In May 1945, the German Reich surrendered and the Second World War in Europe came to an end. The principal victorious powers assumed supreme governmental authority in Germany and agreed to meet to discuss the most pressing political and economic issues.
British Prime Minister Churchill, US President Truman and Soviet dictator Stalin agreed on Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam as the venue for the conference. Located in the Soviet occupation zone, the Soviets planted a red Soviet star in the courtyard.
Protocol issues determined the organisation and conduct of the conference. Cecilienhof was divided into three sections. The British, Americans and Soviets even had their own entrances to the palace. Stalin entered his study, with its large bay window, from the north side.
It was a long road to victory over Hitler's Germany. The Potsdam Conference was held in the summer of 1945. The main allies of the anti-Hitler coalition had met twice before, in Tehran in the autumn of 1943 and in Yalta in the Crimea in early 1945.
Cecilienhof Palace, White Salon with life-size figurines of important conference participants (2021/2021) by Leo SeidelCecilienhof Palace
In the concert hall, the White Salon, there was a convivial atmosphere at the start of the conference. All the important people met in the Soviet reception room. The Potsdam Conference, codenamed 'Terminal', opened with a cold buffet on 17 July 1945.
Vyacheslav Molotov, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR, was a close confidant of Stalin. He attended all the meetings at Cecilienhof Palace. Together with his US counterpart James Byrnes, he achieved a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations.
Byrnes had only been appointed US Secretary of State shortly before the conference began and had to use the trip to prepare. Together with Molotov, he put together a diplomatic 'package' on reparations and the German-Polish border.
The 36-year-old Andrei Gromyko attended the Potsdam Conference as Soviet ambassador to the US. His greatest days were yet to come. As Soviet foreign minister from 1957 to 1985, he left his mark on the Cold War era.
"The British and Americans want to gag us."
- Joseph Stalin
Each delegation had its own study in the palace. Stalin's was furnished with a heavy desk and dark leather armchairs from a Potsdam villa. The door in the wall was intended as an escape route in case of danger.
Almost all the rooms in the palace were redesigned for the Potsdam Conference. One exception was the Cabin Room, which was adjacent to Stalin's study. The original furnishings, designed by Paul Ludwig Troost, still have a maritime character.
Tap to explore
The largest room in the palace was used as a conference hall. The three delegations sat in two rows around a round table specially made in Moscow. From 17 July to 2 August 1945, the 'Big Three' negotiated the post-war order in Europe and the world.
The impressive hall was decorated with the flags of the three victorious powers, and even a huge carpet was brought in from another palace. The delegations entered through three separate doors, greeted each other and posed for the press.
The flags on the conference table marked the seating arrangements. The Heads of State and Government sat on chairs with carved angels' heads on the backs. Foreign ministers sat on the right and interpreters on the left. US President Truman chaired the meeting.
Potsdam Conference, opening session by UncreditedCecilienhof Palace
The four "D's" were agreed: demilitarisation, denazification, democratisation and decentralisation of Germany. The current German-Polish border along the Oder and Neisse rivers and the amount of reparations were also agreed.
Signatures final communiqué (1945-08-01/1945-08-01) by UncreditedCecilienhof Palace
The 13th and final session began at 22.30. There was no great need for co-ordination; instead, some wording was fine-tuned. Half an hour after midnight, Stalin, Truman and Attlee signed the final document. The planned peace conference never took place.
As well as politicians and military officers, the delegations were staffed by civilians. One of them was 19-year-old Joy Milward, a secretary in Winston Churchill's war cabinet. She describes her impressions of Potsdam in her personal diary.
"This is certainly not the liberated Europe we fought for."
- Winston Churchill
The British Prime Minister was accommodated in an oak-panelled room off the conference hall. Churchill led the negotiations for Britain only for the first week of the conference, after which he was replaced by the newly elected Clement Attlee of the Labour Party.
"Strength is the only thing the Russians understand."
- Harry Truman
The former palace library served as Harry S. Truman's study. After the death of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in April 1945, vice-president Truman automatically became his successor. With little foreign policy experience, he tried to stand up to Stalin and Churchill.
Cecilienhof Palace, view from the american study (library) into the breakfast room (2021/2021) by Leo SeidelCecilienhof Palace
Truman was the only person to have a proper suite. A small staircase led to a relaxation room upstairs, and next to his study was another room in the former breakfast room, which served as his secretary's office.
There were no official press conferences throughout the Potsdam Conference. However, there were a few photo opportunities on the west terrace of the palace. The 'Big Three' sat in wicker chairs in front of the garden wall, with photographers facing them.
The world-famous wicker chairs can be seen as reconstructions in the Potsdam Conference exhibition. The originals are thought to have disappeared in the years after 1945. The museum of the Historic Site of the Potsdam Conference has been housed in the palace since 1952.
Curator: Matthias Simmich, Cecilienhof Palace, SPSG
Project management: Nicole Romberg, Social Media Manager, SPSG
Picture credits
SPSG (unless otherwise stated)
