Politically, the overriding purpose was to present a united front against Stalin in the Yalta Conference a few days later.

Both leaders agreed on the undesirability of the Red Army advancing into central Europe.

Ambassador to the Soviet Union W. Averell Harriman, Harry L. Hopkins, General of the Army George C. Marshall, Fleet Admiral Ernest J.

[1] On Tuesday, January 30, 1945, at 10 a.m., the Joint Chiefs of Staff met in Montgomery House, Malta.

The minutes show they worked on the agenda for the next American-British Staff Conference, an overall review of cargo shipping and strategy in Northwestern Europe.