Aklogos

"The Atlantic Charter" was the name later given to a joint declaration issued by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in a press release handed out on August 14, 1941. The joint declaration was not a signed document. It was a press release. The term "Atlantic Charter" was not mentioned anywhere in the original press release. The term "Atlantic Charter" was coined by a London newspaper after the contents of the press release had been published.

FDR and Churchill met off Newfoundland. Their respective ships, the USS Augusta with FDR aboard, and the HMS Prince of Wales with Churchill aboard, departed Placentia Bay on the afternoon of August 12, 1941, heading towards their respective ports. History books say that FDR and Churchill signed a document together after their ships had been steaming in different directions for almost two days. Those history books have it wrong. There was no document called the "Atlantic Charter" on August 14, 1941. FDR and Churchill didn't sign their joint declaration. FDR and Churchill were not anywhere near one another on August 14, 1941.

Before anyone starts in with what my sources are, I would ask that you direct me to any agency, office or institution that can give the location of and provide an image of an original document containing either the text of the joint declaration or the term "Atlantic Charter", dated August 14, 1941 and bearing the hand written signatures of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston S. Churchill.

My assertion is that none has ever existed. Our history books tell us it happened, but not a one of them tell us where we can go to view this signed history-changing document that everyone knows about.

Aklogos (talk) 08:22, 24 April 2009 (UTC)Aklogos

Atlantic Charter

Thanks for your message. Yes, my talk page was the right place to bring it to my attention, but I have moved it to the article talk page because all the source information in it will be more useful and more readily available there. I have also replied there: in brief, I don't disagree that there was no signed document and that the name was added later, but it doesn't seem to me all that important. However, I have introduced two new sections towards the end of the article. The whole introduction seems to me unsatisfactory; I will give it thought, but I'm not sure I am the man to rewrite it. Do you know an actual date for the Daily Herald's use of "Atlantic Charter?" It would be nice to give a reference. I would also like to give more precise references to Churchill, but the page numbering of my edition (Reprint Society 1954) is evidently different from yours. Regards, JohnCD (talk) 21:43, 24 April 2009 (UTC)

Hello, Aklogos. You have new messages at JohnCD's talk page.
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