U.S.–British Staff Conference (ABC–1)
The conference took place in Washington, D.C. from January 29 to March 27, 1941 and concluded with a report entitled "ABC-1" which was tacitly approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt two days later.After Roosevelt won a landslide victory against Wendell Willkie, it was agreed that they begin shortly after his third inauguration in January 1941.The United States based its proposals off of Harold R. Stark's Plan Dog memorandum advocating a quick defeat of Nazi Germany, which laid the groundwork for the "Europe first" grand strategy.The British initially called for a Sun Tsu approach of attacking the flanks and periphery of the Nazi interests (North Africa, Middle East, etc.).The general principles of agreement stated that:[4] Offensive policies included:[4] Finally, if Japan entered the war, military strategy in the Far East would be defensive.