Discussions about the causes of the Cold War are often contentious, creating disparate ideological camps that focus blame in different directions depending on the academic's political disposition. A popular argument places blame largely on the American people, whose emphasis on "strength over compromise" and the deployment of the atomic bomb in the Pacific theater of World War II apparently functioned as two key catalysts of conflict between the U.S. powers and Soviet. This revisionist approach downplays Stalin's forceful approach and history of violent leadership during World War II, focusing instead on President Harry Truman's apparent insensitivity to "reasonable Soviet security anxieties" in his attempt to impose "American interests to the world." Revisionist historians describe President Truman as a “Cold War merchant,” whose unjustified political use of the atomic bomb and surly diplomatic style forced Russia into the Cold War to oppose the spread of a looming democratic capitalist monopoly. In fact, Truman's responsibility for the Cold War and the dropping of the atomic bomb should be downplayed. Criticisms of Truman's actions fail to take into account the fact that he entered a leadership position on an ideological collision course, being forced to advance an established plan for an atomic monopoly and deal with the legacy of US-Russia tensions mobilized by Roosevelt before his death, all while being influenced by an alarmist and aggressive government. After examining criticism of Truman's negotiations with Soviet diplomat Vyacheslav Molotov and his involvement in the dropping of the atomic bomb, the influence of Roosevelt's legacy and Truman's cabinet will be discussed in order to minimize his guilt for the beginning of the Cold War. .. middle of paper...... Review, 41(2): 225-230.9. Pearson, D. (1955, June 29). Truman once threw a Molotov cocktail. The Washing Post and Times Herald, p. 55.10. Roberts, G. (2004). Making the Cold War Sexier: New Evidence on the Molotov-Truman Talks of April 1945. History of the Cold War, 4(3): 105-125.11. Sherwin, M. (1973). The atomic bomb and the origins of the Cold War. American Historical Review, 78: 1-7.12. Suri, J. (2012). Anxieties of empire and the Truman administration. A Companion to Harry S. Truman: Blackwell Publishing.13. The New York Times (1946, February 10). Text of Prime Minister Stalin's election speech broadcast by Moscow Radio: HE HAS A NEW FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR RUSSIA. New York Times, p. 30.14. Truman, H. S. (1965). Molotov in Washington. Memoirs (pp. 200-204). New York: The New American Library.15. The Yalta documents reveal the seeds of the Cold War. (1955, December 30). Chicago Daily Tribune, pp. 1-2.