Rabat – Laura Roosevelt, former US president Franklin Roosevelt’s granddaughter, is expected on January 20 in Casablanca to commemorate of the 75th anniversary of the Anfa Conference, which constituted a watershed moment in World War II.
Following an invitation from the United Kingdom and United States embassies in Morocco, Roosevelt’s granddaughter will participate in a roundtable in the presence of Allen Packwood, director of archives of former British Prime Minister Churchill, and the historian Meredith Hindley, author of “Destination Casablanca: Exile, Espionage, and the Battle for North Africa in World War II.”
The book published in October 2017 sheds light on Casablanca’s pivotal role in World War II and tells the story of the real-life drama of the refugees, resistance fighters and Allied spies who flowed through the city in the build-up to Operation Torch in November 1942. It was the first major operation that US troops undertook in the North African theatre of World War II.
The conference of Anfa took place in Casablanca in January 1943 between American President Franklin Roosevelt, Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill and France’s General de Gaulle. During the conference, the allies agreed on “unconditional surrender” of the Axis power.
President Roosevelt organized a dinner party in honor of the late Mohammed V, indicating America’s recognition of Morocco’s legitimate longing for independence.
