It Rhymes with Malta

When they met in the Soviet Crimea in February 1945 to plan the end of World War II, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin also set the stage for the long-running drama that may dominate next month's meeting off Malta. In effect, if not by intent, Roosevelt and Churchill sanctioned Soviet dominance over Eastern Europe. Now, 44 years later, George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev must grapple with the disintegration of that Soviet supremacy.

The American, British and Soviet leaders met at Yalta at a time when the Red Army had liberated most of Eastern Europe from Hitler's troops and were...

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