Stalin came to the bargaining table with the frame of mind that... ‘we negotiate from where we stand...’.
All the other allies packed up and went home after the war... only the Russians stayed and held onto the places the ‘liberated’. If you read Churchill’s bio, he sounded like he was way to lenient with old Joe.
“..If you read Churchill’s bio, he sounded like he was way to lenient with old Joe ..”
What else was he going to do? The UK armed forces were a spent instrument. US was going home & Churchill knew it. No American President was going to suggest possibly starting a war against Joe. He was a “good guy” and ally! We spent 4+ years telling the public that! The only people that could have done anything was us and we chose not to.