What was Potsdam?

Potsdam, Germany, is the namesake of the Potsdam Declaration of July 1945, in which the Allies spelled out their demands for Japan’s unconditional surrender. These demands included the abandonment of imperial territories, the removal from power of officials who “deceived and misled the people of Japan into embarking on world conquest,” and the occupation of the country by the Allies. It warned that the alternative would be “prompt and utter destruction.” The book also describes the Potsdam Conference as a turning point for Truman, who though in office only a few months feels he has risen to the level of Britain’s famed Prime Minister Churchill, and who can stand up to and resist the ambitions of Stalin.