Abstract
In writing this thesis on the Potsdam Conference, I have attempted to explain the significance and events of the conference from the point of view of the United States delegation. In particular, I have tried to show Harry S Truman's actions and reactions when it came to a confrontation with the Allied Powers. From my research, I have developed a profound respect for the aptitude and leadership of this man. Therefore, I have devoted one chapter to a brief analysis of Truman's character, particularly as described by those around him. I have tried to show the characteristics which made Truman learn and develop leadership qualities especially needed in the world of diplomacy. | Since the Potsdam Conference was the last of the wartime conferences, it, more than any other conference, expressly reflects the end of cooperation between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. And since it was Truman's first face-to-face confrontation with the Communist leadership, it could be cited as the starting point which was to lead to a much firmer United States stand toward the Soviet Union than practiced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In fact, in one sense, the lessons learned by Truman at this conference may have been the seeds that would later bloom into the Marshall Plan, NATO, and other post-war containment policies which are so closely associated with the Truman Administration.