Berlin July 29, 1945
Dear Bess:
It made me terribly homesick when I talked with you yesterday morning. It seemed as if you were just around the corner, if six thousand miles can be just around the corner. I spent the day after the call trying to think up reasons why I should bust up the conference and go home.
Byrnes and I conferred all day on this and that and the other thing and finally got things down to the point of final agreement on Lend-Lease with the British, French, and South American countries, and for the Big Three, reparations and the Western boundary of Poland. If we can get a reasonably sound approach to those two things, we can wind this brawl up by Tuesday and we'll head for home immediately. Stalin and Molotov are coming to see me at eleven o'clock this morning and I am going to straighten it out.
I like Stalin. He is straightforward. Knows what he wants and will compromise when he can't get it. His foreign minister isn't so forthright.
The British returned last night. They came and called on me at nine-thirty. Attlee is an Oxford man and talks like the much overrated Mr. Eden and Bevin is an English John L. Lewis. Can you imagine John L. being my Secretary of State? Well we shall see what we shall see. I believe after reading all the minutes, we have obtained all we came for and that there will be a good report to the country. Just the two things to settle but they are the hardest of course.
The Senate vote was great and will have a very fine effect over here. Pray for me and keep your fingers crossed too. If I come out of this one whole there'll be nothing to worry over until the end of the Jap War.
Kiss Margie, lots of love to you, Harry.