When the issue was brought up at the Potsdam Conference , the President of the United States , Harry S. Truman , said the question of the straits was a domestic political issue pertaining to Turkey and the USSR , and should be solved by the two involved parties . As the argument heated up in the days proceeding Potsdam , the United States decided it firmly did not want the straits to fall into Soviet hands , as it would give them a major strategic gateway between the Black Sea and Mediterranean and possibly lead to a Communist Turkey . In a secret telegram sent by US Under Secretary of State Dean Acheson to diplomats in Paris , he explained the American position on the matter . On August 20 , 1946 , Undersecretary Acheson met with fifteen journalists to explain the urgency of the situation and make the opinions of the United States Government known
Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
Turkish Straits crisis