>JULY 1945 Potsdam Conference
British Prime Minister Atlee, US President Truman and Soviet Premier Stalin
The three allies met on July 17th, 1945, in Potsdam, Germany. As the conference opened, American President Truman received word of the successful detonation of the atomic bomb. It was agreed that Germany would initially be governed by the Allied Control Council, made up of military commanders from the four zones of occupation. It was agreed that each of the occupiers would take reparations from their own zones, since the western zones included most of the industrial areas. The Western powers agreed to transfer 10% of the industrial equipment of their zone to the Soviets, and another 15% for food and other raw materials. The Polish problem could not be solved, however, and the Western powers would not recognize the western borders of Germany..