[Foreword] Every generation writes its own history, for the reason that it sees the past in the foreshortened perspective of its own experience.

[Chapter 1] One way to look at Soviet-American relations during the nearly eight years between the death of Franklin Roosevelt in April 1945 and the departure of Harry Truman and Josef Stalin from power in 1953 is to emphasize the tremendous influence Truman, Stalin, and their like-minded associates exerted on international relations during these years.