Roosevelt's "assistant president" who, as Secretary of State, designed the Potsdam reparations compromise
After Byrnes took the oath as Secretary of State, Truman said, "Jimmy, kiss the Bible." Byrnes did so, then handed it back to the President and told him to kiss it too. Truman did, as the room laughed.
James F. Byrnes was a Democratic politician from South Carolina who, as senator, steered New Deal legislation through Congress; as director of war mobilization, earned the nickname "assistant president"; and as Truman's Secretary of State, designed the reparations framework at Potsdam. At Potsdam, Byrnes negotiated the compromise with Molotov whereby each occupying power would extract reparations from its own zone, while the USSR would receive 15% of western-zone industrial equipment in exchange for food and raw materials and an additional 10% without payment. Passed over as Roosevelt's running mate in 1944 and later sidelined by Truman as their relationship soured, Byrnes returned to elective politics as governor of South Carolina, where he championed "separate but equal" schooling against desegregation.
Career Timeline
- 1911–1925U.S. Representative, South Carolina
- 1931–1941U.S. Senator, South Carolina
- 1941–1942Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
- 1942–1943Director, Office of Economic Stabilization
- 1943–1945Director, Office of War Mobilization
- 1945–1947U.S. Secretary of State
- 1951–1955Governor of South Carolina
Related historical events
- 1945.02–08The Yalta and Potsdam ConferencesArchitect of the Potsdam reparations compromiseAs Truman's Secretary of State, James F. Byrnes designed the reparations compromise where each occupying power extracted reparations from its own zone, with 15% and 10% of western-zone industrial equipment going to the USSR.
- 1948–1949The Berlin Blockade and AirliftDesigner of the Potsdam reparations frameworkAt Potsdam he settled with Molotov the zonal-reparations compromise, and his September 1946 Stuttgart speech declaring the need for German economic unity opened the way to the Bizone.