The Significance of the «Hopkins Mission» for the Formation and Formalization of the Anti-Hitler Coalition

Abstract

This paper analyzes the visit of Harry Hopkins, the official representative of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to Moscow in late July 1941. It should be noted that the «Hopkins mission» is viewed both as an individual diplomatic visit and as a component of the long and multifaceted process of forming an anti-fascist bloc. The author concludes that the negotiations between Stalin and Hopkins in the summer of 1941 had a significant impact. The results of this meeting consisted not only of coordinating the actions of the USSR and the USA on future deliveries under the Lend-Lease program and discussing and clarifying the weapons, equipment, and other items needed by the Red Army. It was the conclusions reached by Harry Hopkins following his visit to Moscow that convinced Franklin Roosevelt and many members of the American political establishment of the Soviet leadership’s readiness to continue the fight against the Third Reich. In this work, the author highlights the changing views and assessments of Western politicians and members of the diplomatic corps regarding the readiness and determination of the Soviet leadership, and Joseph Stalin personally, to continue the fight against Nazi Germany, despite several severe defeats in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War. Particular attention is paid to the positive impact of the «Hopkins mission» on bilateral Soviet-American relations during World War II.