Roosevelt and Truman on Yalta: The Origins of the Cold War
Only recently has the question of the origins of the cold war seriously divided American historians, the emergence of a "revisionist" school coinciding with intensive research into primary sources. Yet, revisionists do disagree over whether there existed a discontinuity between President Roosevelt's and President Truman's policies; they disagree in their evaluations of the relative influence of economic and political considerations and in their estimates of the role of key advisers in shaping the decisions and priorities of the two presidents. This paper will emphasize the tactics and personalities of Roosevelt and Truman, their specific responses to Soviet policy and influence. Focusing on Yalta, I shall examine the Truman administration's commitment to the agreements concluded at the conference and Roosevelt's and the State Department's responsibilities for the development of the cold war. Conceding that the trend of the Open Door ideology was inimical to accommoda-