Bush Warns Against U.S. Isolation
Former President George Bush marked the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cold War on Monday by warning Americans not to withdraw into isolation.
In his speech in front of the English manor-style Cecilienhof--where U.S., Russian and British leaders met for two weeks in 1945 to seal the fate of postwar Europe--Bush stressed that the United States must remain a power in Europe. “Throughout our history, trouble in Europe has meant trouble in America. I hope today my own countrymen do not forget this lesson,” Bush said.
The two-week Potsdam Conference confirmed the rift that had developed among the Allied powers that defeated Germany. It is seen by historians as marking the start of the Cold War.
On July 24, 1945, Soviet leader Josef Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Harry S. Truman reached an impasse in their discussions on postwar Eastern Europe.
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