Stalin replied to Eisenhower’s message. He told him that his plan ‘completely coincided’ with that of the Red Army and that ‘Berlin has lost its former strategic importance.’ The Soviet Union would deploy only secondary forces against it, while its main effort would be made to the south to join up with American forces, probably in the second half of May. ‘However, this plan may undergo certain alterations, depending on circumstances.’ It was the greatest April Fool in modern history.
