The Cold War: Potsdam Conference

Letters from Truman to his wife BESS

Source: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/lesson-plans/harry-truman-and-potsdam-conference

Task: Read the three letters below and then answer the questions below each letter.

Key Historical Dates:

• Yalta Conference: 4 to 11 February 1945
• Victory in Europe Day (German surrender): 8 May 1945
• First successful detonation of an atomic bomb by the US: 16 July 1945
• Potsdam Conference: 17 July to 2 August 1945
• Bombing of Hiroshima: 6 August 1945
• Bombing of Nagasaki: 9 August 1945
• Victory in Japan Day (Japanese surrender): 12 August 1945
 Letter one
1 July 25, 1945

2 Berlin July 25, 1945

3 Dear Bess:

4 We have been going at it hammer and tongs in the last few days and it looks as if we may finish up
5 Sunday. I hope so at any rate. I told them yesterday that I intend to head for Washington at the
6 earliest possible moment and that when we came to an impasse I would leave.

7 We have accomplished a very great deal in spite of all the talk. Set up a council of ministers to
8 negotiate peace with Italy, Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Finland, and Austria. We have discussed a
9 free waterway program for Europe, making the Black Sea straits, the Danube, the Rhine, and the Kiel
10 Canal free to everyone. We have a setup for the government of Germany and we hope we are in
11 sight of agreement on reparations.

12 So you see we have not wasted time. There are some things we can't agree to. Russia and Poland
13 have gobbled up a big hunk of Germany and want Britain and us to agree. I have flatly refused. We
14 have unalterably opposed the recognition of police governments in the Germany Axis countries. I
15 told Stalin that until we had free access to those countries and our nationals had their property rights
16 restored, so far as we were concerned there'd never be recognition. He seems to like it when I hit
17 him with a hammer.

18 …

19 Kiss Margie, lots of love, Harry.

Questions:

1. What does the term “hammer and tongs” (line 4) mean?

2. Who is Truman referring to when he talks about telling “them” (line 5) something?
3. What does the term “impasse” (line 6) mean? Why might Truman want to leave if they had
reached such an impasse?
4. According to Truman, what have they accomplished so far? (lines 7-11)
5. What areas are they struggling to reach agreement on? (lines 12-17)
 Letter TWO
1 July 29, 1945

2 Berlin July 29, 1945

3 Dear Bess:

4 It made me terribly homesick when I talked with you yesterday morning. It seemed as if you were
5 just around the corner, if six thousand miles can be just around the corner. I spent the day after the
6 call trying to think up reasons why I should bust up the conference and go home.

7 Byrnes and I conferred all day on this and that and the other thing and finally got things down to the
8 point of final agreement on Lend-Lease with the British, French, and South American countries, and
9 for the Big Three, reparations and the Western boundary of Poland. If we can get a reasonably sound
10 approach to those two things, we can wind this brawl up by Tuesday and we'll head for home
11 immediately. Stalin and Molotov are coming to see me at eleven o'clock this morning and I am going
12 to straighten it out.

13 I like Stalin. He is straightforward. Knows what he wants and will compromise when he can't get it.
14 His foreign minister isn't so forthright.

15 The British returned last night. They came and called on me at nine-thirty. Attlee is an Oxford man
16 and talks like the much overrated Mr. Eden and Bevin is an English John L. Lewis. Can you imagine
17 John L. being my Secretary of State? Well we shall see what we shall see. I believe after reading all
18 the minutes, we have obtained all we came for and that there will be a good report to the country.
19 Just the two things to settle but they are the hardest of course.

20 The Senate vote was great and will have a very fine effect over here. Pray for me and keep your
21 fingers crossed too. If I come out of this one whole there'll be nothing to worry over until the end of
22 the Jap War.

23 Kiss Margie, lots of love to you, Harry.

Questions:

1. What did Truman manage to agree to with the “Big Three” by this date? (lines 7-9)
2. How does Truman feel about Stalin? Use quotes to support your view. (lines 13-14)
3. Where did the British “return” from? What has changed about the British delegation? (lines
15-16)
4. How does Truman feel the negotiations have gone for the US? Use quotes to support your
view. (lines 17-19)
 Letter THREE
1 July 31, 1945

2 Berlin July 31, 1945

3 Dear Bess:

4 It was surely good to talk with you this morning at 7:00 A.M. It is hard to think that it is 11:00 P.M.
5 yesterday where you are. The connection was not so good this morning on account of the storms
6 over the Atlantic.

7 We have been going great guns the last day or two and while the conference was at a standstill
8 because of Uncle Joe's indisposition, the able Mr. Byrnes, Molotov, and Attlee and Bevin all worked
9 and accomplished a great deal. I rather think Mr. Stalin is stallin' because he is not so happy over the
10 English elections. He doesn't know it but I have an ace in the hole and another one showing--so
11 unless he has threes or two pair (and I know he has not) we are sitting all right.

12 The whole difficulty is reparations. Of course the Russians are naturally looters and they have been
13 thoroughly looted by the Germans over and over again and you can hardly blame them for their
14 attitude. The thing I have to watch is to keep our skirts clean and make no commitments.

15 The Poles are the other headache. They have moved into East Prussia and to the Oder in Prussia, and
16 unless we are willing to go to war again they can stay and they will stay with Bolshivki [sic] backing--
17 so you see in comes old man reparations again and a completely German-looted Poland.

18 Byrnes, Leahy and I have worked out a program I think to fit a bad situation. We should reach a
19 tentative agreement in the Big Three this afternoon and final one tomorrow and be on the way
20 Thursday and surely not later than Friday.

21 …

22 I'll sure be glad to see you and the White House and be where I can at least go to bed without being
23 watched.

24 Kiss my baby, lots and lots of love, Harry

25 I've got to lunch with the Limey King when I get to Plymouth.

Questions:

1. Who is “Uncle Joe” (line 8)?

2. What does Truman mean when he says the US has “an ace in the hole and another one
showing”? Consider the date of this letter and other events that had occurred.
3. What are the main issues with reaching agreement? (lines 12-17)
4. What is Truman’s view of the behaviour of the Russians? (lines 12-14)
5. What is Truman’s concern about Poland? (lines 15-17)
6. What does the term “Limey” mean? (line 25)