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October 22, 2009
How the Berlin Wall came down
I was too young to pay much attention at the time, but this is funny.
Thank God all of George W. Bush's press conferences were scripted.
German politician accidentally opened Berlin Wall:
When his fellow Communist leaders decided on new travel regulations, Mr. Schabowski was out of the room. Later that evening he skim-read the executive order, stuffed it in his briefcase, and headed off to meet the world's media.Pressed on the meaning of the new travel policy -- When did it come into force? Did it apply to West Berlin? Did people need a passport? -- the flustered apparatchik rustled his papers and gave confusing answers that led the news media to believe the border was open, with immediate effect.
The result, once East Berliners had seen that night's news on West German television, was chaos at border crossings across the city.
At Bornholmer Strasse, one of the main checkpoints in central Berlin, confused border guards couldn't get clear orders on how to deal with the crush, and debated whether to open fire. Instead, they opened the barrier, and the Berlin Wall was history. The events have been chronicled by Hans-Hermann Hertle, a historian who specializes in the fall of East Germany.
Posted by Mike at October 22, 2009 04:13 PM
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