World War II: Behind Closed Doors

Joseph Stalin was a tyrant responsible for the death of millions, yet he was also a vital ally of Britain and America during the Second World War. How was it possible for Churchill and Roosevelt to deal with one tyrant, Joseph Stalin, in order to help beat another, Adolf Hitler? That's one of the key questions at the heart of this six-part landmark history series. The series uses dramatic reconstructions, based on extensive fresh research in Russian and Western archives, and extraordinary testimony from witnesses of the time, including former Soviet secret policemen who have not spoken before on camera, in order to tell a 'behind closed doors' history. This first episode focuses on the secret history of the non-aggression pact between Hitler and Stalin.

Joseph Stalin was a tyrant responsible for the death of millions - yet he was also a vital ally of Britain and America during the Second World War. How was it possible for Churchill and Roosevelt to deal with one tyrant, Joseph Stalin, in order to help beat another - Adolf Hitler? That's one of the key questions at the heart of this six-part landmark history series for BBC2. The series uses dramatic reconstructions based on extensive fresh research in Russian and Western archives, and extraordinary testimony from witnesses of the time, including former Soviet secret policemen who have not spoken before on camera. This second episode focuses on the secret history of Stalin's dealings with Churchill and the West in the wake of the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

Joseph Stalin was a tyrant responsible for the death of millions - yet he was also a vital ally of Britain and America during the Second World War. How was it possible for Churchill and Roosevelt to deal with one tyrant - Stalin - in order to help beat another - Adolf Hitler? That's one of the key questions at the heart of this series. Using dramatic reconstructions, based on extensive fresh research in Russian and Western archives, and testimony from witnesses of the time, including former Soviet secret policemen who have not spoken before on camera, in order to tell a 'behind closed doors' history. It's a new way of looking at this most vital period, and may change the way people think about the war. This episode focuses on the secret history of Churchill's first meeting with Stalin in Moscow and the behind-the-scenes actions of Roosevelt's emissary to the Soviet Union.

Joseph Stalin was a tyrant responsible for the death of millions, yet he was also a vital ally of Britain and America during the Second World War. How was it possible for Churchill and Roosevelt to deal with one tyrant, Joseph Stalin, in order to help beat another, Adolf Hitler? That's one of the key questions at the heart of this new six part landmark history series. The series uses dramatic reconstructions, based on extensive fresh research in Russian and Western archives, and extraordinary testimony from witnesses of the time, including former Soviet secret policemen who have not spoken before on camera. This fourth episode focuses on the behind the scenes story of the first meeting of the 'Big Three', Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, at Tehran, as well as the secret history of the Soviet attempt to cover up the mass murders at Katyn.

Joseph Stalin was a tyrant responsible for the death of millions, yet he was also a vital ally of Britain and America during the Second World War. How was it possible for Churchill and Roosevelt to deal with one tyrant, Joseph Stalin, in order to help beat another, Adolf Hitler? That's one of the key questions at the heart of this new six part landmark history series. The series uses dramatic reconstructions - based on extensive fresh research in Russian and Western archives - and extraordinary testimony from witnesses of the time, including former Soviet secret policemen who have not spoken before on camera, in order to tell a 'Behind Closed Doors' history. It's a new way on television of looking at this most vital period, and will change the way you think about the war. This fifth episode focuses on the dramatic story of the Red Army's fight through Eastern Europe in 1944, as well as the behind the scenes history of the most famous Allied conference of the war at Yalta in the Crimea.

Joseph Stalin was a tyrant responsible for the death of millions, yet he was also a vital ally of Britain and America during the Second World War. How was it possible for Churchill and Roosevelt to deal with one tyrant, Joseph Stalin, in order to help beat another, Adolf Hitler? That's one of the key questions at the heart of this new six-part landmark history series. The series uses dramatic reconstructions, based on extensive fresh research in Russian and Western archives, and extraordinary testimony from witnesses of the time, including former Soviet secret policemen who have not spoken before on camera, in order to tell a 'Behind Closed Doors' history. This episode looks at the dramatic story of the collapse of the Alliance in the wake of the end of the war, and Stalin's desire to turn on his wartime comrades.