In the Kremlin knew that the military defeat of Germany requires speedy international legal fixation. Diplomatic summing up of the war in Europe was a task of paramount importance – Stalin remembered how for 67 years to Potsdam in 1878, by the efforts of the then “world community” at the Congress of Berlin was in fact disavowed the fruits of the glorious victory of Russian arms in the war with Turkey.
Use the maximum date of the “Big three” tried and Churchill, which on the nose was the parliamentary election with a high probability of hitting on them. The more so because his desperate rush to return to the British Empire power, the adventure “operation Unthinkable”, the alleged-20 may 1945 prostrate to use the Nazi army in the fighting against the Soviet Union crumbled at the stage of design. It is not included in the plans of the Americans, the next goal which was a massive involvement of the red Army for the early conclusion of the war in Japan. The British lion on the talks looked strange – right in the course of the conference, on 28 July, Churchill at the negotiating table was replaced by the winner of the elections, 62-year-old labour leader Clement Attlee. The decline of the era of sir Winston symbolized and much larger problem – all the obvious reduction of geopolitical authority of London, which will very soon result in the collapse of British colonial Empire, which had never before the sun went down.
but Moscow and Washington decided in the Potsdam Cecilienhof Palace his main objectives. The new US President 61-year-old Harry Truman, who succeeded deceased April 12, Franklin Roosevelt, had guaranteed the entry of the Soviet Union in the war against Japan, what happened in reality on 9 August. For the Soviet side was extremely important decisions on the demilitarization and denazification of Germany, the destruction of the German monopolies, on reparations, on the Western border of Poland, the transfer of Koenigsberg and the adjacent area.
these Are the main geopolitical result of the meeting in the town of Berlin. From now on decades in the world of diplomacy strengthens the concept of the Yalta-Potsdam system of international security which was very important in the difficult realities of the cold war.
Such a dramatic diplomatic victory was achieved on the background is flawless and captures the imagination of the “Terminal” – so labeled conference in the document the Soviet side.
All events on the “Terminal” training services for participants, security – called “Operation “Palma”. The main burden was entrusted to officers of Soviet state security, has had the unique experience of Tehran and Yalta. The work was done in close coordination with the Soviet military administration �� Germany (svag) and the Supreme commander Marshal Zhukov, and Protocol issues were resolved in contact with the Americans and the British.
“Palm” launched immediately after Stalin and Truman’s special envoy Harry Hopkins have agreed in principle to hold a summit. The swiftness of the organization is astounding. 28 may 1945 at 20.20 couple Hopkinson, U.S. Ambassador to the USSR Averell Harriman and assistant Secretary of state Charles Bohlen left Stalin’s office in the Kremlin. In 45 minutes, 21.05, went to the Deputy people’s Commissar of internal Affairs S. N. Kruglov and the chief of Stalin’s N. With. Vlasic. The briefing, which was attended by L. P. Beria, lasted exactly five minutes,1.
And the next day both the main responsible for the preparation of the conference was in Berlin. Kruglov and Vlasic reported to Moscow that was built in 1917, the Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam was the only suitable building for the conference.
on 6 June, the action plan for the conference was approved by Beria “About provision of special measures for the “Palma”. First of all, under the control of the 6th Department of the NKGB of the USSR it was necessary to prepare the territory for accommodation of the delegations of the “Big three”. Chose Babelsberg – a little injured from the bombing area of two-storey villas on the Eastern outskirts of Potsdam. However, there have discovered hundreds of unexploded bombs, thousands of shells, bazookas, and mines Neutralized the area engineer units of the red army. To clear roads and rebuild bridges in the area were the ex-military road part and mobilized the local population. By 2 July, a force of engineers from the NKVD were repaired and put the plant in Babelsberg and Potsdam, rebuilt garages, and airports.
In Cecilienhof overhauled 37 of the 176 available in the Palace rooms, including a conference room with three separate entrances. Facilities for the Soviet delegation was painted in white tones, the apartments of the Americans in blue, British in pink. Near the Palace in the New garden Potsdam smashed beds and planted around 10,000 flowers.
on 2 July, Beria reported to Stalin and Molotov:
“NKVD of the USSR reports on the finalization of preparations for the reception of the upcoming conference. 62 prepared by the Villa (10,000 sq meters and one two-storey mansion for comrade Stalin: there are 15 rooms, open porch, attic, 400 square meters). The mansion provided to all, is communication. Stockpiled poultry, fowl, deli, and other grocery products, drinks, set up three farms 7 km from Potsdam with animals and poultry, and vegetable bases; has 2 bakery, all the staff from Moscow. Ready two special airfield. For the protection delivered by 7 regiments of NKVD troops and 1,500 tvnogo composition. Arranged in 3 rings. The head guard of the mansion – Lieutenant General Vlasik. Protection conference – Kruglov.
Prepared by a special train. The route length is 1923 kilometers (for the USSR – 1095, Poland – 594, Germany – 234) […]. Molotov prepared for 2-storey building (11 rooms). For the delegation of 55 villas, including 8 mansions”2.
From the Garage of special purpose train cars sent to Stalin, Molotov and Beria with drivers and technicians, from Moscow have brought even the fire trucks with experienced crews. Since a large round table in a ruined Berlin is not found, it immediately produced at the Moscow factory “Luxury” and delivered in Cecilienhof.
Truman and Churchill flew to Berlin on 15 July. The same day Stalin by train, consisting of eight ordinary sleeping cars and three saloon cars, left Moscow by rail. 828 km of railway from the Soviet border to Potsdam to alter the domestic broad gauge.
Ahead of Stalin’s trains ran a control composition with 40 operatives of Department of protection of the back, and train with another 70 soldiers of the NKVD. At each station EN route was reinforced by the police outfits (at the disposal of Beria was stressed: taking only strong men). For the protection paths allocated 17 140 fighters of the NKVD, so that the kilometer of the road from Moscow to Brest had 4-6 soldiers, and in Poland and Germany, one for every 100-125 meters. For every 3-5 km, in addition, had the detective that was in charge of agent and operational activities in the five-kilometer area roads3.
the Trip was without incident thanks to the sweep of “hostile elements” the 40-kilometer zone in the direction of motion of the train. In the current series love to show the insidiousness of this element, but on the passage of Stalin’s trains none of the bandits and saboteurs, including in Poland, where they are now honored as heroes, never learned.
On the arrival of Stalin in the manor house, built in 1911 by prominent architect Alfred Grenander for the family of the owner of the Department stores Herpich4. All operational staff in Potsdam were instructed to take measures to maintain order and the observance of silence, drivers were forbidden to beep in the area of special district. From 23.00 to 04.00 stopped all movement, for exceptional cases introduced special night pass.
a Serious problem was the organization a confidential communication of Moscow. Most of the work was conducted by specialists of the Department of government communications of the NKVD under the direction of I. Y. Vorobyev and G. N. Talin. The matter came thoroughly, including a full inspection of the entire line, including the adjustment of the wires propeica joints, abrubt�� tree branches.
For HF has been provided by the bypass line in various areas (Minsk – Warsaw, Roslavl – Bialystok; Orel – Gomel – Warsaw, Kyiv – l; Kalinin – Koenigsberg, Stettin). Strengthened protection of the main and bypass lines to Berlin and to help the people’s Commissariat of communications has set up a separate company for government communications on sites Moscow – Roslavl and Orel – Bryansk.
All the officers of the regiments, battalions and companies government communications were placed on all roads at the rate of one officer to two or three control stations. In each separate company was created two or three emergency teams on vehicles with the required number of tools and materials.
In Berlin, Potsdam and all surrounding areas serving subscribers of HF, was rebuilt subscriber network (with an allowance) and a network of internal telephone communication was also laid connecting lines to objects of the Union delegations, built the line from RF stations to train stations and airfields5.
as the encryption information has been used “Sable-II” as the main encoder voice messages and other voice, text encoders, and manual ciphers.
All work was done efficiently and on time, communications with Moscow during the whole conference worked steadily. The only opponent of the Soviet communications became nature. At 17.00 on 22 July 1945 in East Germany began a strong hurricane, which then moved to Poland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, the Western regions of Ukraine and Belarus. “The hurricane caused serious damage to the lines used for organization of a HF for the period of the conference at different sites was 649 broken pillars, fallen on wire 496 trees, destroyed 1156 spans of wires and another 966 flights disrupted adjustment wires; the debris of buildings, trees, etc were hit 229 km of lines; in the area of Czestochowa was completely destroyed 5 km line in the center of Warsaw and 8 km; the only highway passing through the city of šiauliai (Lithuania) emergency units were removed from lines 2200 surges”6.
Despite the enormous destruction, the heroic efforts of our communications all communication with Moscow was restored after six hours, the minimum time of lack of communication was one and a half hours. “The morning of July 24, on the lines already there was not a “makeshift” (temporary inserts wires and land lines), and RF communication with Berlin as the internal subscriber communication on the objects of the conference to its conclusion worked perfectly”7.
“Operation Terminal” was a success. Support of the work of the Potsdam conference was carried out at the highest level, which was noted by all the participants. In September 1945, “for success, with a��asialingo job of government” to the most distinguished participants in the operation (which is 2851 people) were submitted to the awards. Order of Lenin received Kruglov, Vlasic and Soviet commandants of the residences of heads of Union delegations. Some participants received a combat order of Suvorov and Kutuzov, but that should be understood so that the success of Stalin at the Potsdam conference was the equivalent of a brilliant military victory.
In 1945, so it was, despite the fact that already on 6 August the world is shaken by the us nuclear bombing of Japanese Hiroshima. As you know, in Potsdam Stalin already knew about the nuclear achievements of Americans from the reports of the intelligence, with extraordinary calm reacted to the corresponding message to Truman. Hiroshima and Nagasaki have begun a new, nuclear era in the history of mankind, but at that time the decisions taken in Potsdam, the world geopolitics was more important.
Very realistic view of the summit of the famous philosopher and historian Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997), received in August 1945, the appointment of the second Secretary of the British Embassy in Moscow:
“the War was over, the Potsdam conference led to an open rupture between the victorious allies. Despite dire predictions in some circles in the West, the General mood in official Washington and London, was cautiously optimistic. Among the General public and it was even more full of hope and enthusiasm [ … ] at all levels there was wide and strong desire for cooperation and understanding”8. The mood of this short time to live, to Churchill’s Fulton speech in March 1946, which launched a “cold war”. But in the summer, winning forty-fifth meeting of the allies in Potsdam gave a real sense of optimism, which after 75 years of its historical weight is not lost.
Vladimir Putin
From the article “75 years of Victory: a shared responsibility before history and future”.
“the Russian newspaper”, June 19, 2020.
1. At a meeting with Stalin. Notebooks (journals) records of the persons accepted by Stalin (1924-1953 years). M., 2008. P. 455.
2. GARF. F. 9401. Op. 2. D. 97. V. VI. L. 124-130.
3. See: Zhirnov E. Maids to present awards // Kommersant Vlast. 2000. N 28.
4. See: Slavin A. “Operation Terminal”. As the Potsdam conference was held // Literary newspaper. 2015. July 22.
5. Government telecommunications in Russian history. Part 1. 1917-1945. M., 2001. P. 300-302.
6. Ibid. P. 302.
7. Ibid. P. 302-303.
8. Berlin, I. Personal Impressions. New York, 1981. P. 155-156.
