The Allied Leaders met several times during the War to discuss goals and to map strategy :

The most important conference was at

Yalta: Churchill, FDR, & Stalin

The Allies were clearly winning the war and the end seemed near. The questions of what would happen once Germany was defeated were of huge importance:

Yalta Conference: Feb. ‘45

Stalin maintained that historically, Poland had been used as a corridor to invade Russia…

He therefore believed it was critical that Poland become a “buffer zone” , meaning that a Polish gov’t friendly to Russia was necessary

Translation: “friendly” gov’t = communist gov’t.

The Big 3 agreed that free elections were to be held in Poland…let the people decide

A 2nd point: USSR would enter war against Japan

once Germany was defeated

A 3rd point: Germany would be divided and

occupied by the Allies Other points of agreement:

War-crimes trials Further discussion on creating a

United Nations

In the Berlin suburb of Potsdam:

Churchill Truman (FDR

had died) Stalin

Stalin balked at free elections in Poland

Specifics of Germany’s occupation after the war

The capital city which lay entirely in the Russian zone of occupation was ALSO divided into 4 zones

With Germany’s defeat, Americans now focused on the Pacific:Island-hopping brought about the re-capture of the Philippines and control of Guam from which bombers pounded the Japanese mainland

FDR had died in office and new

President Harry S. Truman

learned of a new weapon.

He ordered it to be used