Berlin, July 23, 1945
[Translation]
Syria and Lebanon
Owing to the international importance of the question of the situation in Syria and Lebanon the Conference expresses itself in favour of this question being considered by representatives of the United States of America, Great Britain, the USSR and France and deems necessary that consent of the Government of France should be first obtained to this proposal.
Churchill’s quarters, 23 Ringstrasse, Babelsberg
| Present | ||
|---|---|---|
| United States | United Kingdom | Soviet Union |
| President Truman | Prime Minister Churchill | Generalissimo Stalin |
| Secretary Byrnes | Foreign Secretary Eden | Foreign Commissar Molotov |
| Fleet Admiral Leahy | Mr. Attlee | Army General Antonov |
| General of the Army Marshall | Field Marshal Alexander | Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov |
| Fleet Admiral King | Admiral of the Fleet Cunningham | Marshal of Aviation Fodalev [Falaleyev?] |
| General of the Army Arnold | Field Marshal Wilson | Admiral of the Fleet Kuznetzov |
| Mr. Bohlen | Sir Edward Bridges | |
| Field Marshal Montgomery | ||
| Marshal of the Royal Air Force Portal | ||
| Field Marshal Brooke | ||
| Commander Thompson | ||
| Major Birse | ||
| Lord Moran |
Churchill:
“… There were many speeches, and Stalin, without even ensuring that all the waiters and orderlies had left the room, proposed that our next meeting should be in Tokyo. .… I had another very friendly talk with Stalin, who … seemed to have no inkling of the momentous information about the new bomb the President had given me. He spoke with enthusiasm about the Russian intervention against Japan, and seemed to expect a good many months of war, which Russia would wage on an ever-increasing scale, governed only by the Trans-Siberian Railway.“… After a pause Stalin said, ‘If you find it impossible to give us a fortified position in the Marmora, could we not have a base at Dedeagatch [Alexandroupolis]?’ I contented myself with saying, ‘I will always support Russia in her claim to the freedom of the seas all the year round.’”
811.001 Truman, H.S./7-2445
Babelsberg, July 24, 1945
The following, as near as I can remember it, is the Prime Minister’s toast to you yesterday evening, your reply, and Marshal Stalin’s additions:
The Prime Minister said they had already drunk to the President as Head of State, but he wished now to propose a toast to the President as a man. He said that he had not had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Truman until this Conference, but he was sure that everyone present had been as impressed as he had with the firm, decisive and business-like direction of their deliberations. He said that they had all been struck also with the President’s sincerity, frankness and powers of decision. The President, Mr. Churchill continued, reflected in his character and abilities the best qualities of the great republic which he headed. He said he knew he was speaking for Marshal Stalin when he said they were glad to welcome the President into association and friendship and he wished to raise his glass to a man who was sincere in purpose, clear in speech, and true in deed.
The President, in reply to this toast, expressed his deep appreciation for the kind words of the Prime Minister and said that he was naturally a timid man and that when the Prime Minister had suggested and Marshal Stalin had supported the proposal that he be made presiding officer over this Conference he had been literally overwhelmed. He said he would continue to do his utmost for the success of the Conference and for the future peace and well-being of the world, and he wished to say what a great pleasure and privilege it was for him, a country boy from Missouri, to be associated with two such great figures as the Prime Minister and Marshal Stalin.
Marshal Stalin then arose to say that in his opinion modesty such as the President’s was a great source of strength and a real indication of character; he added that this was particularly true when it was coupled, as in the case of President Truman, with real strength and character and honesty of purpose. He concluded that he wished to associate himself fully with the remarks of the Prime Minister and was delighted to welcome President Truman into their midst.
CHARLES E. BOHLEN
| Present | ||
|---|---|---|
| United States | Soviet Union | |
| Mr. Mosely | Mr. Gusev |
740.00119 EAC/7-2345: Telegram
Babelsberg, July 23, 1945
Secret
Victory 241
To AmEmbassy London for Winant. Info [Acting] SecState Washington.
(Message has been sent to MA, London.)
Gousev informed Mosely tonight instructions sent Saksin last night or this morning to sign EAC agreement on additional requirements.
BYRNES
The Pittsburgh Press (July 23, 1945)
Demonstrations mar treason hearing
…
Destroyers in attack 5 miles off Tokyo Bay; B-29s bomb oil plant
…
Conference may end this week
By Merriman Smith, United Press staff writer
…
Pittsburgher scores hit in Tokyo Bay blow
By Earnest Hoberecht, United Press staff writer
…
They spend day praying for two near death as a result of bites
…
Act sets up 5-man independent board
By Sen. Joseph H. Ball, R-Minnesota
…