Course 2, Volume 1A. American Foreign Policy in Growth and Action Page: 92
xi, 335 p. ; 27 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY IN GROWTH AND ACTION
that such an agreement was unnecessary. He
added that "the Yalta pact should not have
been signed without the participation of the Chi-
nese Nationalists." Nevertheless, he emphasized
that "no President of the United States could
have been unresponsive to a proposal that would
bring the Soviet Union into the war in the Far
East and might . . . save from 200,000 to 300,000
American lives." He further pointed out that the
Chinese Nationalists "later agreed to the terri-
torial concessions made at Yalta, including Soviet
rights in Manchuria."10
This continuing debate over the Yalta agree-
ments is not likely to be settled by legislative
investigations or political candidates. In the cir-
cumstances of the date-early 1945-even the Big
Three leaders may not have been in possession of
all the facts necessary to reach decisions of lasting
value. It is probably true that Franklin Roosevelt
was not as adroit and as alert as he had been
earlier in the war. Perhaps his trust in Marshal
Stalin was misplaced and his belief in his own
ability to convince and cajole his two fellow
statesmen was exaggerated. However erroneous
the decisions reached at Yalta may have been, they
were, insofar as they were made
President known, generally received by the
Roosevelt American public in February 1945
defends as important steps on the road to
the Yalta the end of the war.(49)
agreements President Roosevelt's defense of
the Yalta agreements made upon
his return to Washington from the Crimea lacked
much of his usual oratorical skill. This was his
last address to the Congress. On
Death of April 12 Franklin Roosevelt died
President suddenly at Warm Springs, Georgia.
Roosevelt Vice-President Harry S. Truman
was immediately sworn in as his
successor.
Although the connection between the Yalta
agreements and the Soviet repudiation of its 1941
non-aggression treaty with Japan on April 5, 1945,
a year before its expiration date, was not readily
apparent to the general public, it did foreshadow
the Soviet Union's later fulfillment of the part of
the Yalta pacts calling for Russian entry into
the war against Japan.
10 Material on the views of Charles E. Bohlen taken from press
dispatch in New York Times, March 3, 1953, p. 14.On the diplomatic front, along with projects
for the terms of armistice and peace settlements,
work went forward on the creation of a postwar
international organization. The San Francisco
conference, scheduled for April 1945 by the Yalta
conferees, was held as originally planned in spite
of President Roosevelt's untimely death.
There remained the last military efforts in Eu-
rope. The allied armies thrust eastward through
Germany and Austria. Other Anglo-American
and Italian units drove the Germans
Allied victory from Italian soil. The Russians
in Europe moved westward aiming for Berlin
and central Germany. Benito Mus-
solini was captured and killed by anti-Fascist
forces on April 29th. Adolf Hitler reportedly com-
mitted suicide in a Berlin shelter on May 1st.1
The Nazi subordinates gave themselves up, killed
themselves, or fled before the allied armies. Repre-
sentatives of the provisional German government
under Admiral Karl Doenitz surrendered uncon-
ditionally to the allies at Rheims on May 7 and
on May 9 in Berlin. The long struggle against
Nazi Germany had been brought to a victorious
conclusion. Peace in Europe may not have been
established by the defeat of Germany. But the
allied world celebrated VE Day and believed that
peace was within the grasp of those who had
fought so long and so hard to win it.
7. The Potsdam Conference and the
Surrender of Japan
While the United States Senate was consider-
ing the Charter adopted at San Francisco in June
1945 for the establishment of the postwar inter-
national organization, President
New faces Truman, accompanied by a number
at the of aides including James F. Byrnes,
conference newly appointed Secretary of State,
tables sailed aboard the USS Augusta for
Germany. At Potsdam, near Berlin,
the President met with Mr. Churchill and Mar-
shal Stalin for a series of discussions which opened
on July 17. During the early days of the confer-
ence the British General Elections caused a change
in Britain's representation at Potsdam. The Brit-
11The facts of the last hours of the Nazi Flhrer are
not in agreement as to the manner and time of his death.
There seems no question but that he killed himself or com-
manded an associate to do the work.92
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Air University (U.S.). Extension Course Institute. Course 2, Volume 1A. American Foreign Policy in Growth and Action, book, April 1959; Alabama. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1077937/m1/106/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting National WASP WWII Museum.