes across as a lightweight, out of touch through his declining health issues in '44 and '45. All in all, a must read for anyone interested in the history of WW2.

[Jon Gertler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! One of the very best history books I have read, or too be accurate in this case listened to.
The format is a chronological sequence of letters [apparently c75% of those written between the three during the period] interspersed with commentary on the political, diplomatic and military events of the moment.
What makes this work so interesting and valuable is that the context enables the reader to appreciate the subtleties and nuances of these communications, many of which would not be apparent from the letters alone.
The relationships shift through time as the military campaigns develop and the salience of individual issues, both present and future, rise and fall.
As far as I could tell, the author's commentary was even handed and neutral.
Altogether fascinating, on WWII, on the three leaders individually, and on the nature of power under extreme pressure.
The audio version ran to 33 hours, but I didn't want it to end !

[Martin Lember · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives an overview how politics were made though letters. Opens dimensions of how important roles diplomats play of creating world-changing decisions and how different leaders listened their advise. Book reminds the fact that things are usually not as they first seem or presented. Recommended to history, WW2 and diplomacy fans.

[Jon Ziomek · Rating 5 out of 5]

The research is incredible. The tensions between the three leaders as they make gradual, slow-but-steady progress in the war against Germany, are quite compelling. Churchill and Roosevelt seem to be aware in more than a few of their communiques that the Soviet Union was doing very heavy lifting in the war. A unique dynamic, explained well.

[Arild Nygaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book if you love WWII history and diplomacy between "the three great three" during the biggest conflict of our time. The analyses of the authours can be criticized of being a bit Stalin/Soviet Union biased at times, but the transcripts themselves are great primary sources.

[kelly]

My honors history class focused on the letters within the book as a primary source, not the actual content of the authors. It is a huge book and hard to carry around but provides the actual, translated letters that are useful for discussions and essays.

[Diana Kullman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was interesting to read the correspondence from these three figures~~both what they said and deleted before sending.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to take a peek at much of the behind the scenes correspondence.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Simon J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, though it takes some getting through. Stalin (with rare exceptions) comes off looking better than FDR or Churchill.