On 12 April, Vice-president Harry S. Truman became president of the United States following the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The next few months required tremendous energy and Truman demonstrated that he possessed political acumen, a formidable personality, and a willingness to take difficult wartime decisions. In May, Germany unconditionally surrendered. In July, Truman met Churchill and Stalin at the Potsdam Conference. In August and then September, Truman opted to drop newly developed atomic bombs on key Japanese cities to force an end to the war in the Pacific. Following the cessation of hostilities between Japan and the United States, Truman was forced to address the issue of Soviet expansionism and European poverty. …
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Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "Presidency of Harry S. Truman". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 October 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=497, accessed 26 November 2024.]