As the U. S., Britain, and the Soviet Union met to discuss entering World War II in December 1941, they formed a partnership that became known as the Allies (which later included France and China). But while their interests seemed easy to coordinate, they weren't.

Because of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Americans wanted to fight the Japanese first and concentrate all initial wartime efforts in the Pacific. Although revenge was a prime motivator, the other argument for focusing on Japan first was to make sure that they would not have time to build up their defenses in Asia. The Allies couldn't afford to give Japan the time to solidify control over the huge populations and vast raw materials of Asia.

For the British, the problem was more immediate — their survival was at stake. Just a few months prior to the formation of the Allies, Hitler had nearly destroyed Britain. And with German forces on the outskirts of Moscow, the Soviets didn't seem to be far from falling, which meant Hitler could turn against Britain again. The idea of an untouched Germany dominating Europe for years to come while the Allies fought in Asia was unthinkable.

Meanwhile, the Soviets were screaming for help. Without a British-American attack to draw off German forces from the east, the Soviet Union was in grave danger. And the Americans and British wanted to keep the Soviets in the war — without their manpower, defeating the Nazis would have been impossible. But neither the British nor the Americans wanted to give up their plan and by July 1942, British and American military planners had still made no progress.