Читать книгу Where in the World is the Berlin Wall?. 170 Sites around the World онлайн
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On 19th August 1961, in an attempt to try and calm the people of West Berlin and in order to demonstrate that the island city could rely on him, John F. Kennedy sent Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson, to Berlin. Accompanying him was General Lucius D. Clay, who had masterminded the Berlin Airlift. One day later, 1,500 U.S. troops arrived in Berlin to strengthen the troops already stationed there.
In his letter of reply, Kennedy wrote to Willy Brandt: “As this brutal closure of the border is a clear admission of failure and political weakness, it obviously means a fundamental Soviet decision that could only be undone by war.”30 The western powers did not wish to risk a war and were forced to respect the Soviet Union’s sphere of influence.The division of Germany now seemed permanently complete. The crisis in Berlin, however, did not end with the building of the Berlin Wall. When American officials were prevented from crossing the border at Checkpoint Charlie, tanks were put in place at the border crossing. It was not long before Soviet tanks were brought in and the two sides found themselves in a face-off. The stand-off lasted 16 hours, finally – as agreed upon in secret negotiations – the Russian tanks moved back first, followed by the American tanks.31 It became clear to the world that America had a right to be in Berlin, but could not do anything about the division of the city. America’s promise for a safe and free Berlin was strengthened on 26th June 1963 when President Kennedy visited West Berlin. The Berliners cheered him as he assured them of his solidarity by saying “Ich bin ein Berliner.”32