Main entrance of the Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, where the Conference of the ‘Big Three’ leaders of the United States (Harry S. Truman), the United Kingdom (Winston Churchill, succeeded by Clement Attlee) and the Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin) was held with a view, in particular, to determine the fate of a defeated Germany.

On 14 July 1945, the French daily newspaper Le Monde outlines the political and territorial implications of the Potsdam Conference.

On 17 July 1945, the British left-wing daily newspaper The Manchester Guardian describes the mutual distrust which has arisen between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.

The Potsdam Conference opens on 17 July 1945. American President Harry S. Truman takes over from Franklin D. Roosevelt, who died on 12 April that year; and, on 28 July, Clement Attlee, victorious in the recent British general elections, replaces Winston Churchill.

The leaders of the three Great Powers (from left to right: Clement Attlee, Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin) attend the Potsdam Conference, held from 17 July to 2 August 1945.

Meeting in Potsdam from 17 July to 2 August 1945, delegations from the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union discuss the fate of Germany and the shape of post-war Europe.

At the Potsdam Conference, held from 17 July to 2 August 1945, the first signs of tension between the USSR and the United States become apparent, particularly during negotiations on the occupation of defeated Germany.

Winston Churchill was defeated in the general elections held on 26 July 1945 and stepped down as leader of the British Government. Labour MP Clement Attlee replaced him and, two days later, continued the discussions with the United States and the Soviet Union in Potsdam on the future of Germany.

On 9 August 1945, in a radio broadcast, Harry S. Truman, US President, presents a report on the Potsdam Conference and the main decisions taken there.