Truman leaving the „Little White House“ in Potsdam Babelsberg

Following the death of US President F. D. Roosevelt on the 12. April 1945, his Vice President, Harry S. Truman, became leader of the United States. Truman was woefully unprepared for the Potsdam Conference, Roosevelt having previously excluded him from most foreign policy concerns. During the Conference, Truman and his associates, US Secretary of State Byrnes and Chief of Staff Admiral Leahy, lived in Haus Erlenkamp, Potsdam Babelsberg. The Americans named it the “Little White House”. It was here, on the 25th of July 1945, that Truman ordered the usage of nuclear weapons against Japan. The photo above was taken when Churchill made a “social visit” to Haus Erlenkamp from 11 AM till 1 PM on the 16th July 1945, one day before the Potsdam Conference officially began. (Josef Mlejnek)