Preface

This volume of documents (the first of two dealing with the Berlin or Potsdam Conference of 1945) is the second to appear in a special series of Foreign Relations volumes on the World War II conferences attended by President Roosevelt or President Truman, along with Prime Minister Churchill or Generalissimo Stalin, or both of the latter. The first volume issued in this special series dealt with the conferences at Malta and Yalta, and was published by the Department of State in 1955.

The principal editor of the present volume was Richardson Dougall, Officer in Charge, Policy Studies, in the Department’s Historical Office. At various stages of the compilation and professional editing of the volume he had the assistance of the following members of the Department’s historical staff: Robert C. Hayes (whose work particularly on the Briefing Book papers in this volume is acknowledged), Dwight R. Ambach, Peter V. Curl, Eula McDonald, Richard S. Patterson, Herbert Spielman, and Isaac A. Stone. Invaluable assistance in the annotation of papers was given by Myra J. DeBerry and other reference librarians in the Library of the Department and by the staff of the Division of Biographic Information.

The Division of Publishing Services, Department of State, was responsible for the proofreading and editing of copy and for the preparation of the index. Under the general direction of the Chief of this Division, Norris E. Drew, the editorial functions mentioned above were performed by the Foreign Relations Editing Branch in charge of Elizabeth A. Vary, Chief, and Ouida J. Ward, Assistant Chief.

In order to make this volume as complete and useful as possible, the Department of State not only drew upon its own resources but also sought the cooperation of other agencies and individuals, to whom the Department is grateful for their assistance. Particular acknowledgment is made of the help received from Vernon E. Davis, of the Historical Division, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and from Walter G. Hermes, of the Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army.