740.00119 Control (Italy)/7-1745: Telegram
Rome, July 17, 1945
Plain
2010
Most Rome papers this morning carry United Press item stating that Colonel James Henderson Douglas will arrive in Italy probably on July 24 to assume post of Chief Commissioner of Allied Commission replacing Admiral Stone (see my 1877, July 7th).
KIRK
The Pittsburgh Press (July 17, 1945)
Foreign chiefs also attend
…
By William Philip Simms, Scripps-Howard foreign editor
…
At Potsdam, shrine of militarism, the preliminary peace conference opens today under hopeful signs. Marshal Stalin’s tardy arrival forced a day’s delay. But it appears to have been in the best cause.
He has been closeted in Moscow with Premier Soong. If a Russian-Chinese agreement is in the making, as reported, it can do much to preserve Pacific peace after Jap militarism is destroyed. The fact that American Ambassador Harriman was the only outsider consulted on the Statin-Soong conversations reflects the vital interest of our country.
The importance of those negotiations to the Potsdam meeting cannot be exaggerated. Though this is a session of the Big Three without China, and though the Far East is not on the official agenda, actually Japan’s defeat and the future of that part of the world are basic to American-British-Russian relations. That is true even though Russia is not now at war with Japan, which restricts the official range of Potsdam.
While the Pacific problem will be at this conference in spirit, and while Middle Eastern and other questions will be discussed, of course the main task is a European settlement. That involves immediate occupation and rule of Germany, which the Big Three and France are to share. Also it includes preparation for the general Allied peace conference, or perhaps series of peace conferences.
Success of the Potsdam meeting is not assured. Indeed, complete success is impossible. For it will deal with scores of complicated and deep-rooted problems – military, economic, territorial and political – not one of which can be solved in any final sense. No statesmen ever have faced such a stupendous job.
If the Big Three can make a genuine start in dealing jointly and constructively with only a few of these issues, and can prevent some others merely from getting worse, theirs will be a great success as it is counted in this war-weary world.
That achievement will depend in part on the intelligence of the Big Three and their technical advisers. But it will rest most on the ability to get along together. They must meet one another halfway. Unless they can compromise selfish interests and resolve mutual differences, Potsdam will fail.
We think it will not fall. With all its ups and downs, it should advance the world nearer the goal for which so many have died and still die.
Youngstown Vindicator (July 17, 1945)
WASHINGTON (UP) – Twenty-seven WACs have been assigned to telephone switchboard duty at the Big Three conference at Potsdam, the War Department reported today. The WACs are members of the 3341st Signal Service Battalion.
Points out possibility for another war after this
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot
…
U.S. State Department (July 17, 1945)
800.515/7-1745: Telegram
Washington, July 17, 1945 — 7 p.m.
Secret
U.S. urgent
1629
British have now agreed to proposal outlined Deptstel 1316 June 15. Spanish situation urgent. Reurtel 2570 July 14 inform Soviet we assume their concurrence in view of reports from Ankara and Stockholm that Soviet has so warned Turks and Swedes. Make point 5 of Depstel 1534 July 6 if can conveniently do so. For your information Dept proposes to continue stressing coordinated action and maintenance of trusteeship principle. This would preclude particular occupying power from disposing of German external assets to its own advantage. American expressions to Soviet regarding German Legation property Stockholm and German shares Rumanian oil companies will probably make these points.
Sent to Moscow, repeated to SecState Berlin for Collado and Despres.
GREW
C[OVEY] T. O[LIVER]
Tuesday, July 17:
While at Babelsberg the President arose at his customary early hour; had breakfast at 0800; and spent the forenoons working on his mail and papers, and studying reports on matters to come before the conference.
This forenoon Colonel Henri [Monti] L. Belot, Medical Corps, USA, called on the President and delivered to him a letter from the Mayor of Reims, France, inviting the President to visit Reims. Colonel Belot is commanding officer of the 178th General Hospital located at Reims.
1200: Generalissimo Stalin, accompanied by Mr. V. M. Molotov (People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs) and Mr. V. N. Pavlov (interpreter), called on the President at the Little White House. This was the first meeting of the President and Mr. Stalin. After greetings had been exchanged, the President, the Generalissimo, Secretary Byrnes, Mr. Molotov, Mr. Bohlen and Mr. Pavlov met in closed conference for more than an hour.
1320: The President entertained at lunch at the Little White House in honor of Generalissimo Stalin. Present were: The President, the Generalissimo, Mr. Byrnes, Mr. Molotov, Admiral Leahy, Mr. Bohlen and Mr. Pavlov. After lunch the party moved to the porch and posed for pictures.
1430: Ambassadors Harriman and Pauley called at the Little White House this afternoon and conferred briefly with the President and also with the Secretary of State.
1640: The President, accompanied by his personal staff, left the Little White House by motor car for Cecilienhof for the opening session of the conference. The President arrived at Cecilienhof at 1650. The Prime Minister and the Generalissimo were there when he arrived.
At 1700 the President, Prime Minister Churchill and Generalissimo Stalin, and the delegates of the three Allied nations, assembled in the conference room (the former reception room of the Palace), where greetings were exchanged and motion and still pictures were made.
At 1710 the Berlin Conference was officially called to order. At the suggestion of Generalissimo Stalin, the President was selected to act as chairman of the conference. Delegates for the United States during the course of the conference included: President Truman, Secretary Byrnes, Fleet Admiral Leahy, Ambassador Joseph E. Davies, Ambassador Edwin W. Pauley, Ambassador W. Averell Harriman, General of the Army George C. Marshall, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, General of the Army H. H. Arnold, General Brehon B. Somervell, Vice Admiral Emory S. Land, Assistant Secretary of State William L. Clayton, Assistant Secretary of State James C. Dunn, Mr. Ben Cohen, Mr. H. Freeman Matthews and Mr. Charles E. Bohlen. Delegates for the United Kingdom included: Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill, Prime Minister Clement R. Attlee, The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Anthony Eden, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ernest Bevin, Lord Leathers (Minister of War Transport), Sir Alexander Cadogan (Permanent Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs), Sir Archibald Clark Kerr (British Ambassador at Moscow), Sir Walter Monckton (Head of the U. K. Delegation to Moscow Reparations Commission), Sir William Strang (Political Adviser to the Commander in Chief, British Zone in Germany), Sir Edward Bridges (Secretary of the Cabinet), Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke (Chief of the Imperial General Staff), Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Charles Portal (Chief of the Air Staff), Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham (First Sea Lord), General Sir Hastings L. Ismay (Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defense), Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander (Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theatre), and Field Marshal Sir Henry Maitland Wilson (Head of the British Joint Staff Mission at Washington). The Soviet Delegation included: Generalissimo J. V. Stalin, Mr. V. M. Molotov (People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs), Mr. A. Ya. Vyshinski (Deputy People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs), Mr. F. T. Gousev (Soviet Ambassador in Great Britain), Mr. I. M. Maisky (Deputy People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs), Mr. A. A. Gromyko (Soviet Ambassador in USA), Fleet Admiral Kuznetsov (People’s Commissar for the Navy), and Mr. V. N. Pavlov (interpreter).
Today’s meeting adjourned at 1855, when the conferees proceeded to the banquet room in the Palace where a buffet lunch was served them. It was noted that the maitre d’hotel at Cecilienhof was none other than Mr. Goberidge, who managed President Roosevelt’s cuisine at Yalta.
The President and party left Cecilienhof at 1909 for the Little White House, where they arrived at 1920.
Mail arrived from Washington this afternoon.
1945: Dinner at the Little White House. Secretary Stimson, General Marshall, Admiral King and General Arnold were guests of the President. Dinner music was provided by an excellent stringed orchestra with Sergeant Eugene List, noted American pianist, at the piano.
After dinner the President signed mail that arrived in today’s pouch.
At 2300 the President’s nephew, Sergeant Harry Truman (son of Mr. J. Vivian Truman) arrived at Potsdam. While talking to Lieutenant General Lee at Antwerp last Sunday, the President mentioned that his nephew was in the European Theatre and that he would like to see him. Sergeant Truman was on board the Queen Elizabeth ready to sail for home at the time, but General Lee got him off the ship in time and had him flown to Babelsberg for a visit with the President.
Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam – where the conference was held – was the country estate of the former Crown Prince Wilhelm. The residence, a two-story brownstone house, is located near Griebnitz Lake and has beautifully landscaped gardens. The high-roofed house is built in four wings forming a square with a courtyard in the center. The courtyard was brilliantly carpeted with a 24-foot red star of geraniums, pink roses and hydrangeas planted by the Soviets. The flags of the three Allied nations flew over the main entrance to the Palace.
Cecilienhof had been used as a hospital during the war by both the Germans and the Soviets and had been stripped of all its furnishings. The Russians performed a marvelous job in refitting it for the conference, however. It was, perhaps, furnished even better during the conference than originally. Its furniture and furnishings had been brought in from Moscow.
At Cecilienhof President Truman, Mr. Churchill, and the Generalissimo each had a suite, and each delegation had a retiring room and offices.
The Syonan Shimbun (July 18, 1945)
LISBON (Domei, July 17) – With Soviet Premier Josef Stalin’s arrival at Potsdam, the three-power conference formally got underway at 5 o’clock this evening, Moscow Radio announced today.
Stalin was reported to have lunched with Truman and Byrnes. Churchill lunched with American Secretary of War Henry Stimson.
America and Britain may be hoping to achieve great things at Potsdam, but it is very doubtful if any noteworthy benefit will accrue to them out of this conference between Stalin, Truman and Churchill. The basic political aims of the Anglo-Americans on the one side, and the Russians on the other, are so diametrically opposed that there can be no agreement which can satisfy both parties. On the contrary there is every reason to feel that they will leave Potsdam more suspicious of each other than ever before.
For example, the Anglo-Americans would do anything to shift some of the burdens of the Pacific war on to the shoulders of Soviet Russia, but Stalin is no fool. It suits him admirably to pursue his fundamental peace policy of rehabilitating war-torn Europe according to Soviet ideas, facilitated by the circumstance that America and Britain, Russia’s opponents, are steeped in a bloodier war than that against Germany, and continue to be bled white by Nippon’s indomitable fighting forces.
Problems affecting Soviet interests in the Dardanelles and Mediterranean cannot be solved to the advantage of the Soviet Union by a weak Russia; Stalin will continue to hold the whip-hand over the Anglo-Americans on these and other points at issue so long as the Anglo-Americans remain embroiled in the Pacific. So it can be seen that Russia has nothing to gain, but much to lose, by interfering in the Far East war against Nippon. Chungking also is significantly courting Moscow at the expense of Washington. The Anglo-Americans are being licked by Russia, politically and economically in post-war Europe, just as assuredly as they are being licked militarily in the Pacific by Nippon.
Salzburger Nachrichten (July 18, 1945)
Präsident Truman und Ministerpräsident Churchill fahren durch Berlin
…
L’Aube (July 18, 1945)
Mais on ne sait rien sur elle, sinon que les « Trois Grands » auront de beaux fauteuils et contempleront des géraniums
…
U.S. State Department (July 18, 1945)
860c.00/7-1845: Telegram
Caserta, July 18, 1945 — 10 a.m.
Secret
2979
War Office informed AFHQ that Daily Telegraph reported extracts from an apparently inflammatory speech on July 11 by General Anders and the Observer of July 15 reported rebuke issued to Anders by SAC. AFHQ was requested to report as War Office “most anxious” to know details.
AFHQ replied that it has no knowledge of any such speech and cited cordial visit Anders to SAC on July 13. No rebuke at this or any other time. Anders issued order of the day on July 6 which not considered inflammatory. Message emphasizes “admirable” attitude Anders has taken under new circumstances. He is now touring Italy addressing all available men stating position in Poland as he knows it, but offers every facility to return with personal guarantee of no victimisation of those who choose to go. War Office further informed that at Anders’ request AFHQ arranging for segregation and return of those who desire to go to Poland.
KIRK
JCS 197th Meeting
| Present | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fleet Admiral Leahy | Brigadier General Jamison | |
| General of the Army Marshall | Brigadier General Lincoln | |
| Fleet Admiral King | Brigadier General Esposito | |
| General of the Army Arnold | Captain McDill | |
| General Somervell | Captain Stroop | |
| Lieutenant General Hull | Captain Oster | |
| Vice Admiral Cooke | Colonel Peck | |
| Rear Admiral Flanigan | Colonel Dean | |
| Rear Admiral Gardner | Colonel Riggs | |
| Major General Gross | Colonel Stone | |
| Major General Deane | Colonel Donnelly | |
| Major General Norstad | Colonel Cary | |
| Brigadier General Cabell | Lieutenant Colonel Woodward | |
| Secretariat | ||
| Brigadier General McFarland | Captain Moore |
Potsdam, July 18, 1945, 10 a.m.
[Extracts]
Top secret
ADMIRAL LEAHY presented the draft of a memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the President as prepared by the Secretary and amended by GENERAL ARNOLD.
The memorandum was reviewed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and amended in certain respects.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff: Approved the memorandum for the President as amended during discussion.
ADMIRAL LEAHY said that he had discussed this matter with the President, who considered that it was undesirable to bring up the question of a military alliance with the British at the present time. He considered that our relations with our allies were not sufficiently stabilized to warrant consideration of a permanent relationship between the military commands.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ADMIRAL KING and GENERAL MARSHALL each proposed changes in the draft memorandum contained in CCS 842/1. These changes were discussed at some length and a draft by GENERAL MARSHALL was modified in accordance with suggestions by ADMIRAL KING.
GENERAL MARSHALL also proposed changes in the draft letter by the British contained in CCS 842. He said that in case the British would not accept the draft proposed by the U.S. Chiefs of Staff that the U.S. Chiefs of Staff could consider the draft by the British as amended by him.
GENERAL MARSHALL’S changes in the proposed draft by the British were reviewed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and changes were made thereto.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff: Approved the substitute memorandum to the French and Netherlands Representatives to the Combined Chiefs of Staff proposed by GENERAL MARSHALL and directed that it be presented to the Combined Chiefs of Staff. (Subsequently circulated as CCS 842/2)
ADMIRAL LEAHY asked why this matter was being brought up at the present time.
ADMIRAL KING replied that it was because of the negotiations with the Portuguese in regard to Santa Maria which the Portuguese had insisted upon connecting with the question of liberating Timor.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff: Agreed that CCS 462/25 adequately expressed their views.
GENERAL GROSS pointed out that the disposition of captured German passenger ships had already been covered by a memorandum to the President. Since, however, he understood that the British Chiefs of Staff intended to bring this matter up before the Combined Chiefs of Staff, he considered it wise to present a paper to the Combined Chiefs of Staff on the subject. He said that the point of issue was that the ships should be allocated in toto to the U.S. lift.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff: Approved the memorandum in the Enclosure to JCS 1405/2 and directed that it be presented to the Combined Chiefs of Staff. (Subsequently circulated as CCS 679/6)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
740.00119 PW/7-1845
Washington [Babelsberg], 18 July 1945
Top secret
The Joint Chiefs of Staff have considered the proposed proclamation by the Heads of State dealing with the unconditional surrender formula for Japan as prepared by the State, War and Navy Departments and forwarded to you.
From the military point of view the Joint Chiefs of Staff consider that the proclamation is generally satisfactory. They believe, however, that the wording of the last sentence in the next to the last paragraph might well be clarified. To some of the extreme devotees of the Emperor, the phrase, “This may include a constitutional monarchy under the present dynasty,” may be misconstrued as a commitment by the United Nations to depose or execute the present Emperor and install some other member of the Imperial family. To the radical elements in Japan, this phrase may be construed as a commitment to continue the institution of the Emperor and Emperor worship.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff therefore recommend that the next to the last paragraph of the proclamation be changed to read as follows:
The occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as our objectives are accomplished and there has been established beyond doubt a peacefully inclined, responsible government of a character representative of the Japanese people.
This may include a constitutional monarchy under the present dynasty if it be shown to the complete satisfaction of the world that such a government will never again aspire to aggression.Subject to suitable guarantees against further acts of aggression, the Japanese people will be free to choose their own form of government.
Such a statement would involve no commitment by the United Nations to support of any particular form of Japanese government, would enable the United Nations to prevent the establishment of any unacceptable government and would be more likely to appeal to all elements of the Japanese populace.
From a strictly military point of view the Joint Chiefs of Staff consider it inadvisable to make any statement or take any action at the present time that would make it difficult or impossible to utilize the authority of the Emperor to direct a surrender of the Japanese forces in the outlying areas as well as in Japan proper.
For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
WILLIAM D. LEAHY
Fleet Admiral, U.S. Navy,
Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy