The Presidential Library’s virtual tour to illustrate historical meetings of the leaders of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain

The Presidential Library provides access to a virtual tour of the exhibition "Eureka" and "The Island": Tehran-43 and Yalta-45. History of Landmark Decisions” illustrating two historical meetings of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill, which determined the outcome of World War II and the post-war structure of the world.

“Eureka” and “The Island” are the code names under which the most important meetings of the Big Three took place in Tehran in the autumn of 1943 and in Yalta in the winter of 1945.

In the course of the Second World War it became obvious that the tasks facing the leaders of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition could only be solved by developing a general plan of action and only through personal negotiations. At the end of November 1943, the long-awaited first meeting of the heads of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain took place when an agreement on the timing and place of the opening of the second front was signed. From 4 to 11 February 1945 in Crimea, the leaders of the three countries determined the development of the post-war world order and spheres of influence, discussed the fate of war criminals…

Visitors to the Presidential Library’s portal have a unique opportunity to see unknown photographs of the leaders of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain visiting Sevastopol during the Yalta conference: a visit to the coastal strip, a pier, meetings with Black Sea sailors, a stay at the sites of recently ended battles. For a long time these images were kept in the storage of the branch of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defence - the Archive of the Navy in the city of Gatchina, Leningrad Region. Thanks to the interaction between the Presidential Library, the Ministry of Defence and the Main Command of the Navy, they were digitized, and today are available to the general public.

The virtual exhibition also features important historical documents from the Central Archives of the FSB of Russia and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum: correspondence of the Big Three members; photographs from protocol and informal events; transcripts of world leaders' conversations; detailed reports spotlighting the preparation of meetings, including safety and security arrangements.

Colorful posters and leaflets from the collections of the National Library of Russia highlight the united power of the Allies and the inevitability of their victory. Newsreels, fragments from feature films, modern documentary shooting help to feel the atmosphere of that time.

The Presidential Library’s portal provides access to other expositions related to the Great Patriotic War which were also moved from real space to digital. These are the virtual tours of the exhibitions: “1939. The Outbreak of the Second World War”, “The Great Patriotic War, which determined the outcome of the Second World War. Marking the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945”, “Materialized Memory: Defence and Siege of Leningrad in Museum Expositions. Marking the 75th anniversary of the Complete Liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi siege", "Weapons Designer and Assault Rifle: the Path of a Great Master. Marking the Centenary of Mikhail Kalashnikov”, “An Artist against the Fuhrer: Fascism in Boris Yefimov's Caricatures. Marking the 80th anniversary of the Outbreak of World War II”. In addition, visitors to the institution's portal, without leaving home, are able to visit the State Memorial Museum of Defence and Siege of Leningrad, the Kobona: The Road of Life Museum, the unique school museum “And the Muses Were not Silent ...”.

Virtual projects are an actively developing area of the Presidential Library's activity, thanks to which the electronic repository, along with paper, photo, audio and video materials, is added with exhibits from exhibitions, items from museum collections.

Today there are more than twenty-five virtual tours and excursions for remote visits available on the Presidential Library’s portal in the Exhibitions section at https://www.prlib.ru/about_exhibition