Marching to Victory: The Yalta Conference Marching to Victory: The Bombing of Dresden More in this series: Marching to Victory: Iwo Jima
#POTSDAM CONFERENCE SERIES#
Now, follow key events from the war’s final months with the Truman Library Institute’s series, “Marching to Victory: WWII Highlights from the Truman Library’s Archives and Collections.” The 25-part blog series opens the vaults at Truman’s presidential library to share eyewitness accounts and historic artifacts related to major conflicts and monumental victories – from the Battle of the Bulge to the liberation of Dachau to the unconditional surrender of Japan. Stay tuned for more Potsdam later this month!ħ5 years ago, World War II ended under President Truman’s decisive leadership.Robert Oppenheimer and other West Wing advisors. Step back to 1945 and into the roles of President Truman, J. Relive history in The White House Decision Center.In the midst of difficult negotiations, President Truman kept his sense of humor. “‘It looks like the Russians are trying to make a German stinker out of me,” he quipped. Upon discovering the bottle, President Truman emerged from the bathroom holding the bottle and grinning. The Soviets, who were hosting the conference in a section of Germany they controlled, left the gift for President Truman. After returning to his Potsdam apartment from a meeting, Truman discovered the cologne in his bathroom. One of Truman’s aids brought home a small souvenir from the tense negotiations: a bottle of German cologne. “I’ll sure be glad to see you and the White House and be where I can at least go to bed without being watched,” he wrote to Bess. Truman’s letter also reveals the toll that long diplomatic engagements have on those involved. Of course the Russians are naturally looters and they have been thoroly looted by the Germans over and over again and you can hardly blame them for their attitude….” Stalin is stallin ….The whole difficulty is reparations. Although “the Conference was at a standstill because of Uncle Joe’s indisposition,” the Western Allied negotiators “all worked and accomplished a great deal….I rather think Mr. “We have been going great guns the last day or two,” Truman wrote to Bess two weeks into the Potsdam Conference. UNCLE JOE’S INDISPOSITION: HARRY’S LETTER TO BESS, JULY 31, 1945 He is honest - but smart as hell.”ĭespite the success of this first meeting, negotiations at Potsdam set the stage for a long and precarious Cold War. He did and it is dynamite - but I have some dynamite too which I’m not exploding now….I can deal with Stalin. He said he had and that he had some more questions to present. I asked him if he had the agenda for the meeting. I told Stalin that I am no diplomat but usually said yes or no to questions after hearing all the argument. I did the same….After the usual polite remarks we got down to business. I got to my feet and advanced to meet him. “Promptly a few minutes before twelve I looked up from the desk and there stood Stalin in the doorway. How could this new American president - who lacked any real experience in international relations - hope to achieve such a balancing act? Three items in the collections of the Truman Library and Museum provide insights into the president’s diplomacy during those momentous days in Potsdam: a diary entry, a letter, and a cologne bottle.ĭIPLOMATIC HOPES: TRUMAN’S DIARY ENTRY, JULY 17, 1945Īfter his initial meeting with Joseph Stalin, Truman privately expressed relief in his diary: At the same time, President Truman wanted Stalin’s support in ending the war with Japan. He was growing suspicious of Stalin’s intentions in Europe and needed to take a tough stance against the Soviet suggestion that Germany be completely disarmed. While the world’s most powerful leaders were allies, they held opposing views on the shape of a post-war world. With Germany defeated and occupied, heads of the “Big Three” Allied nations - the United States, the Soviet Union and Britain - had begun a 16-day conference in Potsdam, Germany, to decide the fate of war-torn Europe. This question loomed large for President Harry Truman when he met with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin for the first time on July 17, 1945. What do you do when you’re about to win a war and your mightiest ally seems just as dangerous as your enemies?
WWII highlights from the Truman Library’s archives and collections Marching to Victory: The Potsdam Conference Past Recipients of the Truman Book Award.
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