Franklin D. Roosevelt, Papers as President: Map Room Papers, 1941-1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

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Collection Overview

Title: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Papers as President: Map Room Papers, 1941-1945

Primary Creator: Roosevelt, Franklin D. (1882-1945)

Extent: 89.51 Cubic Feet

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The White House Map Room was established in January 1942, under the supervision of the Naval Aide, as a military information center and communication office for the President. The files of the Map Room grew very rapidly from the start and on the death of President Roosevelt in April 1945 there were seven filing cabinets in the Map Room filled to capacity.

President Roosevelt's Map Room papers consist of two series: first, messages sent or received by the President and by his immediate family and advisors; and, second, documents sent to the White House by the War or Navy Departments for the President's information. There are fewer papers in the first group, which records the actions taken personally by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, Marshal Stalin, and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, and much of the President's correspondence with the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It was the President's wish to have in the Map Room the only complete file of the personal messages he exchanged with Churchill, Stalin, and Chiang Kai-shek and for this reason messages from the Map Room were sent through Navy Department communications facilities and replies were sent through the War Department. Thus neither Department has a complete file.

The first series also includes a complete record of the President's messages sent or received during his trips from September 1942 to April 1945. The Map Room was the link between the President and the White House when he was away from Washington. Messages for the President were encoded in the Map Room and sent to him by Army or Navy circuits. The President's replies, returning through the same military channels, were decoded in the Map Room. These message files for the periods when President Roosevelt was in Casablanca, Quebec, Cairo, Teheran and Yalta constitute a very valuable addition to the sparse records of the President's participation in international conferences with Churchill, Chiang and Stalin.

Within the Messages series there are also a number of "Special Subject" folders on military and diplomatic topics in which the President was vitally interested and about which he sent a great many messages. All available Army, Navy, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and State Department documents on these topics, whether directly related to the President's messages or not, were placed in the "Special Subject" folders. This type of file was begun in early August 1943 in preparation for the President's conference with Prime Minister Churchill in Quebec, and two of the first "Special Subject" folders related to the bombing of Rome and Anglo-American relations with the French National Committee. These folders were found so useful that the practice of filing the President's personal messages with military and diplomatic papers on selected topics in special folders continued until President Roosevelt's death.

The second series of Map Room papers is much larger. It comprises messages, reports, maps and official publications of the War and Navy Departments. These were sent to the White House where they were studied by the officers of the Map Room, who posted the information contained in them on maps and charts and summarized them in writing or orally for the President, Mr. Hopkins, Admiral Leahy and the Military and Naval aides. Since there was a great deal of duplication in the documents submitted by the War and Navy Departments and since much of the military information in them was of no interest to the White House, many dispatches and reports were destroyed shortly after their receipt. The papers now in this group represent only a small part of the total number received in the White House during the war, but even so they constitute about 90% of the Map Room files.

Collection Historical Note

Franklin D. Roosevelt had a mind that saw in maps. His love of maps can be traced to his childhood when he first began collecting postage stamps. Stamps from all over the world expanded FDR's knowledge and understanding of geography and the international community, a knowledge that he brought with him to the White House in 1933.

After the outbreak of the war in 1939, National Geographic provided President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill with special wall mounted map cabinets hidden by enlarged photographs. Inside the cabinets were maps on rollers organized by hemisphere, region, and theater of operation. Cartographers from National Geographic routinely updated these maps, bringing the new maps to the White House and personally installing them in the President's cabinet that hung in his private Oval Study. By simply turning in his chair and opening the cabinet, FDR could quickly check battle locations around the world.

In January 1942, FDR converted a ladies' cloakroom in the White House basement into a top secret communications center. Modeled on a similar room maintained by Winston Churchill, the Map Room was a place where the President could monitor military activities around the globe. Here reports, documents, and coded messages were received, summarized, and filed. Through the Map Room, Roosevelt communicated with Allied leaders around the globe, including Churchill, Stalin, and Chiang Kai-shek. Maps posted in the room were used to track the locations of land, sea and air forces. The drably-furnished office was staffed 24-hours a day by army and navy officers. The President could drop in at any time. Access was restricted to him, the Map Room staff, and specific individuals at the direction of the President. Even the Secret Service was barred. FDR's Map Room was the precursor to the modern day White House Situation Room.

Administrative Information

Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Access Restrictions: None

Use Restrictions: President Roosevelt donated his copyright interest in these papers to the United States Government; writings of other individuals are subject to copyright restrictions under Title 17 of the U.S. Code. These papers may contain materials restricted in accordance with Executive Order 11652, and material which might be used to harass, embarrass, or injure living persons has been closed.

Acquisition Method: These papers were donated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They were received at the Library from his estate in November 1951, having been held in the White House at the request of President Truman until then.

Related Materials: Franklin D. Roosevelt's Papers as President are divided into seven major series - The Alphabetical File, the Official File, the President's Personal File, the President's Secretary's File, the Map Room papers, Executive Orders, and Press Conferences.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Messages],
[Series 2: Military Files],
[All]

Series 1: Messages

This series is subdivided into the following three subseries: General, containing FDR's primary wartime correspondence with Allied heads of state and top US Government officials; President's Trips, containing all messages sent and received by the Map Room during Roosevelt's trips away from Washington; and Special Subject Files, containing correspondence and documentation related to military or diplomatic topics of interest to the President.

Sub-Series 1: General

This subseries contains President Roosevelt's primary wartime correspondence with Allied heads of state and top US Government officials. It was the President's wish to have in the Map Room the only complete file of the personal messages he exchanged with Churchill, Stalin, and Chiang Kai-shek and for this reason messages from the Map Room were sent through Navy Department communications facilities and replies were sent through the War Department.

Box 1

FDR-Churchill, September 1939-1940 [vol.1]: View Online
Churchill-FDR, October 1939-December 1940 [vol.1]: View Online
FDR-Churchill, January-June 1941 [vol. 2]: View Online
Churchill-FDR, January-June 1941 [vol. 2]: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
FDR-Churchill, July-December 1941 [vol. 3]: View Online
Churchill-FDR, July-December 1941 [vol. 3]: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)

Box 2

FDR to Churchill, January-February 1942: View Online
Churchill to FDR, January-February 1942: View Online
FDR to Churchill, March-April 1942: View Online
Churchill to FDR, March-April 1942: View Online
FDR to Churchill, May-July 1942: View Online
Churchill to FDR, May-July 1942: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
FDR to Churchill, August-October 1942: View Online
Churchill to FDR, August-October 1942: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)

Box 3

FDR to Churchill, November-December 1942: View Online
Churchill to FDR, November-December 1942: View Online
FDR to Churchill, January-March 1943: View Online
Churchill to FDR, January-March 1943: View Online
FDR to Churchill, April-June 1943: View Online
Churchill to FDR, April-June 1943: View Online

Box 4

FDR to Churchill, July 1943: View Online
Churchill to FDR, July 1943: View Online
FDR to Churchill, August-September 1943: View Online
Churchill to FDR, August-September 1943: View Online
FDR to Churchill, October 1943: View Online
Churchill to FDR, October 1943: View Online
FDR to Churchill, November-December 1943: View Online
Churchill to FDR, November-December 1943: View Online

Box 5

FDR to Churchill, January 1944: View Online
Churchill to FDR, January 1944: View Online
FDR to Churchill, February 1944: View Online
Churchill to FDR, February 1944: View Online
FDR to Churchill, March 1944: View Online
Churchill to FDR, March 1944: View Online

Box 6

FDR to Churchill, April-May 1944: View Online
Churchill to FDR, April-May 1944: View Online
FDR to Churchill, June 1944: View Online
Churchill to FDR, June 1944: View Online
FDR to Churchill, July-August 1944: View Online
Churchill to FDR, July-August 1944: View Online

Box 7

FDR to Churchill, September-October 1944: View Online
Churchill to FDR, September-October 1944: View Online
FDR to Churchill, November 1944: View Online
Churchill to FDR, November 1944: View Online
FDR to Churchill, December 1944: View Online
Churchill to FDR, December 1944: View Online
FDR to Churchill, January 1945: View Online
Churchill to FDR, January 1945: View Online
FDR to Churchill, February-April 1945: View Online
Churchill to FDR, February-April 1945: View Online

Box 7a

FDR to Churchill "Strays" [1]
FDR to Churchill "Strays" [2]
FDR to Churchill "Strays" [3]
FDR to Churchill "Strays" [4]
FDR to Churchill "Strays" [5]

Box 8

FDR and Stalin, 1942: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
FDR and Stalin, January-June 1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
FDR and Stalin, July-September 1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
FDR and Stalin, October-December 1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)

Box 9

FDR to Stalin, January-June 1944: View Online
Stalin to FDR, January-June 1944: View Online
FDR and Stalin, July-December 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
FDR and Stalin, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)

Box 10

FDR and Chiang Kai-Shek, 1941-1942: View Online
FDR and Chiang Kai-Shek, 1943: View Online
FDR and Chiang Kai-Shek, 1944: View Online
FDR and Chiang Kai-Shek, 1945: View Online

Box 11

FDR and Winant, 1943: View Online
FDR and Winant, 1944-1945: View Online
FDR and Winant, 1945: View Online
FDR and General Hurley, 1944-1945: View Online
FDR and Harriman, 1943: View Online
FDR and Harriman, January 1-June 30, 1944: View Online
FDR and Harriman, July 1-December 31, 1944: View Online
FDR and Harriman, 1945: View Online

Box 12

Miscellaneous Presidential Dispatches: Incoming, 1942: View Online
Miscellaneous Presidential Dispatches: Outgoing, 1942: View Online
Miscellaneous Presidential Dispatches: Incoming, 1943: View Online
Miscellaneous Presidential Dispatches: Outgoing, 1943: View Online
Miscellaneous Presidential Dispatches: Incoming, 1944: View Online
Miscellaneous Presidential Dispatches: Outgoing, 1944: View Online
Miscellaneous Presidential Dispatches: Incoming, 1945: View Online
Miscellaneous Presidential Dispatches: Outgoing, 1945: View Online

Box 13

FDR and Hopkins, 1942
FDR and Hopkins, January -June 1943
FDR and Hopkins, July-December 1943
FDR and Hopkins, 1944
FDR and Hopkins, 1945

Box 14

Outgoing and Incoming, June 1942-December 1943
Outgoing and Incoming, January 1944-April 1945

Sub-Series 2: President's Trips

This subseries reflects a complete record of the President's messages sent or received during his trips from September 1942 to April 1945. The Map Room was the link between the President and the White House when he was away from Washington. Messages for the President were encoded in the Map Room and sent to him by Army or Navy circuits. The President's replies, returning through the same military channels, were decoded in the Map Room. These message files for the periods when President Roosevelt was in Casablanca, Quebec, Cairo, Teheran and Yalta constitute a very valuable addition to the sparse records of the President's participation in international conferences with Churchill, Chiang and Stalin.

Box 15

Inspection Trips, September-October 1942
Presidential Trips, December 19-23, 1942
Hyde Park, February 6-April 5, 1943
Mexico Trip, April 13-29, 1943
Casablanca Conference Trip File, 1943

Box 16

Hyde Park and Shangri-La, May-July 1943
Canadian Fishing Trip and Quadrant Conference (Quebec), July 31-August 29, 1943
Hyde Park and Shangri-La, September 10-October 3, 1943
Hyde Park and Shangri-La, October 7-November 7, 1943

Box 17

Sextant Conference (Cairo-Teheran) [1], November 11-December 17, 1943
Sextant Conference (Cairo-Teheran) [2], November 11-December 17, 1943
Sextant Conference (Cairo-Teheran) [3], November 11-December 17, 1943
Sextant Conference (Cairo-Teheran) [4], November 11-December 17, 1943

Box 18

Hyde Park, December 24, 1943-March 28, 1944
Hobcaw Dispatches - Lists and Summaries, April 9-May 6, 1944
Hobcaw Dispatches, April 9-20, 1944
Hobcaw Dispatches, April 21-30, 1944
Hobcaw Dispatches, May 1-6, 1944

Box 19

Hyde Park and Shangri-La, May 11-July 5, 1944
Pacific Theater: Hawaii and Alaska, July 13-31, 1944
Pacific Theater: Hawaii and Alaska, August 1-8, 1944
Pacific Theater: Hawaii and Alaska, August 9-16, 1944
Miscellaneous Messages, July-August 1944: View Online

Box 20

Hyde Park, August 20-22, 1944: View Online
Hyde Park, September 1-5, 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Six Trips: Hyde Park and Campaign, September 24-November 25, 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Warm Springs, Georgia, November 28-December 8, 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Warm Springs, Georgia, December 9-18, 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Hyde Park, December 24-29, 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Octagon (Quebec II Conference), September 19-20, 1944: View Online (Part 1);View Online (Part 2)
Octagon (Quebec II Conference) - Miscellaneous Correspondence, September 6-15, 1944: View Online

Box 21

Argonaut (1), Yalta Background, October 24, 1944-January 15, 1944: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Argonaut (1), Yalta Background, January 16, 1945: View Online
Argonaut (2), Crimea Conference, Map Room File, January 21-February 7, 1945: View Online (Part 1);View Online (Part 2)
Argonaut (2), Crimea Conference, President's Party File, January 21-February 7, 1945: View Online (Part 1);View Online (Part 2)
Argonaut (2), Crimea Conference, Map Room File, February 8-14, 1945: View Online (Part 1);View Online (Part 2)

Box 22

Argonaut (2), Crimea Conference, President's Party File, February 8-14, 1945: View Online (Part 1);View Online (Part 2)
Argonaut (2), Crimea Conference, Map Room File, Februrary 14-17, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Argonaut (2), Crimea Conference, President's Party File, Februrary 14-17, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Argonaut (2), Crimea Conference, President's Party File, News Summaries, January 23-February 27, 1945: View Online
Argonaut (3), Crimea Conference, Miscellaneous Dispatches, February 2-27, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Argonaut (3), Crimea Conference, Miscellaneous Dispatches, February 4-10, 1945: View Online

Box 23

Hyde Park, January 11-March29, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2); View Online (Part 3)
Warm Springs, Georgia, March 29-April 13, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Letters [Miscellaneous Map Room correspondence], January 2, 1944-April 4, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)

Box 24

Trip Log: President's Inspection Trip, September 17-October1, 1942: View Online
Trip Log: Casablanca Conference, January 9-31, 1943: View Online
Trip Log: President's Inspection Tour, April 13-29, 1943: View Online
Trip Log: President's Visit to Canada, August 16-26, 1943: View Online
Trip Log: President's Trip to Africa and the Middle East, November-December 1943: View Online
Trip Log: President's Trip to Africa and the Middle East [copy 2], November-December 1944: View Online
Trip Log: President's Pacific Inspection Trip, July-August 1944: View Online
Trip Log: Quebec Conference, September 9-21, 1944: View Online
Trip Log: Crimea Conference and Great Bitter Lake Egypt [Yalta], January 22-February 28, 1945: View Online
Trip Log: Crimea Conference and Great Bitter Lake Egypt [Yalta] [copy 2], January 22-February 28, 1946: View Online

Box 25

Conferences: Minutes of Meetings of the Combined Chiefs of Staff - Post-Arcadia, volume 1 (printed and bound), January 23-May 19, 1942: View Online
Conferences: Strategic Studies, Vol. 1. Prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Axis-Iberian Peninsula, date: View Online
Conferences: Strategic Studies, Vol. 2. Prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Japan-Torch followup, date: View Online

Box 26

Casablanca Conference, Papers and Minutes of Meetings, January 1943: View Online
Anfa Conference (Casablanca), Vol. 1 Minutes: View Online
Anfa Conference (Casablanca), Vol. 2 Minutes: View Online
Joint US Staff Planners: Strategic Deployment of the Land, Sea and Air Forces of the US.: View Online

Box 27

Trident Conference (Third Washington Conference), Papers and Minutes of Meetings, May 1943: View Online
Quadrant Conference (Quebec), Papers and Minutes of Meetings, August 1943: View Online
Joint Chiefs of Staff Strategic Studies and Ouline Plans, Book 1: View Online

Box 28

Sextant Conference (Cairo-Teheran), Papers and Minutes of Meetings, Sextant and Eureka Conferences, November-December 1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
The Tehran Conference, Minutes of the Meetings of President Roosevelt, Marshal Stalin and Prime Minister Churchill, November 28-December 1, 1943: View Online
Sextant Conference: Folder 1: View Online
Sextant Conference: Folder 2: View Online
Sextant Conference: Folder 3: View Online
Sextant Conference: Folder 4 (Duplicate material)
Sextant Conference: Folder 5 (Duplicate material)
Sextant Conference: Folder 6 (Duplicate material)

Box 29

Octagon Conference (Second Quebec), Papers and Minutes of Meetings Octagon Conference and Minutes of Meetings of Combined Chiefs of Staff Meetins in London (June 1944), September 1944: View Online
Argonaut Conference (Yalta), Papers and Minutes of Meetings, Argonaut Conference, January-February 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
The Crimean Conference, February 4-11, 1945: View Online
Minutes of Meetings of FDR with Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1942-1945: View Online

Sub-Series 3: Special Subject Files

This subseries is comprised of files on military and diplomatic topics in which the President was vitally interested and about which he sent a great many messages. All available Army, Navy, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and State Department documents on these topics, whether directly related to the President's messages or not, were placed in the "Special Subject" folders. This type of file was begun in early August 1943 in preparation for the President's conference with Prime Minister Churchill in Quebec, and two of the first "Special Subject" folders related to the bombing of Rome and Anglo-American relations with the French National Committee. These folders were found so useful that the practice of filing the President's personal messages with military and diplomatic papers on selected topics in special folders continued until President Roosevelt's death.

Box 30

Submarine Warfare, Joint US-British Statement on, 1943-1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2); View Online (Part 3)
France (1) Currency for, June 7-August 23, 1944: View Online
OVERLORD Operation, Public Statements on, May 1-26, 1944: View Online
Italy, Civil Affairs for, 1944-1945: View Online
North Africa, French National Committee (1) Sec. 1, January 9-June 30, 1943: View Online
North Africa, French National Committee (1) Sec. 2, July 1-September 3, 1943: View Online
French National Committee (Including actions of the Committee in the Lebanon) (1) Sec. 3, December 22, 1943-June 27, 1944: View Online

Box 31

France (1) Sec. 1, Civil Affairs for, April 8-September 22, 1944: View Online
France (1) Sec. 2, Civil Affairs, September 27, 1944-April 7, 1945: View Online
Balkans - Spheres of Influence, British and Russian, May 19-June 30, 1944: View Online
Polish-Russian Relations (1) Sec. 1, January 6-July 6, 1944: View Online
Polish-Russian Relations (1) Sec. 2, July 23-December 18, 1944: View Online
Polish-Russian Relations (1) Sec. 3, September 29, 1944-April 12, 1945: View Online

Box 32

International Security Organization, March 24-April 8, 1945: View Online
International Labor Organization, December 3, 1943-May 29, 1944: View Online
Air Conference (1), Chicago Air Conference, November 21, 1944-March 15, 1945: View Online
Churchill-Stalin Conference, October 9-16, 1944: View Online
Control Commissions, Allied Control Comm. For Italy; European Advisory Commission, August 24, 1943-November 17, 1944: View Online
Moscow Conference (1), Sec. 1, October 18-28, 1943: View Online
Moscow Conference (1), Sec. 2, October 29-November 7, 1943: View Online

Box 33

Spain, Portugal, Azores (2), Sec. 1, May 18, 1943-November 17, 1944: View Online
Bombing of Rome, June 13-August 20, 1943: View Online
West Front Offensive on East Bank of Rhine, March 28-April 15, 1945: View Online
Anvil, May 13-July 4, 1944: View Online
Agean Operation (Accolade), October 5-15, 1943: View Online
Japan (1), Russian Participation in War Against, September 24, 1944-April 12, 1945: View Online

Box 34

American POWs in Russia and Poland, March 3-26, 1945: View Online
Sending Officers to Moscow to Disscuss Future Operations, December 21, 1944-March 22, 1945: View Online
Italy (1), Sec. 1 - Surrender of Italy, June 15-August 15, 1943: View Online
Italy (1), Sec. 2 - Surrender of Italy, August 16-September 15, 1943: View Online
Italy (1), Sec. 3 - Surrender of Italy, September 16-December 31, 1943: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Italy (1), Sec. 4 - Surrender of Italy, January 1-October 22, 1944: View Online

Box 35

Germany (2), Sec. 1, Italian Negotiations, February 27-April 12, 1945: View Online
Bulgaria (1) - Peace Feelers, February 9-August 26, 1944: View Online
Germany, Zones of Occupation, February 7-April 10, 1945: View Online (Part 1); View Online (Part 2)
Italy (2), Sec. 1, Transfer of Italian ships to Soviet Union, August 28, 1943-January 20, 1945: View Online
France (2), Disposition of French Ships at Alexandria, July 1, 1942-March 30, 1945: View Online
Japan (1), Air Operations Against, February 3-September 24, 1944: View Online
US-USSR-Italy (1) - Shuttle Bombing Operations, January 31-June 9, 1944: View Online
US-USSR-Italy (2) - Shuttle Bombing Operations, Miscl. Dispatches, March 11-July 28, 1944: View Online
Additional Roosevelt-Stalin Messages, July 17, 1944-January 17, 1945: View Online
Oil Conference, February 20-June 23, 1944: View Online

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Messages],
[Series 2: Military Files],
[All]