American presidents and their Thanksgiving turkeys.

Happy Thanksgiving!

August 2, 1945: The Potsdam Conference ends.

The Potsdam Conference was attended by Joseph Stalin, Harry Truman (Roosevelt had died that year in April), and Winston Churchill (later replaced by Clement Attlee). Nazi Germany had surrendered three months prior, and Japan had yet to surrender (it would not do so until September of that year). The most pressing matter was the postwar status of Germany; the Soviet Union, who had suffered by far the largest amount of casualties, naturally demanded the heaviest reparations. Eventually, it was decided that Germany and Austria (and their respective capitals) would be divided into four occupation zones. Germany lost the territories it acquired post-1933 and populations of Germans living in disputed areas were expelled. Germany would be demilitarized, democratized, and denazified; additionally, plans were made for German war criminals to be put on trial.

The Potsdam Declaration, an ultimatum to Japan promising “prompt and utter destruction” if they did not surrender unconditionally, was also issued during this conference. The declaration was rejected, and four days later, the USAAF dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.

April 19, 1951: Douglas MacArthur addresses Congress after his removal as General of the Army.

On April 11, 1951, President Truman shocked Americans and the world when he relieved Douglas MacArthur of his command - Douglas MacArthur, World War II hero, major general at age 44, recipient of the Medal of Honor and two Purple Hearts - fired. In Truman’s own words…

“I fired him because he wouldn’t respect the authority of the President. That’s the answer to that. I didn’t fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that’s not against the laws for generals.”

On April 19, the beloved general made his last official appearance, delivering a farewell address to a joint session of Congress. This speech is now popularly known as the “Old Soldiers Never Die” speech, and it often ranks as one of the greatest of the 20th century. 

The excerpt above contains the last two minutes of the speech, by far the most famous portion, but you can read it in its entirety here and listen to the rest here.