The Potsdam Conference began on this day in 1945 Potsdam was located in occupied Germany.. It would be the last big conference between the Big Three Powers- US/USSR/Great Britain. There had been some changes in the 5ive months since the Yalta Conference. The Soviets now occupied central and eastern Europe. During the conference Winston Churchill would lose the election in Great Britain to Clemente Attlee. President Franklin Roosevelt had died and had been replaced by Harry Truman. Finally the war was winding down and the US tested an atomic bomb and was about to use it on Japan.

The Potsdam Conference would last from July 17th until August 2nd. During the conference President Truman pulled Joe Stalin aside and told him that the US had developed a powerful new weapon. Stalin showed no special interest in it and just remarked that he was glad we had it and hoped we’d make good use of it against the Japanese.

Early on Harry Truman was fooled by “Uncle Joe” he thought he was someone who you could deal with. Harry Truman had risen in the Pendergrast Machine in Kansas City and had to deal with Tom Pendergrast and  some rough characters. He had never had to deal with a Joe Stalin though. He would eventually realize Stalin was of a different breed.