At the time the dimes were released , relations with the USSR were deteriorating , and Sinnock 's initials , JS , were deemed by some to refer to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin , placed there by a communist sympathizer . Once these rumors reached Congress , the Mint sent out press releases debunking this myth . Despite the Mint 's denial , there were rumors into the 1950s that there had been a secret deal at the Yalta Conference to honor Stalin on a U.S. coin . The controversy was given fresh life in 1948 with the posthumous release of Sinnock 's Franklin half dollar , which bears his initials JRS
Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
Roosevelt dime