5. Jurnalul Conferintei de La Potsdam. Henri Truman

7/26/2019 5. Jurnalul Conferintei de La Potsdam. Henri Truman

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The release of atomic energy constitutes a new forcetoo revolutionary to consider in the framework of oldideas. Harry S. Truman.

BARTO !. B"RST"#

n My 7, 1945, accompaniedby advisers and armed withbriefing papers, President

Harry S. r!man departed on theAugusta for the Potsdam meetingwith Premier "oseph Sta#in and

Prime Minister $inston %h!rchi##. &twas r!man's first trip abroad aspresident and, in fact, his first trip

across the (t#antic since so#diering in

$or#d) $ar &. *&t was a wonderf!#crossing+ on the Augusta, he #aterreca##ed, citing the fine band), thenight#y movies, and the manyceremonies.

he conference was r!man'sfirst meeting with Sta#in and %h!r-chi##. &t was an opport!nity for him"o assess them, to test himse#f, and to

be tested by them. n#y thirteenwees in the presidency when theconference opened, he was an/io!sand !ncertain. 0either his years assenator nor his months as vice-

president had ade!ate#y prepared

Barton J. Bernstein, associate professor ofhistory at Stanford University, is the author ofHiroshima and 0agasai 2econsidered3 he(tomic ombings of "apan and theri- gins ofthe %o#d $ar, 1941-1945 (1975) and theeditorof a!ong other vo"u!es., Po#itics andPo#icies of the r!man (dministration.

him to dea# with foreign po#icy. 0ot!nti# he became president in (pri#,for e/amp#e, had he even #earned ofthe secret a#ta agreements or of thesignificance of the ManhattanPro6ect, code name for the-(-bomb

pro6ect.espite %h!rchi##'s entreaties inthe spring for an ear#ier meeting of

the ig hree, r!man had de#ayed

the conference, at #east part#y be-ca!se he wanted to now the res!#tsof the (-bomb test. He arrived atPotsdam on the 15th, b!t not !nti# thene/t evening did He receive the briefreport that the test at (#amogordohad been s!ccessf!#. *perated onthis morning,+ was the message incode, *diagnosis not yet comp#ete b!tres!#ts seem satisfactory and a#readye/ceed e/pectations.+ (ccording toSecretary of $ar Henry 8. -Stim-son, who carried the message to the

president, he *ept it and was: de-#ighted with it.+

etween "!#y 17th and (!g!st ;,r!man, Secretary of State "ames


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that it provoed bitter discord inthe ne/t year.

he (merican-Sovietdisc!ssions of Soviet entry intothe "apanese war avoided sharpdisagreements. he Soviet#eaders emphasi?ed that Aintervention awaited asett#ement of Sino-Sovietnegotiationsb!t entry seemednear, B(ccording to r!man,Sta#in forecast entry by (!g!st15, b!t a topC Soviet genera##ater to#d Marsha## the *#ast ha#fof (!g!st.*.

Truman+s 'iary- &n 197D, after thirty-three years,. r!man's handwritten secret diaryfor seven of his days at PotsdamE"!#y 1F, 17, 1D, ;G, ;5, ;F, and G

E-became avai#ab#e at the r!-.man #ibrary, &t had been t!ded-away among the segment of his

papers opened we## after his death..hat diary, !np!b#ished !nti# now,a##ows !s to e/amine, those critica#days thro!gh a new #ens.

here is In obvio!s b!t

diffic!#t set of !estions3 $hydid he eep this brief diaryJ $asit for his own record, possib#y toshow to friends and re#atives, ormaybe for #ater p!b#icationJhere is no c#ear answer for hisPotsdam diary, nor for the fewdai#y acco!nts he had made in-the preceding wees or for themore fre!ent b!t sti## scatteredentries of #ater years. (nd thereis the c!rio!s matter that thePotsdam diary contains entriesfor on#y seven days. $ere therediary acco!nts for other days atPotsdam that got #ost over the

yearsJ &t is possib#e sincer!man seems to have .beenre#ative#y care#ess with his

papers. His view of some of theG &=0 S>2K&%> "L20(8,Ju"y/August,

+ The "dited 'l,ry

Here-is the entire transcribeddiary,- with occasiona# additionsand corrections, by the editor )im

bracets.

Berlin- !uly ie./0123

- oday hasC been an historica#)one. (rrived #ast night from(ntwerp via the PresidentCs N-54and was-driven to the movie

co#ony district- in Potsdam, he -=erman $i## Hays (merica'smovie c?ar: apparent#y had what isconsidered) the best ho!se. &t wasfi/ed !p forme as President andca##ed the er#in $hite Ho!se. &t isa dirty ye##ow and red. C (- r!ined


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c#ever in the >ng#ish not the Qen-t!cy sense. He gave me a #ot ofhooey abo!t how great my co!ntryis and how he #oved 2ooseve#t andhow he intended to #ove me etc. etc.$e## & gave him as cordia# areception as & co!#dEbeing nat!r-a##y T& hopeU a po#ite and agreeab#e

person.& am s!reV we can get a#ong if

he doesn't try to give* me too m!ch

soft soap. o! now soft soap ismade of ash, hop per #ie #ye: and itb!rns to beat heW when it gets intothe eyes. &t's fXne for chigger bites

b!t not so good for rose comp#e/-ions. !t & haven't a rose comp#e/-ion.

$e str!c, a *b#ow for #iberty+when he #eft in ScotchEnot theright brand for the p!rpose as theo#d K.P. "ac =arner can testify.

he photo men had a fie#d daywhen he #eft. (t VG P.M. Mr. Secof State "ames


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&t is the =o#den 2!#e in reverseEand it is not an !p#ifting sight. $hat a

pity that the h!man anima# is not ab#eto p!t his mora# thining into practice

$e saw o#d men, o#d women,,yo!ng women, chi#dren from tots toteens carrying pacs ,: p!shing carts,

p!##ing carts, evident#y e6ected by thecon!erors and carrying what theyco!#d of their be#ongings to nowherein partic!#ar.

&- tho!ght of %arthage, aa#becaa#be:, "er!sa#em, 2ome, (t-# am sure they will

when %anhattana55ears over theirhomeland. # shall

inform Stalin a6out itat o55ortune time.7

#anta, Peing, aby#on, 0ineveh3 EScipio,C2aineses &&, it!s, Hermann,Sherman, =enghis Qhan, (#e/ander,ari!s the =reatEb!t Hit#er on#ydestroyed Sta#ingradE and er#in. &

hope for some sort of peaceEb!t &fear that machines are ahead of mora#s

by some cent!ries and when mora#scatch !p perhaps there'## be: noreason for any of it.

& hope not, b!t we are on#y ter-mites on a p#anet and maybe when we

bore too deep#y into the p#anet there'##be: a reconingEwho nowsJ

!uly /8923

"!st spent a co!p#e of ho!rs withSta#in. "oe avies former (merican

ambassador to 2!ssia: ca##ed on&van: Maisy (ssistant


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had to do my part at home. He gaveme a most cordia# smi#e and said he$o!#d do as m!ch in 2!ssia.

$e then went to the conferenceand it was my 6ob to present theMinisters proposed agenda. herewere three proposa#s on peacemachinery, a %ontro# %ommissionfor =ermany, and the Po#ish !es-tion: and & banged them thro!gh inshort order, m!ch to the s!rprise of

Mr. %h!rchi##. Sta#in was verym!ch p#eased. %h!rchi## was tooafter he had recovered. &'m notgoing to stay aro!nd this terrib#e

p#ace a## s!mmer 6!st to #isten tospeeches. i# go home to the Senatefor that.

!uly :; /0123

"im #air now 8t. %o#. came infor breafast. Harry r!man'snephew: #eft for Paris and 0.. S!rehated to see him go. isc!ssed=erman sit!ation with "im. He had

been in command of c#ean !p detai#which prepared for the (mericanocc!pation, especia##y for o!rconference de#egation. Said it wasthe fi#thiest p#ace imaginab#e. 0osanitary arrangements whatever.oi#ets a## f!## and a## stopped !p.asements !sed as o!tdoor toi#ets.Said the sewer system evident#yhadn't wored for months. Same a##over town. Said =ermans are soreand s!##en. hat we wo!#d not treatthem ro!gh eno!gh. 2!ssianstreated 'em too ro!gh and too

ind#y. (nyway it's a he## of a messany way it's taen.Saw =en mar rad#ey abo!t

taing over the Kets, b!rea! Ket-erans (dministration:. $i## taeover (!g. 15th. a#ed to =en.wight .: >isenhower abo!tgovernment of =ermany a#ongsame #ines as &'d ta#ed to =en.8!ci!s .: %#ay (merica's dep!tymi#itary governor in =ermany:. =ota concrete program to present.- 2aised a f#ag over o!r area iner#in. &t is thCe f#ag raised in 2ome,

0orth (frica and Paris. !phrates Ka##ey >ra, after 0oah andhis fab!#o!s (r.

(nyway we thin we have fo!ndthe way to ca!se a disintegration ofthe atom. (n e/periment in the 0ewMe/ican desert at (#amogordo on"!#y 1Fth: was start#ingE to p!t itmi#d#y. hirteen po!nds of thee/p#osive ca!sed the comp#etedisintegration of a stee# tower FG feethigh, created a crater F feet deep and1;GG feet in diameter, noced over astee# tower +2 mi#e away andnoced down men 1G,GGG yardsaway. he e/p#osion was visib#e formore than ;GG mi#es and a!dib#e for

4G mi#es and more.he weapon is to be !sed against"apan between now and (!g!st 1Gth. &have to#d the Sec. of $ar Mr Henry8.: Stimson to !se it so that mi#itaryob6ectives and so#diers and sai#ors arethe target and not women andchi#dren. >ven if the "aps are savages,r!th#ess, merci#ess and fanatic, we asthe #eader of the wor#d for thecommon we#fare cannot drop thisterrib#e bomb on the o#d %apita#Qyoto: or the new oyo:.

He Z & are in accord. he target

wi## be a p!re#y mi#itary one and wewi## iss!e a warning statement thePotsdam ec#aration on the ;Fth:asing the "aps to s!rrender and save#ives. &'m s!re they wi## not do that,

b!t we wi## have given them thechance. &t is certain#y a good thing forthe wor#d that Hit#er's crowd orSta#in's did not discover this atomic

bomb. &t seems to be the most terrib#ething ever discovered, b!t it can bemade the most !sef!#.

(t 1GV15 & had =en. Marsha##come in arid disc!ss with me the

tactica# and po#itica# sit!ation. He is a#eve#-headed manEso isMo!ntbatten. .


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(t the %onference Po#and and theo#shevii #and grab came !p. 2!ssiahe#ped herse#f to a s#ice of Po#and andgave Po#and a nice s#ice of=ermanytaing a#so a good s#ice of >astPr!ssia for herse#f. Po#and has movedin !p to the der and

the west 0eisse, taing Stettin andSi#esia as a fact accomp#ished. My

position is' that according to com-mitments made at a#ta by my pre-decessor =ermany was to be [dividedinto fo!r occ!pation ?ones, one each forritain, 2!ssia and ng. to getready for depart!re to LS some day

soon. Secretary of (ontinued on page-)


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TR$%A AT &OST'A%>H#S S")R"T '#AR*

from page 34

0avy "as "ames: isenhowerand son were a#so at@ breafast with!s. His boy is a nice fe##ow. (dm

>dward 8.: %ochranfe6 and severa#other nava# officers were present.%onference is de#ayed. Sta#in and

Mo#otov were to ca## on me yesterdayto disc!ss Po#ish !estion and2eparations. Mo#otov came b!t noSta#in. Said He was sic. 0o bigthree meeting yesfer- , day and nonetoday as a res!#t of Sta#in'sindisposition. Sent him a notee/pressing regret at his i##ness. Sent%h!rchi## a note of conso#ation, te##inghim we regretted his fai#!re to ret!rnafter the 8abor Party victory: and

wishing him a #ong and happy #ife.&f Sta#in sho!#d s!dden#y cash init wo!#d be the end f the origina#ig hree. !rope if "oe s!dden#y

passed o!t. &f some dmagog!e onhorsebac gained contro# of theefficient 2!ssian mi#itary machine, heco!#d p#ay havoc with >!ropean peacefor a whi#e. & a#so wonder if there is aman with the necessary strength andfo##owing to step into Sta#in's p#ace

and maintain peace and so#idarity athome. &t isn't c!stomary for dictatorsto train #eaders to fo##ow them ) in

power. &'ve seen ho one at this%onference in the 2!ssian #ine !pwho can do the 6ob. Mo#otov is notab#e- to do it.- He #acs sincerity.Kishinsy same thing and Maisy isshort on honesty. $e## we sha## seewhat we sha## see. Lnc#e "oe's prettyto!gh menta##y and physica##y b!tthere is an end to every man and wecanCt he#p b!t spec!#ate.

$e are at an impasse on Po#and

and its $est 0eisse to the %?echo-s#ovaian border. "!st a !ni#atera#arrangement witho!t so m!ch as a byyo!r #eave. & don't #ie it.

2ooseve#t. #et Maisy mention twentybi##ions as reparations from=ermany:Eha#f for 2!ssia and ha#ffor everybody e#se. >/perts say nos!ch fig!re is avai#ab#eR

&' ve made it p#ain th\t the LnitedStates of (merica does not intend to

pay reparations this time as after$or#d $ar &:. & want the =erman warind!stry machine comp#ete#ydismant#ed and as: far as L.S. is

concerned the other a##ies can divide it!p on any basis they .choose.

5. Jurnalul Conferintei de La Potsdam. Henri Truman

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