The Terminal Conference (also known as the Potsdam Conference) marked the final meeting of the Allied leaders during World War II. Held in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945, the conference was notable for several reasons. First, Germany had unconditionally surrendered on May 8, allowing the Allies to devote the majority of Terminal’s planning to the war against Japan. Second, two members of the original Big Three would not attend the conference in its entirety. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had passed away on April 12, and his role at the meeting was filled by his successor Harry S. Truman. Winston S. Churchill, the British prime minister, was only present for the first part of the conference; he was replaced on July 26 by the newly elected Clement R. Attlee. Of the original Big Three leaders, only Soviet premier Joseph Stalin attended all of the meetings at Potsdam.
Focusing almost exclusively on the Pacific campaign, the Allied leaders and the Combined Chiefs of Staff discussed numerous topics related to the war against Japan. Primary among these was the unconditional surrender of Japan at the earliest possible date; this was the overall objective in the Asian theater.
Terminal was one in a series of high-level conferences held by the US and British leaders in Washington, DC; Casablanca; Quebec; Cairo; Tehran; Malta; Yalta; and Potsdam to formulate the Allied grand strategy. At the Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam conferences, the Soviet leader Stalin was also in attendance and played an important role.
Papers
Minutes of Meetings
Minutes of Terminal Plenary Meeting
Minutes of Terminal Tripartite Military Meeting
Minutes of Meeting: U.S.-U.S.S.R. Chiefs of Staff
Index
