As aerial bombardments devastated cities and both soldiers and civilians died by the millions, World War II was also being fought on a much quieter, but no less heated, battlefield. In confidential meetings held during the war, Joseph Stalin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sparred and negotiated for the political and economic interests of their nations. WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West reveals the hidden story of these confidential meetings. The three-part series begins Wednesday, May 6 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET1 and KET HD.
WWII Behind Closed Doors draws on fresh research from the Soviet archives and testimony from witnesses who have not previously spoken publicly, including former Soviet secret policemen, Allied seamen and Red Army veterans.
First, "Unlikely Friends (Summer 1939 to Autumn 1941)" lays bare a history of secret allegiances with the Nazis that Stalin wanted to hide. Before he was allied with Churchill and Roosevelt, Stalin offered help to Hitler and the Nazis -- much more help than the rest of the world knew.
Then, in "Cracks in the Alliance (Autumn 1941 to December 1943)" Stalin finally comes face-to-face with Churchill in Moscow. Despite the upbeat newsreels of the time, it was hardly a meeting of minds. As one of Churchill's generals later remarked, "We were going into the lion's den and we weren't going to feed him."
Finally, "Dividing the World (January 1944 to August 1945)" opens as the Allied forces are on the verge of victory and a new fight was beginning over who would control which parts of Europe. Using rare archive material only available since the fall of communism, this program reveals the hidden forces that were tearing the alliance apart.
WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West is co-produced by KCET/Los Angeles and BBC.
