The opening session of the Potsdam Conference, 17 July 1945

Cecilienhof, Potsdam · Codename Terminal

Seventeen days that settled
the shape of Europe

Truman, Churchill and Stalin met once, for thirteen sittings around a table with no head. This is the record of what was said, on which day, and on whose authority — with the minutes themselves.

Begin the recordRead the minutes

The opening session of the Potsdam Conference, 17 July 1945 · US National Archives and Records Administration · Public domain

Days
17
Sittings
13
Words of record
65k
Words of narrative
45k
Photographs
113
Film
43m

The seventeen days

Every day from Trinity to the signing, in order. The minutes of each sitting sit beside the account of it.

16 JULTrinityWaiting For Stalin17 JUL1st plenaryThe Big Three18 JUL2nd plenaryDividing The Spoils19 JUL3rd plenaryThe Fate Of Europe20 JUL4th plenaryPeace In Italy21 JUL5th plenaryThe Polish Question22 JUL6th plenaryPoland Betrayed23 JUL7th plenaryKönigsberg & Prussia24 JUL8th plenaryThe Nuclear Age Begins25 JUL9th plenaryChurchill Departs26 JULRecessThe Potsdam Declaration27 JULRecessThe Price Of Peace28 JUL10th plenaryThe New Big Three29 JULStalin illStalin Takes Ill30 JULForeign ministersThe Little Three31 JUL11th plenarySettling The Polish Question01 AUG12th & 13th plenaryThe Long Last Day02 AUGProtocol signedThe Conference Ends

The conference on film

Shot by the US Army Signal Corps and the War Department, and in the public domain because of it. Played from the Internet Archive, which serves it better than this site could.

7:40Potsdam ConferenceUS Army Signal Corps, record group 111-ADC10:20Truman, Churchill, Stalin at the Potsdam ConferenceNational Park Service / NARA8:30Potsdam Conference, 1945War Department, Bureau of Public Relations5:14Aerial views, Potsdam ConferenceUS Army, record group ADC

All 5 films →

Or follow one argument

A conference is not a sequence of days but a handful of arguments running through them.