The Wall: A World Divided (2010) - full transcript

Male narrator: ON NOVEMBER 9,

1989, THE WORLD CHANGED FOREVER.

THE BERLIN WALL, THE MOST POTENT

SYMBOL OF COMMUNIST OPPRESSION,

FELL AFTER 28 YEARS MARKED BY

VIOLENCE AND TRAGEDY.

THEY WERE SHOOTING

FROM A TOWER.

I COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT.

I JUST TURNED AROUND

AND SCREAMED, "RUN, RUN, RUN!"



THE STASI PULLED ME

BY MY HAIR AND PULLED ME DOWN.

AND THEN I PASSED OUT.

YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN ALMOST

ANYTHING OUT OF ME.

FREEDOM HAS MANY DIFFICULTIES

AND DEMOCRACY IS NOT PERFECT.

BUT WE HAVE NEVER HAD TO PUT

A WALL UP TO KEEP OUR PEOPLE IN.

MR. GORBACHEV,

TEAR DOWN THIS WALL.

Narrator: IN THE END,

IT WASN'T POLITICIANS

WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE WALL.



IT WAS ORDINARY GERMANS

WHO RISKED THEIR LIVES TO STAND

AGAINST A REPRESSIVE REGIME

AND MAKE A REVOLUTION

WITHOUT A SHOT BEING FIRED.

THEY WOULD NOT BE STOPPED.

IT FELT LIKE THEY WERE SAYING,

"IT'S NOW OR NEVER."

narrator: AS THE WALL

CAME DOWN, WORLD LEADERS

CAME TOGETHER

TO SEIZE THE MOMENT AND CREATE

A NEW EUROPE, BRINGING AN END TO

40 YEARS OF COLD WAR HOSTILITY.

I THINK WE GOT IT RIGHT.

I HONESTLY BELIEVE

WE GOT IT RIGHT.

Narrator: THIS IS THE STORY

OF HOW A THIN RIBBON

OF CONCRETE ROSE,

HOW IT FELL,

AND HOW IT BROUGHT ONETIME

ENEMIES TOGETHER TO CHANGE THE

COURSE OF MODERN HISTORY.

♪♪

Male announcer: MAJOR FUNDING

A WORLD DIVIDED

WAS PROVIDED BY A GRANT FROM

THE ROBERT BOSCH STIFTUNG,

A FOUNDATION SUPPORTING

INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING,

WELFARE, EDUCATION, THE ARTS

AND CULTURE, AND RESEARCH

AND TEACHING IN THE HUMANITIES,

SOCIAL SCIENCES,

AND NATURAL SCIENCES.

WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM

THE RIAS BERLIN COMMISSION,

PRESERVING AND DEEPENING

THE IDEALS OF GERMAN-AMERICAN

FRIENDSHIP;

THE ED RACHAL FOUNDATION,

BENEFITING CHARITABLE,

SCIENTIFIC, LITERARY,

AND EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES;

FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE,

PROVIDING PRODUCTS, SERVICES,

EDUCATION, AND SUPPORT

FOR CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASES;

AND THE KONRAD ADENAUER

STIFTUNG, A GERMAN POLITICAL

FOUNDATION PROMOTING FREEDOM,

PEACE, AND JUSTICE THROUGH

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.

♪♪

Narrator: AT THE END OF

WORLD WAR II, THE CITY OF BERLIN

LAY IN RUINS.

GERMANY'S DEVASTATED CAPITAL

REPRESENTED THE EVIL THAT HAD

BEEN NAZISM.

THE WINNERS OF THE WAR DIVIDED

GERMANY AND ITS CAPITAL, BERLIN,

AMONG THEMSELVES.

THE SOVIET UNION WOULD OCCUPY

AND CONTROL EAST GERMANY,

A BRAND-NEW COUNTRY THAT

PROMISED TO SHOW THE WORLD

WHY SOCIALISM WAS THE BEST

POLITICAL SYSTEM.

WEST GERMANY, CALLED THE FEDERAL

REPUBLIC, WOULD BE OCCUPIED

BY THE AMERICANS, BRITISH,

AND FRENCH, WHO WOULD ESTABLISH

A NEW DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT

THAT STOOD IN DIRECT OPPOSITION

TO COMMUNISM.

BUT WHAT TO DO WITH BERLIN

ITSELF WASN'T SO SIMPLE.

THE CITY LAY DEEP WITHIN

SOVIET-OCCUPIED EAST GERMANY.

THE U.S. AND BRITAIN REFUSED

TO GIVE IT UP, SO AN AWKWARD

COMPROMISE WAS REACHED.

BERLIN WOULD BE DIVIDED AMONG

THE VICTORS.

THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CITY

WOULD BE CONTROLLED BY THE

SOVIETS, THE WESTERN HALF

BY THE OTHER ALLIES.

THAT LEFT WEST BERLIN

A NON-COMMUNIST ISLAND WITHIN

A COMMUNIST NATION.

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, EAST GERMANS

BEGAN TO EMIGRATE FROM THEIR

SOCIALIST NATION TO REBUILD

THEIR LIVES IN WESTERN GERMANY.

AND MANY OF THEM DID IT SIMPLY

BY CROSSING THE BORDER

WITHIN THE CITY OF BERLIN:

FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST.

BY 1961, EAST GERMANY HAD LOST

MILLIONS OF ITS CITIZENS

THROUGH WEST BERLIN.

AND IF YOU COULD GET FROM

EAST GERMANY INTO EAST BERLIN

AND THEN FROM EAST BERLIN

INTO WEST BERLIN, YOU COULD BE

RESETTLED, AND THIS WAS AN

OPTION THAT BETWEEN 1945

AND 1961, ABOUT 2 1/2 MILLION

EAST GERMANS TOOK.

THEY DIDN'T LIKE LIFE

UNDER COMMUNISM,

THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE LACK

OF PROSPECTS,

THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE LACK

OF POLITICAL FREEDOM,

AND THEY VOTED WITH THEIR FEET.

THIS IS DANIEL SHORR

IN WEST BERLIN.

THIS IS A SUBWAY STATION.

IT IS ALSO AN ESCAPE HATCH.

Narrator: DANIEL SHORR WAS

THE CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT

IN GERMANY.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMING

OVER WAS STAGGERING.

IT WAS LIKE A STAMPEDE

IN PROGRESS.

ONE REFUGEE OUT OF EAST GERMANY

EVERY THREE MINUTES, AND FOR ALL

WE KNOW, YOU COULD BE LOOKING

AT ONE NOW.

Narrator: THE CONTINUED LOSS

OF ITS LABOR FORCE THREATENED

EAST GERMANY'S ECONOMIC

SURVIVAL.

PARTY SECRETARY WALTER ULBRICHT

KNEW THE HEMORRHAGE OF HUMAN

TALENT HAD TO BE STOPPED.

THE QUESTION WAS HOW.

WHAT HE WANTED WAS A WALL,

A FENCE, A BARRIER DOWN THE

MIDDLE OF BERLIN, MAKING IT

IMPOSSIBLE FOR EAST GERMANS

PHYSICALLY TO CROSS, AND THAT

WOULD SOLVE HIS PROBLEM.

THEY COULDN'T GO ANYWHERE.

Narrator: IN PUBLIC, ULBRICHT

DENIED HE WOULD EVER SEAL

THE BORDER.

Narrator: BUT IN THE SUMMER

OF 1961, HE SECRETLY ORDERED

A YOUNG, AMBITIOUS PARTY

OFFICIAL NAMED ERICH HONECKER

TO HEAD UP A COVERT FEAT

OF ENGINEERING.

HONECKER COMMANDEERED BARBED

WIRE AND CONCRETE TO BE STASHED

IN AND AROUND BERLIN.

THEN, ON A SUMMER SATURDAY NIGHT

WHILE BERLINERS WERE ON

VACATION, HE SPRANG THE TRAP.

ON AUGUST 13, 1961, BERLINERS

WOKE UP TO A CITY CUT IN TWO.

AND BY 6:00 IN THE MORNING,

IT WAS ALL DONE.

Narrator: ON THE BERNAUER

STRASSE IN THE NORTH OF BERLIN,

THE BORDER CLOSURE CREATED

AN ODD SITUATION.

THE FRONT DOORS OF APARTMENT

HOUSES OPENED ONTO WEST BERLIN,

BUT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED INSIDE

THE BUILDINGS WERE EAST

BERLINERS, AND NOW THEY WOULD

NO LONGER BE ALLOWED TO USE

THEIR FRONT DOORS.

ELKE ROSIN WAS A 16-YEAR-OLD

EAST BERLINER WHO LIVED IN AN

APARTMENT ON BERNAUER STRASSE.

FOUR DAYS AFTER THE BORDER WAS

SEALED, ELKE'S FATHER GATHERED

THE FAMILY TOGETHER.

IT WAS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON.

MY FATHER, MY PARENTS, TOLD US

ABOUT ONE HOUR EARLIER THAT WE

WANTED TO ESCAPE, AND SO WE HAD

TO FIND SOME THINGS TO TAKE

WITH US.

WE PUT IT IN BOXES

AND SOME BAGS.

AND THAT'S ME

WHEN I WAS RUNNING.

Narrator: FOR ELKE

AND HER FAMILY, ESCAPE MEANT

DASHING OUT THE FRONT DOOR OF

THEIR BUILDING AND CROSSING THE

STREET TO SAFETY BEFORE

THE EAST GERMAN POLICE

COULD SNATCH THEM BACK,

WHILE HER FATHER LOCKED

THE APARTMENT DOOR TO KEEP THE

POLICE FROM FOLLOWING,

THEN LEAPT FROM THE WINDOW.

THEY WERE LUCKY THEY LEFT WHEN

THEY DID AND LUCKY THEY LIVED

ON THE FIRST FLOOR.

THE BORDER GUARDS

SOON CAUGHT ON.

AND OTHERS ON BERNAUER STRASSE

HAD A MUCH HARDER TIME.

♪♪

YEAH, MANY PEOPLE LOST THEIR

LIFE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF THE

STRANGE SITUATION.

Narrator: WITHIN WEEKS,

ALL THE WINDOWS AND DOORS ON

THE STREET WERE BRICKED OVER.

SOMETHING I HAD NEVER SEEN

BEFORE AND VERY FEW PEOPLE

HAVE SEEN BEFORE IS TO SEE

A CITY CUT THROUGH A CENTER.

IT IS REALLY AWFUL.

Narrator: IN MID-OCTOBER

1961, TWO MONTHS AFTER THE

BORDER CLOSURE, THE AMERICANS

IN WEST BERLIN DECIDED TO TEST

THE RESOLVE OF THE EAST GERMANS

AND THEIR SOVIET MASTERS.

AN AMERICAN OFFICIAL FROM WEST

BERLIN CHALLENGED THE EAST

GERMAN BORDER GUARDS BY REFUSING

TO SHOW HIS PAPERS AT THE

CROSSING, AND A DANGEROUS

STANDOFF BEGAN.

VERY SOON, TANKS APPEAR

ON THE OTHER SIDE, SOVIET TANKS.

AND THEN FOR A WHILE

AT CHECKPOINT CHARLIE,

YOU COULD SEE AMERICAN

AND SOVIET TANKS HEAD-TO-HEAD.

I WENT AND STOOD BETWEEN

THE TANKS.

AND LOOKING AT MY CAMERA,

I SAID, "LOOK AT THIS PICTURE.

THIS COULD BE A PICTURE OF THE

WAY WORLD WAR III STARTS."

narrator: THE WHOLE WORLD

WATCHED BERLIN FOR A TENSE

48 HOURS.

THEN, AFTER DELICATE

NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN MOSCOW

AND WASHINGTON, BOTH SIDES

BACKED DOWN.

THE STANDOFF AT CHECKPOINT

CHARLIE WAS THE LAST TIME U.S.

FORCES OPENLY OPPOSED THE

SOVIETS OVER THE BERLIN WALL.

IT TOOK BERLINERS MONTHS TO

ABSORB THE REALITY OF LIVING

IN THIS DIVIDED CITY, BUT NO ONE

DREAMED IT WOULD TAKE 28 YEARS

TO KNOCK THAT BARRIER DOWN.

AS THE REALITY OF THE WALL

SANK IN, BERLINERS ON BOTH SIDES

MADE THEIR ACCOMMODATIONS.

IN WEST BERLIN, PLATFORMS WERE

BUILT ALONGSIDE THE WALL

SO DIVIDED FAMILIES COULD

AT LEAST SEE ONE ANOTHER.

ONE OF THOSE WAVING FROM THE

WEST WAS A YOUNG FATHER

NAMED RUDOLF MUELLER.

HE HAD BEEN WORKING IN WEST

BERLIN THE DAY THE BORDER

WAS CLOSED.

HIS WIFE AND TWO BOYS

WERE STUCK IN THE EAST.

SO AFTER CONSIDERING THE

OPTIONS, AT SOME POINT, WE

DECIDED TO DIG A TUNNEL TO GET

MY FAMILY OVER HERE.

Narrator: MUELLER KNEW THERE

WAS AN IDLE CONSTRUCTION SITE

IN WEST BERLIN RIGHT NEXT

TO THE WALL.

WITH THE HELP OF HIS BROTHERS

AND SOME FRIENDS, HE BEGAN

A SMALL TUNNEL THAT WOULD END IN

THE BASEMENT OF AN APARTMENT

HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET

IN EAST BERLIN.

THE TUNNEL ITSELF BEGAN

OVER HERE BEHIND THAT

CONSTRUCTION FENCE.

IT WENT DOWN TWO METERS

AND THEN RIGHT ACROSS

RIGHT HERE.

HERE, WHERE YOU SEE THAT

INDENTATION IN THE GROUND,

THERE'S THAT TUNNEL UNDERNEATH.

IT WAS NEVER SECURED.

AND WE HEARD THE BORDER PATROLS

ON THE SIDEWALK.

SO WE HAD TO BE

INCREDIBLY QUIET.

Narrator: THEY DUG

EVERY NIGHT FOR THREE WEEKS

AND FINALLY BROKE THROUGH INTO

THE APARTMENT HOUSE BASEMENT

ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE WALL.

MUELLER CLIMBED OUT TO GET HIS

FAMILY AND ANOTHER COUPLE HE HAD

PROMISED TO HELP AND BRING THEM

BACK TO THE TUNNEL.

IT ALL SHOULD HAVE

GONE SMOOTHLY, BUT ALMOST

IMMEDIATELY, ONE OF THE EAST

GERMAN BORDER GUARDS

CHALLENGED THEM.

RIGHT HERE IS WHERE THE GUARD

WAS STANDING.

HE SAW US COMING, AND HE YELLED,

"STOP!

WHERE ARE YOU TRYING TO GO?"

narrator: ONLY YEARS LATER

DID MUELLER FIGURE OUT THAT HE

MAY HAVE BEEN BETRAYED, THAT

THE OTHER COUPLE HE WAS HELPING

ESCAPE WERE, IN FACT, AGENTS OF

THE EAST GERMAN SECRET POLICE.

BUT THE GUARDS DIDN'T KNOW

MUELLER WAS ARMED.

HE RAISED HIS WEAPON

SLIGHTLY.

I WAS WATCHING HIM.

I COULDN'T KEEP MY EYES

OFF HIM.

AND HE YELLED LOUDLY, "STOP.

WHERE ARE YOU TRYING TO GO?"

I WAS SHOCKED.

MY HAIR WAS STANDING ON END.

I WAS SO AFRAID.

I TURNED AROUND AND SAID TO MY

WIFE, "YOU KEEP GOING.

DON'T STOP. DON'T STOP.

MY BROTHERS ARE ON THE OTHER

SIDE OF THE WALL AND THEY'RE

WAITING FOR YOU."

SO I TURNED AROUND.

RIGHT AROUND HERE,

AND OVER THERE, WHERE THAT LINE

IS IN THE ASPHALT, THAT'S WHERE

THE BORDER GUARD WAS.

HE LOOKED AT ME.

I'LL NEVER FORGET.

HIS FACE WAS ALL WHITE

FROM THE EXCITEMENT.

"WHERE ARE YOU TRYING TO GO?

SHOW YOUR PAPERS."

AND BECAUSE MY WIFE AND MY

CHILDREN KEPT GOING, HE FELT

PROVOKED OR WHATEVER.

HE RAISED HIS MACHINE GUN

AND SCREAMED THIS TIME,

"YOUR WIFE AND CHILDREN HAVE TO

STOP OR I'LL SHOOT."

I TRIED TO BLOCK HIS VIEW, BUT

WHEN I SAW THE BARREL OF HIS

MACHINE GUN, I HAD...

I HAD A GUN MYSELF.

THAT'S WHEN IT HAPPENED.

I THOUGHT, "YOU HAVE TO SHOOT,

OR HE SHOOTS YOUR FAMILY."

HE WAS STANDING THERE WITH HIS

WEAPON UP, AND I SHOT HIM.

Narrator: THE GUARD DIED.

WHETHER FROM MUELLER'S ONE SHOT

OR THE HAIL OF BULLETS LET LOOSE

BY OTHER GUARDS, NO ONE KNOWS.

IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO,

BUT EVERY TIME I TALK ABOUT IT,

I STILL GET CHILLS UP AND DOWN

MY SPINE.

I NEVER EXPECTED ANYTHING

LIKE THIS.

IT WAS HORRIBLE.

HORRIBLE THAT A YOUNG PERSON

HAD TO DIE.

Narrator: DESPERATE ESCAPE

ATTEMPTS BECAME COMMONPLACE,

AND MANY SUCCEEDED...

IN BERLIN, ESCAPING EAST

GERMANS PUNCHED HOLES IN THE

WALL OF SHAME WITH HOMEMADE

BOMBS AND TRUCKS.

Narrator: OTHERS DID NOT.

ABOUT ONE YEAR AFTER THE WALL

WENT UP, 18-YEAR-OLD PETER

FECHTER AND A FRIEND MADE A RUN

AT THE FENCE NEAR CHECKPOINT

CHARLIE.

FECHTER'S FRIEND MADE IT OVER,

BUT THE GUARDS' AUTOMATIC WEAPON

FIRE CAUGHT PETER IN THE LEG

AS HE SCALED THE FENCE, AND HE

SLIPPED BACK TO THE GROUND.

THE BULLET HAD SEVERED

AN ARTERY.

WEST BERLINERS HEAR HIS CRIES

BUT ARE HELPLESS.

COMMUNISTS WHO CAN HELP WAIT

UNTIL PETER FECHTER BLEEDS TO

DEATH, THEN CARRY HIM AWAY.

Narrator: THE GDR AUTHORITIES

ISSUED NEW ORDERS THAT ANYONE

WOUNDED WHILE ATTEMPTING

TO ESCAPE BE REMOVED FROM PUBLIC

VIEW IMMEDIATELY.

AND THEY BEEFED UP THE WALL,

MAKING IT HIGHER, BROADER,

LONGER, UNTIL IT EXTENDED

96 MILES SURROUNDING

WEST BERLIN.

AND IN MOST PLACES,

IT WAS 12 FEET TALL.

BUT THAT WAS HOW IT LOOKED

FROM THE WEST, THE FREE SIDE.

EAST BERLINERS SAW IT

DIFFERENTLY.

IF YOU WERE IN EAST BERLIN

AND YOU WALKED TOWARDS THE

BORDER WITH WEST BERLIN, IF YOU

WERE IN A PARK OR A STREET,

WHATEVER, YOU WOULD COME UP

AGAINST A WALL RIGHT IN THE

MIDDLE OF THE STREET

WITH A WARNING SIGN,

OFTEN NOTHING MUCH MORE

THAN THAT.

IF YOU THEN CLIMBED THAT WALL,

WENT OVER AND DROPPED DOWN,

YOU WOULD FIND YOURSELF BETWEEN

60 AND 90 YARDS FROM WEST BERLIN

AND NOT JUST THAT.

IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF YOU

WAS WHAT THEY CALLED

THE SECURITY BORDER FENCE.

THIS WAS A WIRED FENCE ABOUT

EIGHT FEET HIGH, STRENGTHENED

AT THE BOTTOM SO YOU COULDN'T

CRAWL UNDERNEATH.

YOU HAD TO CLIMB IT.

AND WHEN YOU CLIMBED IT,

YOU SET OFF AN ALARM.

YOU MIGHT, IF IT WERE NIGHT

IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BORDER,

ALSO SET OFF AN AUTOMATIC

SEARCH LIGHT THAT WOULD START

SWEEPING THE AREA.

Narrator: WATCHTOWERS STOOD

EVERY FEW HUNDRED METERS,

MANNED BY HEAVILY ARMED

SOLDIERS.

THEY WOULD KNOW THAT THERE

WAS SOMEBODY TRYING TO CROSS

THE SECURITY FENCE.

IF YOU WERE OVER THE SECURITY

FENCE, SIRENS HAVE STARTED

TO GO.

THE GUARDS HAVE PROBABLY STARTED

SHOUTING OUT WARNINGS AND ARE

PREPARING TO FIRE IF NECESSARY.

Narrator: THE NEXT OBSTACLE

TO FREEDOM WAS THE DEATH STRIP,

A NO-MAN'S-LAND WITH CAREFULLY

RAKED SAND DESIGNED TO SHOW

FOOTPRINTS AND DOGS ON LONG

LEASHES THAT WOULD CATCH UP

WITH EVEN THE FASTEST RUNNER.

SOME OF IT WAS COVERED BY

AUTOMATIC MACHINE GUNS RIGGED

TO TRIP WIRES.

ONLY THEN... ONLY, ONLY

AFTER YOU HAD MANAGED TO GET

ACROSS THE DEATH STRIP WITHOUT

BEING SHOT, SAVAGED BY A DOG,

DID YOU REACH WHAT THEY CALLED...

NOT THE WALL AT ALL, NOT WHAT

TOURISTS IN WEST BERLIN WOULD

CALL THE WALL...

BUT WHAT THEY CALLED

THE BORDER MARKER.

Narrator: FINALLY, 90 YARDS

FROM THE FIRST INNOCUOUS FENCE,

THIS WAS THE 12-FOOT-HIGH

CONCRETE BARRIER THE WESTERNERS

SAW TOPPED WITH A CYLINDER

OF SMOOTH CEMENT THAT MADE IT

NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GRIP.

AND IF YOU MANAGED TO GET

OVER THAT BY SOME MIRACULOUS

METHOD, THEN YOU WERE IN WEST

BERLIN.

HOW MANY PEOPLE MANAGED THAT?

HARDLY ANYBODY.

PEOPLE GOT THROUGH ON TRUCKS,

THEY DUG TUNNELS, THEY FLEW

OVER IT, THEY WENT ROUND IT,

THEY USED FALSE PAPERS,

BUT VERY, VERY FEW PEOPLE IN THE

1970s AND '80s MANAGED TO GET

THROUGH NOT THE BERLIN WALL

BUT THE MULTIPLICITY OF WALLS

THAT MADE UP THE BERLIN WALL

BETWEEN EAST AND WEST BERLIN.

Narrator: OFFICIALLY,

THE EAST GERMAN REGIME CLAIMED

THE BORDER WAS FORTIFIED TO KEEP

ANTISOCIALIST INFLUENCES OUT.

BUT MOST EAST GERMANS KNEW

IT MADE THEIR HOMELAND

INTO A PRISON.

♪♪

THOUGH IN MANY WAYS, THE GERMAN

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC RESEMBLED

THE WEST, THE POLITICAL

REALITIES MADE DAILY LIFE

VERY DIFFERENT.

TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF COMMUNIST

COUNTRIES WAS USUALLY FORBIDDEN

AND FREE SPEECH SEVERELY

LIMITED.

Narrator: YOUNG PEOPLE WERE

REQUIRED TO JOIN STATE YOUTH

GROUPS, AND THE STATE COULD BE

A STERN MASTER.

DIETER WENDLAND GREW UP

NEAR EAST BERLIN.

LIKE MANY TEENAGERS IN THE 1960s

AND '70s, HE EMBRACED

POP CULTURE, ROCK AND ROLL,

AND SHARING SMUGGLED BEATLES

RECORDS.

IT ALL SEEMED HARMLESS ENOUGH.

BUT WHEN HE PUT UP POSTERS OF

THE WOODSTOCK ROCK FESTIVAL

ON HIS BEDROOM WALL, IT TURNED

OUT HE'D GONE TOO FAR.

THE WOODSTOCK POSTERS

AND THINGS LIKE THAT WERE

A SYMBOL OF A KIND OF FREEDOM

WE DIDN'T KNOW.

WE EACH MADE WHAT WE WANTED

FROM THEM.

THEY REPRESENTED BOUNDLESS

OPPORTUNITIES.

Narrator: DIETER HAD OLDER

BROTHERS WHO LIVED

IN WEST BERLIN, SO HIS FAMILY

WAS ALREADY ON AN OFFICIAL

WATCH LIST.

HIS FLIRTATION WITH THE CORRUPT

INFLUENCES OF CAPITALIST

CULTURE DREW THE ATTENTION OF

THE STATE SECURITY FORCE KNOWN

AS THE STASI, THE SECRET POLICE.

AFTER THE WALL CAME DOWN,

LIKE MANY EAST GERMANS, DIETER

APPLIED TO SEE HIS STASI FILE,

A SECRET RECORD

OF HIS PRIVATE LIFE.

I HAD HEARD ABOUT THEM

ENTERING PEOPLE'S INTIMATE

AND PERSONAL LIVES BEFORE,

THAT THEY DESTROYED MARRIAGES

WHERE THEY WENT TO GET

INFORMATION ON COLLEAGUES,

ACQUAINTANCES,

COMPLETE STRANGERS.

WE KNEW WE WERE BEING WATCHED.

THAT IT WENT THAT FAR

DID SHOCK ME.

Narrator: THE STASI WAS

HEADQUARTERED HERE, A COMPLEX OF

ANONYMOUS BUILDINGS

IN A NONDESCRIPT EAST BERLIN

NEIGHBORHOOD.

FROM THIS THIRD-FLOOR OFFICE,

STASI'S LONGTIME HEAD

ERICH MIELKE CONTROLLED HIS WEB

OF 90,000 AGENTS

AND NEARLY 200,000 INFORMANTS.

BY THE 1980s, THE STASI HAD

COLLECTED INFORMATION ON 1/3

OF THE COUNTRY'S POPULATION,

81 MILES WORTH OF FILES.

DIETER WENDLAND'S FILE WAS

NEARLY 300 PAGES AND INCLUDED

A CAREFULLY DETAILED PLAN

THE STASI HAD DESIGNED

TO SABOTAGE HIS ADULT LIFE.

THERE IS A PASSAGE IN HERE

THAT SAYS I SHOULD BE PREVENTED

FROM GOING TO ANY UNIVERSITY.

AND THEY HAD A SPECIFIC PLAN

ABOUT HOW TO INFILTRATE

MY INTIMATE LIFE.

AND THAT ASTONISHED ME.

I JUST THOUGHT THAT WAS

PARTICULARLY INSIDIOUS.

Narrator: THE STASI DIDN'T

JUST SPY ON THE PEOPLE OF EAST

GERMANY.

THOUSANDS WERE ARRESTED

AND IMPRISONED.

MATTHIAS MELSTER SPENT FIVE

MONTHS HERE IN THIS STASI PRISON

IN EAST BERLIN FOR ATTEMPTING

TO ESCAPE TO THE WEST.

ISOLATED, SLEEP-DEPRIVED,

INTERROGATED FOR HOURS EVERY

DAY, HE WAS LED TO BELIEVE

HIS FAMILY AND CLOSEST FRIENDS

HAD TURNED AGAINST HIM.

THERE WERE DAYS WHEN THEY

WOULD ASK THE SAME QUESTION

OVER AND OVER AND DAYS WHEN THE

OFFICERS WERE SILENT, AND I

TRIED NOT TO SPEAK, NOT TO

BETRAY ANY FRIENDS.

THEY'D BRING ME IN THIS ROOM.

THEY'D IGNORE ME

FOR EIGHT HOURS.

AT SOME POINT,

I BECAME A NERVOUS WRECK.

THE THING THAT FINALLY BROKE ME,

ONE OF THE OFFICERS LOOKED

AND ACTED JUST LIKE MY FATHER.

THAT'S HOW THEY CRACKED ME.

THEY SUCCEEDED IN GETTING ME TO

REVEAL THINGS I NEVER MEANT TO.

YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN ALMOST

ANYTHING OUT OF ME.

♪♪

Narrator: BY 1980,

EAST GERMANY HAD DEVELOPED ITS

OWN DISTINCT CULTURE.

BUT EVERY PART OF LIFE WAS

CONTROLLED BY THE RULING

SOCIALIST UNITY PARTY

AND ITS HEAD, ERICH HONECKER.

THE STATE CLAIMED THAT SOCIALIST

EAST GERMANY HAD A STANDARD OF

LIVING EVERY BIT AS HIGH

AS THE WEST.

♪♪

BUT THE REALITY

WAS QUITE DIFFERENT.

EVERYDAY ITEMS WERE OFTEN

IN SHORT SUPPLY.

THE WAIT FOR THE COVETED

TRABANT AUTOMOBILE COULD BE

SEVEN YEARS.

MOST CITIZENS SIMPLY LIVED

THEIR LIVES QUIETLY.

♪♪

IN THE EARLY 1980s IN THE EAST

GERMAN UNIVERSITY CITY

OF LEIPZIG, SOMETHING BEGAN TO

HAPPEN IN AN UNEXPECTED PLACE:

THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES.

ERICH HONECKER AND THE EAST

GERMAN REGIME HAD DECIDED TO

ALLOW ORGANIZED RELIGION

A DEGREE OF FREEDOM.

HONECKER'S INTENTION WAS TO SHOW

THAT THE CHURCHES WOULD DRY UP

AND DISAPPEAR, NO LONGER NEEDED

IN A MODERN SOCIALIST SOCIETY.

HIS PLAN BACKFIRED.

IN 1981, HERE IN THE NIKOLAI

CHURCH, I STARTED HOLDING PEACE

PRAYERS WITH 130 YOUNG PEOPLE

TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT JUSTICE

AND PEACE.

Narrator: PASTOR CHRISTIAN

FUEHRER INVITED YOUNG PEOPLE

INTO HIS CHURCH TO PRAY

FOR PEACE.

A SIMILAR GATHERING ANYPLACE

ELSE WOULD HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN,

BUT HE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE

CHURCH'S SPECIAL STATUS.

THE CHURCH WAS THE ONLY

PROTECTED PLACE IN THE GDR

WHERE THE POLICE AND ARMY

WOULD NEVER COME INSIDE.

Narrator: THE IDEA CAUGHT ON.

SLOWLY EAST GERMAN CHURCHES

BECAME MAGNETS FOR GROUPS OF

PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T NECESSARILY

INTERESTED IN CHRISTIANITY

BUT IN REFORM.

ONE OF THE EARLIEST MOVEMENTS

WAS ENVIRONMENTALISM.

BY THE 1970s, EAST GERMANS WERE

COMING TO REALIZE THAT THEIR

COUNTRY WAS ONE OF THE MOST

POLLUTED IN EUROPE.

AND THIS ECOLOGICAL MOVEMENT

GREW IN EAST GERMANY BECAUSE

PLACES WERE BECOMING

NIGHTMARISH.

PEOPLE WERE DYING OF THE KIND OF

DISEASES OF POLLUTION THAT

HADN'T REALLY BEEN A SERIOUS

PROBLEM SINCE VICTORIAN TIMES.

Narrator: OTHER CAUSES BEGAN

TO EMERGE ALONGSIDE

PEACE ORGANIZATIONS, FEMINIST

GROUPS, AN ANTINUCLEAR MISSILE

MOVEMENT.

SO THE CHURCH, BECAUSE IT WAS

ONE OF THE FEW PLACES WHERE YOU

COULD SAFELY EXPRESS FREE

OPINION, BECAME A REALLY

ATTRACTIVE PLACE TO BE.

Narrator: THE STASI

INFILTRATED THE CHURCH-BASED

GROUPS BUT COULD DO LITTLE

TO STOP THEM.

WITH THE THIN AND UNCERTAIN

UMBRELLA OF CHURCH PROTECTION

OVER THEIR HEADS, AN OPPOSITION

MOVEMENT BEGAN TO FORM.

BUT IT WOULD TAKE EVENTS OUTSIDE

OF EAST GERMANY TO SPARK

A REVOLUTION.

IN 1985, MIKHAIL GORBACHEV,

A LITTLE-KNOWN 55-YEAR-OLD

SOVIET PARTY OFFICIAL, WAS NAMED

GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE USSR,

AND EVERYTHING BEGAN TO CHANGE.

VICE PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH

ATTENDED THE FUNERAL OF

GORBACHEV'S PREDECESSOR AND MET

THE NEW LEADER OF THE SOVIET

UNION.

I WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN

TO MAKE CONTACT WITH GORBACHEV.

AND I WROTE OUT... ON A YELLOW

PAD, I WROTE OUT A CABLE TO SEND

BACK TO REAGAN SAYING, "THIS MAN

IS VERY DIFFERENT."

narrator: WEST GERMAN

CHANCELLOR HELMUT KOHL ALSO

SENSED THAT GORBACHEV WAS A NEW

KIND OF SOVIET LEADER.

THE FIRST TIME THE TWO MET,

THEY DISCOVERED A SHARED

POLITICAL VISION.

IT WAS A PERSONAL AND HONEST

CONVERSATION.

WE SPOKE ABOUT WHAT WE BOTH

WANTED, AND IT WAS TOTALLY CLEAR

THAT WE BOTH WANTED A NEW

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FEDERAL

REPUBLIC AND THE SOVIET UNION.

Narrator: BUT AT THE WHITE

HOUSE, THE REACTION WAS

DIFFERENT.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN WAS WARY

OF THE CHARISMATIC GORBACHEV.

HE BELIEVED IN KEEPING UP THE

PRESSURE AGAINST THE SOVIETS

DESPITE PROMISES OF REFORM.

THEN IN 1987, REAGAN BECAME

THE FIRST U.S. PRESIDENT

IN MORE THAN TWO DECADES TO COME

TO BERLIN AND DIRECTLY CONFRONT

THE RUSSIANS OVER THE WALL.

MR. GORBACHEV,

TEAR DOWN THIS WALL.

Narrator: THE REACTION

WAS ELECTRIC.

REAGAN'S CHALLENGE REMINDED

THE WEST THAT THE BERLIN WALL

STILL DIVIDED THE CITY.

BUT IN MOSCOW, THE REACTION

WAS MUTED.

I GET ASKED THIS OFTEN.

WHAT WAS YOUR IMPRESSION OF

THIS REMARK BY PRESIDENT REAGAN?

AND I SAY BOTH I AND THE SOVIET

LEADERSHIP WERE NOT AT ALL

IMPRESSED.

WE NEVER FORGOT THAT PRESIDENT

REAGAN'S FIRST PROFESSION

WAS AS AN ACTOR.

Narrator: WHEN VICE PRESIDENT

GEORGE BUSH BECAME PRESIDENT

TWO YEARS LATER, EVERYONE

WONDERED WHAT HIS POLICY TOWARD

GORBACHEV WOULD BE.

EASTERN EUROPE WAS CHANGING

QUICKLY, PUSHED ALONG

BY GORBACHEV'S REFORMS.

ALREADY, IN POLAND, DOCK WORKER

LECH WALESA LED A MOVEMENT

THAT WOULD OPEN THE DOOR

TO DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

AND MRS. BUSH.

Narrator: GEORGE BUSH SAW

THE CHANGES FIRSTHAND DURING

A EUROPEAN TRIP IN THE SUMMER

OF 1989.

AND IN A SPEECH DELIVERED

IN MAINZ, WESTERN GERMANY,

NEAR THE HOMETOWN OF CHANCELLOR

HELMUT KOHL, BUSH VOICED

U.S. SUPPORT FOR THE REFORM

MOVEMENTS.

THE WORLD HAS WAITED

LONG ENOUGH.

THE TIME IS RIGHT.

LET EUROPE BE WHOLE AND FREE.

Narrator: TO THE GERMAN

AUDIENCE, "WHOLE" AND "FREE"

COULD MEAN ONLY ONE THING:

A CALL TO REUNIFY THE NATION

THAT HAD BEEN DIVIDED AFTER

WORLD WAR II, THOUGH THE FORMER

PRESIDENT SAYS IT WAS

A FAR MORE GENERAL MESSAGE.

WELL, A EUROPE WHOLE AND

FREE, I THINK IT RELATED MORE TO

THE OVERALL TREATMENT OF NUCLEAR

WEAPONS AND THE REDUCTION OF

CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS

AND ALL OF THAT THAN IT DID

SPECIFICALLY GERMAN UNIFICATION.

NOW, GERMAN UNIFICATION

WAS A WONDERFUL OBJECTIVE,

BUT WHEN I FIRST STARTED,

I DIDN'T SAY, "NOW, WHAT WE'RE

GOING TO DO IS PLAN HOW WE'RE

GOING TO UNIFY GERMANY IN THE

NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS."

I MEAN, IT JUST DIDN'T WORK

THAT WAY.

Narrator: IN FACT, BUSH WAS

COMING UNDER HEAVY CRITICISM

FOR NOT BEING MORE ACTIVE

IN HIS EASTERN EUROPE POLICY.

AFTER SIX MONTHS IN OFFICE,

HE HADN'T EVEN SPOKEN WITH

GORBACHEV.

ONCE HE SAW HOW FAST REFORM

WAS COMING, HE KNEW THAT MUST

CHANGE.

BUT IT WAS JUST THE PRESIDENT

AND BRENT AND MYSELF.

AND IT WAS THE PRESIDENT WHO

SAID, "YOU KNOW, I REALLY THINK

WE OUGHT TO THINK ABOUT

A MEETING WITH GORBACHEV."

HE SAID, "I WORRY THAT SO

MUCH TIME HAS PASSED, AND I WANT

TO GET TO KNOW GORBACHEV.

I'M AFRAID SOMETHING

MIGHT HAPPEN."

I'M NOT SURE THAT BOTH OF

THEM WERE READY AT THAT MOMENT

FOR IT, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW,

THE PRESIDENT HAD DECIDED.

AND THEY WERE WONDERFUL

IN SUPPORT OF ME WHEN I'D MAKE

DECISIONS WHETHER THEY LIKED

THEM OR NOT.

AND I DON'T THINK THERE WAS ANY

GREAT DISAGREEMENT ON THAT ONE.

JUST BE READY,

DO OUR HOMEWORK.

AND IT WAS THE RIGHT THING

TO DO.

LATER ON, I GOT THE FEELING FROM

GORBACHEV HE WAS VERY GLAD THAT

WE HAD SAID WE WOULD DO THIS.

Narrator: THE WHITE HOUSE

SENT WORD TO MOSCOW THAT

PRESIDENT BUSH WOULD LIKE TO

ARRANGE A LOW-KEY MEETING

WITH GORBACHEV THE FOLLOWING

DECEMBER.

NEITHER MAN KNEW THAT BY THEN

THE WORLD WOULD BE AN ENTIRELY

DIFFERENT PLACE.

IN MAY OF 1989, THE REFORMIST

GOVERNMENT IN HUNGARY RIPPED THE

FIRST HOLE IN THE IRON CURTAIN,

LITERALLY CUTTING THE FENCE

THAT SEPARATED IT FROM AUSTRIA

TO THE WEST.

WITHIN WEEKS, THOUSANDS OF EAST

GERMANS WERE FLOODING TO HUNGARY

TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPEN

BORDERS.

THOUSANDS MORE MADE THEIR

TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY TRIPS TO

HUNGARY INTO ONE-WAY JOURNEYS

TO THE WEST.

THAT SUMMER, THE EAST GERMANS

BEGAN TO LOSE FAITH THAT THEY

COULD HAVE A LIFE

IN EAST GERMANY.

THEY HAD TO LEAVE.

BUT THEY COULDN'T LEAVE

BECAUSE EAST GERMANY HAD A VERY

RESTRICTIVE TRAVEL REGIME.

YOU COULDN'T JUST SIMPLY MOVE

TO ANOTHER COUNTRY.

YOU HAD TO HAVE THE PERMISSION

OF EAST GERMANY.

SO THEY WERE FORCED TO FLEE,

TO FLEE, TO ABANDON

THEIR FAMILIES,

ABANDON THEIR PROPERTY,

ABANDON EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAD

AND TO TRY TO GET TO THE WEST.

♪♪

Narrator: OTHER EAST GERMANS

TOOK REFUGE IN THE WEST GERMAN

EMBASSY IN PRAGUE, HOPING FOR

ASYLUM.

WEST GERMANY'S CHANCELLOR

HELMUT KOHL QUIETLY ENCOURAGED

THIS FIRST WAVE OF EAST GERMAN

REFUGEES BUT, AT THE SAME TIME,

HE WONDERED HOW MANY MORE

THEY MIGHT HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE.

IT WAS CLEAR THAT ENORMOUS

CHANGES AND DRAMATIC SHIFTS

COULD BE STARTING.

AND IT WAS ALSO CLEAR THAT THE

DEVELOPMENTS IN HUNGARY WERE

BASICALLY SIGNALING AN END.

Narrator: THAT END WAS NEARER

THAN ANYONE KNEW.

IN OCTOBER OF 1989,

MIKHAIL GORBACHEV CAME TO VISIT

EAST BERLIN.

IT WAS THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY

OF THE GDR, AND HONECKER HAD

PLANNED A BIG CELEBRATION

IN THE OLD SOVIET TRADITION.

DURING A TORCHLIGHT PARADE

MEANT TO SHOW OFF EAST GERMAN

YOUTH, THE YOUNG PEOPLE BEGAN

TO CHANT.

"GORBY, GORBY."

PEOPLE KNEW SOMETHING

IMPORTANT WAS HAPPENING.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THEM

WERE RALLYING TO EXPRESS

THEIR DEMANDS.

THEY WOULD NOT BE STOPPED.

IT FELT LIKE THEY WERE SAYING,

"IT'S NOW OR NEVER."

narrator: SPEAKING INFORMALLY

THE NEXT DAY, GORBACHEV VOICED

A WARNING TO THE EAST GERMAN

REGIME.

HE MADE THIS STATEMENT

WHICH WAS REPEATED OVER AND OVER

AGAIN AND REFINED.

"OF THOSE WHO COME TOO LATE

WILL BE PUNISHED,

PUNISHED BY HISTORY."

THAT WE TOOK TO MEAN IT WAS TIME

FOR MR. HONECKER TO GO.

AFTER THE CEREMONY, GORBACHEV

IMMEDIATELY LEFT, AND THEN

THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN.

Narrator: AT THE NIKOLAI

CHURCH IN LEIPZIG, THE SMALL

MONDAY NIGHT PRAYER MEETINGS

OF THE EARLY 1980s WERE TURNING

INTO A MASS MOVEMENT.

KATRIN HATTENHAUER WAS

A 20-YEAR-OLD THEOLOGY STUDENT

WHO HAD BECOME SWEPT UP

IN THE OPPOSITION.

I VOLUNTEERED FOR AN

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP

AT THE CHURCH.

I HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS TURNED

ME INTO AN ENEMY OF THE STATE.

Narrator: AS THE OPPOSITION

MOVEMENT GAINED MOMENTUM,

KATRIN AND HER FRIENDS TOOK

EVER GREATER RISKS,

INCLUDING PROVIDING A SAFE HAVEN

FOR A WEAPON THAT COULD HAVE

EASILY LANDED THEM IN PRISON:

A MIMEOGRAPH MACHINE.

FOR US, THE MIMEOGRAPH

WAS VERY IMPORTANT.

YOU WERE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE ONE

IN THE GDR.

IT'S NOT LIKE TODAY WHERE YOU

CAN DUPLICATE ANYTHING YOU WANT.

THE STATE HAD A MONOPOLY ON

THE DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION.

NOBODY KNEW WE HAD ONE.

Narrator: THANKS IN PART TO

THE UNDERGROUND PRINTING

PRESSES, BY SEPTEMBER,

THE MONDAY PRAYER MEETINGS

AT THE NIKOLAI CHURCH HAD BECOME

SO LARGE, THE CHURCH

COULD NO LONGER CONTAIN THEM.

KATRIN AND A FRIEND DECIDED TO

TAKE YET ANOTHER STEP AND CARRY

A BANNER CALLING FOR FREEDOM.

IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG

FOR PLAINCLOTHES STASI AGENTS TO

ENFORCE THE BAN ON FREE SPEECH.

HEY!

Narrator: TWO DAYS LATER,

KATRIN WAS ARRESTED.

I HAVE TO SAY I ONLY REMEMBER

PARTS, BECAUSE THE STASI PULLED

ME BY MY HAIR AND PULLED ME

DOWN, AND THEN I PASSED OUT.

Narrator: DESPITE ARRESTS,

THE OPPOSITION MOVEMENT

WAS GROWING BOLDER.

IN LEIPZIG, THEY CALLED ON

CITIZENS TO MAKE MONDAY,

OCTOBER 9, 1989,

THE BIGGEST PROTEST YET.

HONECKER RESPONDED BY ORDERING

TANKS AND ARMED TROOPS

TO SURROUND LEIPZIG.

IN EVERYBODY'S MIND WAS THE

HORRIFYING MEMORY OF WHAT HAD

HAPPENED JUST A FEW MONTHS

EARLIER IN ANOTHER COMMUNIST

COUNTRY.

TIANANMEN SQUARE, BEIJING.

HUNDREDS OF YOUNG CHINESE

HAD BEEN SHOT DOWN

FOR DEMONSTRATING AGAINST

THEIR GOVERNMENT.

THE EAST GERMAN LEADERS HAD

COMMENDED THE CHINESE FOR THEIR

DECISIVE ACTIONS.

SO NO ONE WAS SURPRISED WHEN THE

POLICE IN LEIPZIG TOLD EVERY

HOSPITAL TO PREPARE

FOR CASUALTIES.

OCTOBER 9TH WOULD BE A SHOWDOWN,

AND THE AUTHORITIES WERE CLEARLY

PLANNING FOR WHAT WAS NOW BEING

CALLED "THE CHINA OPTION."

ON OCTOBER 9TH, WE FIT ABOUT

8,000 PEOPLE IN THE LOCAL

CHURCHES.

AND AFTER OUR PEACE PRAYER HERE,

WE WANTED TO LEAVE THE CHURCH

AND JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION.

WELL, WE OPENED THE DOOR,

AND THE WHOLE SQUARE WAS JUST

PACKED WITH PEOPLE.

LATER, WE FOUND OUT THAT ABOUT

70,000 PEOPLE HAD SHOWN UP...

THE LARGEST VOLUNTARY

DEMONSTRATION IN THE GDR HISTORY

EVER.

Narrator: AS THE

DEMONSTRATORS MOVED TO LEIPZIG'S

MAIN PUBLIC SQUARE, ARMED POLICE

WAITED FOR THE ORDER TO CHARGE.

HONECKER HAD BANNED ALL NEWS

MEDIA FROM LEIPZIG EARLIER

THAT WEEK, BUT TWO YOUNG EAST

GERMANS SMUGGLED IN A VIDEO

CAMERA.

FROM HIGH IN A CHURCH STEEPLE,

THEY SHOT THE ONLY FOOTAGE

OF A TURNING POINT MOMENT

IN GERMAN HISTORY.

ON OCTOBER 9TH, I WAS IN MY

PRISON CELL, AND WE HEARD ALL

THESE NOISES.

WE THOUGHT THESE COULD BE TANKS

OR TRUCKS OR WHO KNOWS WHAT.

LATER, WE FOUND OUT IT WAS THE

FEET OF 70,000 PEOPLE WHO WERE

MARCHING FOR OUR FREEDOM.

Narrator: IN THE END,

THERE WAS NO VIOLENT CRACKDOWN.

LOCAL CHURCH AND PARTY LEADERS

JOINED BY THE INTERNATIONALLY

RENOWNED CONDUCTOR KURT MASUR

MADE A PUBLIC STATEMENT CALLING

ON THE REGIME NOT TO ATTACK

THE PROTESTERS, WHILE,

IN EAST BERLIN, EGON KRENZ,

HONECKER'S CHIEF AIDE,

DECLINED TO PASS ON THE PARTY

CHIEF'S ORDERS TO SEND IN

THE POLICE.

EAST GERMANS, 70,000 OF THEM,

HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO CRITICIZE

THEIR GOVERNMENT IN PUBLIC.

IT WAS SUCH A RELIEF

THAT NO SHOTS WERE FIRED.

THAT EVENING, THE GDR WAS NOT

THE SAME AS IT WAS

IN THE MORNING.

AND WE KNEW IT.

Narrator: WITHIN A WEEK,

ERICH HONECKER WAS OUSTED,

REPLACED BY KRENZ.

NOW, THAT WAS THE GOOD NEWS.

BAD NEWS FOR THE COMMUNISTS WAS,

EGON KRENZ, WHO TOOK OVER,

KEPT HALF OF THE POLITBURO,

LOSING HIS CREDIBILITY

IMMEDIATELY.

SO ALTHOUGH THERE WAS THE

CHANGE, IT WAS HALFHEARTEDLY,

NOT WELL-EXECUTED, AND PEOPLE

WERE NOT REASSURED.

Narrator: IN EARLY NOVEMBER

AT A MASSIVE DEMONSTRATION

IN BERLIN, THE NEW FACE OF THE

REGIME PROMISED TO REFORM

THE GOVERNMENT AND EVEN OPEN

THE BORDERS.

THE EAST GERMAN GOVERNMENT

ANNOUNCED A RELAXED TRAVEL LAW.

IT DIDN'T WORK.

Narrator: IT WAS TOO LITTLE

TOO LATE.

I NEVER BOOED SO LOUD

IN MY LIFE.

IT WAS LIKE A SLAP IN THE FACE

TO BE ADDRESSED BY THESE

LEADERS.

WE KNEW WHERE THEY WERE COMING

FROM.

THE OLD REGIME WAS SAYING THEY

COULD SAVE THE GDR.

BUT IT WAS TOO LATE.

I WANTED IT TO STOP EXISTING.

IT WAS A DICTATORSHIP

THAT WOULD NEVER BECOME

A DEMOCRACY.

Narrator: BUT STILL,

NO ONE WAS TALKING ABOUT TAKING

DOWN THE BERLIN WALL.

THAT WOULD COME ABOUT PURELY

BY ACCIDENT.

ON THE EVENING OF NOVEMBER 9,

1989, EAST GERMAN POLITBURO

SPOKESMAN GUENTER SCHABOWSKY

WAS GIVING A PRESS CONFERENCE.

SCHABOWSKY READ A LONG DOCUMENT

ANNOUNCING YET ANOTHER

INCREMENTAL STEP IN THE LIFTING

OF TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS.

AT THE END, ONE NEWSMAN YELLED

OUT A SIMPLE QUESTION.

"WHEN DOES IT TAKE AFFECT?"

narrator: "IMMEDIATELY,"

HE SAID UNCERTAINLY,

SEARCHING THE DOCUMENT.

IT WAS NOT THE ANSWER THE REGIME

MEANT HIM TO GIVE.

BUT IT WAS TOO LATE.

WITHIN HOURS, AMERICAN

NEWSCASTER TOM BROKAW WAS

ANNOUNCING THAT THE EAST GERMANS

HAD OPENED THE WALL.

GOOD EVENING.

LIVE FROM THE BERLIN WALL

ON THE MOST HISTORIC NIGHT

IN THIS WALL'S HISTORY.

WHAT YOU SEE BEHIND ME

IS A CELEBRATION OF THIS NEW

POLICY ANNOUNCED TODAY BY THE

EAST GERMAN GOVERNMENT THAT NOW,

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE

WALL WAS ERECTED IN 1961, PEOPLE

WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH

FREELY.

Narrator: WEST GERMAN TV,

WHICH EAST BERLINERS WATCHED,

REPORTED THE SAME THING.

BY 10:00 P.M., A CROWD HAD

GATHERED AT THE BORNHOLMER

BRIDGE IN NORTHERN BERLIN,

A MAJOR CROSSING POINT.

THE GUARDS HAD NO ORDERS.

THEY SOON OPENED THE GATES,

AND 28 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT

CAME CRASHING DOWN.

AT THE BORNHOLMER BRIDGE,

THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE.

THE HELPLESS BORDER GUARDS

JUST OPENED THE WALL.

THE 9TH OF NOVEMBER WAS

THE CRAZIEST DAY IN OUR LIVES.

EVERYONE ASSUMED IT WOULD BE

A TRICKLE.

IT WAS A HUGE FLOOD.

NOT ONE SHOT WAS FIRED.

Narrator: IN WASHINGTON,

ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS TRIED

TO NAIL DOWN THE DETAILS.

WE DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER THE

WALL WAS OPENING, WHETHER THESE

DEMONSTRATORS WERE GONNA GET

SHOT WHEN THE CROSSED, SO IT WAS

A VERY CONFUSED PERIOD.

BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT,

MARLIN FITZWATER, THE PRESS

SECRETARY, CAME IN AND SAID,

"MR. PRESIDENT, YOU HAVE TO MAKE

A STATEMENT OF SOME KIND."

SO THAT'S WHEN HE CALLED PEOPLE

IN, INTO HIS OFFICE, AND THEY

STOOD AROUND THE DESK, AND HE

ANSWERED A FEW QUESTIONS.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR

ON THE LATEST NEWS COMING OUT

OF GERMANY, AND OF COURSE,

I WELCOME THE DECISION BY THE

EAST GERMAN LEADERSHIP TO OPEN

THE BORDER.

I REMEMBER ONE OF THE REPORTERS

SAID, "WHAT'S YOUR EMOTION?

DON'T YOU HAVE ANY EMOTION

AT THIS GREAT TIME?"

WHAT YOU JUST SAID, THAT THIS

IS A SORT OF GREAT VICTORY FOR

OUR SIDE IN THE BIG EAST-WEST

BATTLE, BUT YOU DON'T SEEM

ELATED, AND I'M WONDERING IF

YOU'RE THINKING...

I'M ELATED.

I'M JUST NOT AN EMOTIONAL

KIND OF GUY.

PRESIDENT BUSH WAS PESTERED

PRETTY STRONGLY BY NEWS

ORGANIZATIONS FOR BEING

SO RESTRAINED IN HIS RECEIPT

OF THAT NEWS.

AFTER ALL, THIS WAS THE END

OF THE COLD... THIS WAS...

WE'D BEEN FIGHTING FOR THIS

FOR 40 YEARS.

HERE IT IS.

WHY AREN'T YOU SHOWING

MORE EMOTION?

BUT HE WAS SMARTER THAN THAT,

BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT WE HAD

UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

FOR US TO OVERREACT

AND LOOK LIKE "WE WON,

AND YOU GUYS LOST,"

WOULD'VE BEEN STUPID.

AND THAT'S MUCH CLEARER

TO ME NOW.

A LOT OF THINGS AREN'T CLEARER

TO ME NOW, BUT THIS ONE IS.

HE SAID,

"THIS IS A GERMAN MOMENT."

AND THAT WAS A BRILLIANT

INSIGHT BECAUSE IT WAS

A GERMAN MOMENT.

AND IT ALLOWED THE UNITED STATES

TO PLAY AN ACTIVE DIPLOMATIC

ROLE IN A WAY THAT DID NOT

EMBARRASS THE SOVIET UNION

AND THAT RECOGNIZED THAT GERMANY

WAS ABOUT TO BECOME SOVEREIGN.

Narrator: FOR WEST GERMAN

CHANCELLOR HELMUT KOHL,

THE TIMING COULDN'T HAVE BEEN

MORE COMPLICATED.

ON NOVEMBER 9TH, HE WAS ON

AN IMPORTANT DIPLOMATIC MISSION

TO WARSAW, POLAND,

WITH NO EASY WAY TO GET BACK

TO GERMANY.

FINALLY, AFTER DELICATE

NEGOTIATIONS WITH HIS POLISH

HOSTS, HE FLEW TO BERLIN

AND ARRIVED EXHAUSTED BUT ALSO

ENERGIZED BY THE POSSIBILITIES

OF A NEW GERMANY.

THERE ARE SITUATIONS IN LIFE

WHERE YOU SAY, "I HAVE TO GET

THROUGH THIS NO MATTER HOW TIRED

I AM."

THAT'S HOW WE FELT.

WE FELT IT WAS THE FULFILLMENT

OF A DREAM.

Narrator: GERMANS ON BOTH

SIDES OF THE WALL WERE JUBILANT

BUT, AT THE SAME TIME,

POLITICAL LEADERS FEARED

THAT AN UNSTABLE EAST GERMANY

COULD LEAD TO VIOLENCE.

AFTER THE WALL FELL,

THERE WAS THIS EERIE FEELING

THAT EVERYTHING WAS CHANGING,

AND WE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE

WE WERE HEADED.

SOMETHING DRAMATIC HAD JUST

OCCURRED, AND IT WAS IN THE

HANDS OF OTHERS, NOT IN THE

HANDS OF GOVERNMENTS.

THE QUESTION WAS, WELL,

WE HAVE TO SHAPE THIS

DEVELOPMENT.

AND THE FIRST INTEREST AT THAT

TIME WAS NOT UNIFICATION.

THE FIRST INTEREST WAS:

HOW CAN WE STABILIZE THE

SITUATION IN THE GDR TO KEEP

THE DEVELOPMENT UNDER POLITICAL

CONTROL.

Narrator: WITHIN A FEW DAYS,

IT WAS CLEAR THE WALL WOULD

REMAIN OPEN, AND THERE WOULD BE

NO VIOLENT REACTION FROM THE

EAST GERMAN REGIME.

BUT WHAT WOULD COME NEXT?

THE NEXT MORNING, I THINK WE

STARTED THINKING ABOUT THE

CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT

WE'D JUST SEEN.

AND AS THE PRINCIPAL SOVIET

SPECIALIST, IT WAS SUDDENLY MY

JOB TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT

MEANT AND NOT TO FIGURE IT OUT

IN A KIND OF ACADEMIC SENSE

BUT IN A VERY REAL POLICY SENSE.

Narrator: AND THE CLOCK

WAS TICKING.

PRESIDENT BUSH AND GENERAL

SECRETARY GORBACHEV WERE

SCHEDULED FOR THEIR FIRST

MEETING IN LESS THAN A MONTH.

HELMUT KOHL WAS HOPING TO SEIZE

THIS UNEXPECTED MOMENT

TO REUNIFY GERMANY.

EVERYONE KNEW THIS WAS

A NEW EUROPE.

THE BERLIN WALL HAD FALLEN

AFTER 28 YEARS.

NOW THE WORK WOULD BEGIN

TO DECIDE WHAT WOULD RISE

IN ITS PLACE.

Female announcer: TO LEARN

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WELFARE, EDUCATION, THE ARTS

AND CULTURE, AND RESEARCH

AND TEACHING IN THE HUMANITIES,

SOCIAL SCIENCES,

AND NATURAL SCIENCES.

WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM

THE RIAS BERLIN COMMISSION,

PRESERVING AND DEEPENING

THE IDEALS OF GERMAN-AMERICAN

FRIENDSHIP;

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AND EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES;

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EDUCATION, AND SUPPORT