Germany. In a News Conference which ended just a few minutes ago in east berlin, government officials have announced communist east germany have announced their border open with west germany. East german citizens now have the right to cross directly from east germany into west germany. Up to now, as you know, the thousands, tens of thousands of east germans going west have had to pass through other communist east bloc nations, most of them passing through czechoslovakia. But as of right now according to the official statement just concluded, they have the right to go directly to west germany. Nbc correspondent Dennis Murphy is in berlin right now and has been following the events. The News Conference on television. Dennis, what more do you know about this startling decision . Dennis it is truly astonishing. In a series of events that have happened the last few days and hours. Literally in the last five minutes on television here in west berlin and also in the east, the germans east and west, speaking for the government, the Media Spokesman said there are no more borders, that east germans may cross to the west over whatever existing border frontiers there are. That eliminates the route through czechoslovakia. We have been following the last few days, the hundreds of thousands of east germans who are leaving via that route. That is no longer necessary. In effect, i think what we have here is a berlin wall which is a symbol, but the frontiers themselves are open. He says in the next few weeks, there will be some provisional time to prepare the legislation to make this all correct and constitutional. But what we have seen now in the last few hours is the collapse of all of the borders between east and west germany. Garrick dennis, as you said, that the berlin wall which divided the two sides of the cities is a symbol. But as far as you know, will that wall itself along the Brandenburg Gate near check point charlie, will those openings be open for east germans who want to come into west berlin . Dennis as we read the words, the words that were read to the people here tonight, that is correct. All of the checkpoints we know, checkpoint charlie and the others, those gates will be open. It remains to be seen how the news will be taken here in the next few hours, but the very grim facade of the wall, where there are only a few entrances coming and going, with all of the dogs and guards, this only is a symbol at this point because the gates will be open according to what the people were told on television tonight. Garrick were just getting a bulletin from the wire Service Coming from east berlin saying exactly what you reported, the east german Spokesman Says the new announcement means the new order means people can pass through the berlin wall itself from east berlin to west berlin. Of course these developments coming as the communist leadership, the communist authorities in east berlin have been under tremendous pressure because of the tens of thousands of east germans fleeing their country. As of this evening, they can leave whenever they want and however they want. Of course we will have further developments throughout the afternoon and a full report this evening on nbc nightly news from tom brokaw, who himself is in east berlin today. That is the news for now. Utley, nbc news, new york. Announcer this has been an nbc news special report. Announcer we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. Heres harrick utley. Garrick utley. Garrick good afternoon. Heres the latest information coming to us from east germany, where short while ago government officials made the very startling announcement that east german citizens will have the right to leave their country to travel directly to west germany or to west berlin. It will no longer be necessary for east germans leaving their country to travel through other communist nations such as hungary, poland, or czechoslovakia. That is the route that tens of thousands of east germans have been taking over these last several weeks. The announcement was made by the spokesman. As you know, the government there has been under very heavy pressure from the new political opposition and from the tens of thousands leaving that country. Here is how the announcement was made on east German Television this evening. [speaking german] garrick the announcer here says that the communist leadership has decided to draw up a new travel law that until that law has been passed by the east german parliament, east germans will have the right to cross through all border points between east germany and west germany, including east berlin and west berlin. That announcement was made at the News Conference which concluded just a few minutes ago in east berlin. Of course two points to keep in mind here. First of all, the berlin wall, that wall of concrete and barbed wire and minefields still stands, but as of right now, it appears to be nothing more than a symbol of the old iron curtain because east germans, east berliners will now have the right to leave through the wall directly into west berlin itself. The government announced instead that east germans will have to have visas to go out but that an order was given today to the Police Authority along the border to issue those visas to anyone who wants to leave and to issue them quickly. So, to wrap up again, the east German Government has bowed to the increasing pressure from its own citizenry, the 60 million east germans demanding greater freedom, including freedom to travel. As of right now, they have that right, that freedom to leave their country legally to come to the west. We will have more information as it comes to us throughout the afternoon from east berlin and this evening tom brokaw will be reporting directly from east berlin on nbc nightly news. That is it for now. Im garrick utley, nbc news, new york. Announcer this has been an nbc news special report. Announcer we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. Here is garrick utley. Garrick good afternoon. We are continuing to follow developments in east germany. A short while ago as you may know the communist leaders announced they are opening their border between east and west germany from east berlin to west berlin through the berlin wall itself. That announcement, a very surprising and important announcement, came this afternoon made by the chief official spokesman of the communist party there. Tom brokaw is in east berlin at this moment. He was covering that News Conference. Tom, give us the details. Tom garrick, it was a surprise because it came at the end of a lengthy News Conference that came from the east Berlin Communist Party chief. And it was almost by accident he told the assembled reporters that the bureau recommended this afternoon, and it is about to become formal government policy, that any east german citizen who wants to leave this country temporarily or permanently will be able to do so by going through the many checkpoints of the berlin wall by crossing the borders into the west. It will no longer be necessary to go to hungary or czechoslovakia to get out of here. This, in effect, in effect, garrick, dissolves the berlin wall, although of course it will remain standing physically. Garrick and of course it has been standing there since 1961. We are familiar with the pictures of the tens of thousands of east germans who have been coming to west germany over the last several weeks and months. Is one of the ideas that the east germans have that this could ease the pressure on them by giving east germans the right to leave directly to the west . Tom well, there are two intentions, two strategies here. One is that they have got to relieve the burden on czechoslovakia. That is the cover tonight. But the underlying motivation is that the communist party hopes that this will demonstrate its good intentions, its determination to reform this country. It has been trying everything as you know in the last several weeks, including throwing out the hardliners, today promising free elections, recognizing opposition parties. And then tonight, this dramatic announcement that the wall, in effect, after now almost 30 years, is coming down. Tom, thank you. We look forward to your report this evening from berlin on nbc nightly news. Reaction is also starting to come in from washington, from the bush administration. Secretary of state jim baker had this to say about the east german declaration. Sec. Baker it would seem to me to be a very positive development and it should be a development that we should welcome, if indeed the announcement means that they have opened the border to free travel. We have been talking for a long time about freedom of travel as being a basic human right. We have been talking for a long time about open borders. And weve been talking for a long time about the importance of seeing the wall come down. Now, i dont know what this announcement means because i have not seen it yet, in terms of its full impact. But if they are indeed opening their borders, i think that is a positive development. Garrick secretary of state jim baker. Secretary of state baker is just trying to figure out what all this means. There is considerable concern the Administration Things may be going too far, too fast. John this is not necessarily a happy development, garrick, because what it means is there is now great instability. We have seen the east German Government try one strategy after another to deal with this, but there was a period of instability. Diplomacy basically does not like instability. Remember your history, that the assassination at sarajevo, a small event in itself, eventually touched off world war i. Garrick what we are not talking about that in this situation. Whatever the diplomats should be thinking about this decision made by the east germans today should and will be welcome as the fact the wall has been opened up. John i think the thing that they will welcome the most is the fact it may now lance the boil and let off some of the pressure so that you dont have such instability in east germany that eventually there might be clashes between citizens and the police. Garrick we should also remember that all of this is happening just a few weeks before the summit conference between bush and gorbachev in the mediterranean. Exciting times. John dancy, thank you very much. At the department of defense, fred francis, who covers military matters, is standing by with the pentagons view of what is happening in east germany today. Fred garrick, in the last hour, ive spoken to several senior military officials in this building, both civilian and military. And they are quite frankly awestruck by all of this. One of them, who has been deeply involved in looking ahead a year or two on what u. S. Military cuts would mean in europe on the budgets, said consider the impact of a u. S. Military in europe without walls, consider the impact of the u. S. Budget in europe where there is no credible threat of war. And those are significant numbers. Right now there are 770,000 u. S. Americans in europe, 320,000 assigned to nato soldiers, men and women, another 300,000 dependents of civilians, 150,000 civilians working there. An extraordinary number. And it amounts to approximately 170 billion a year of u. S. Taxpayers money. And if there is a europe without a credible threat of war, with a warsaw pact that it cannot mount an attack on the west, then is there the need for all of these troops . And those are the numbers and the surprising calculations that are going on in this building today. Garrick thank you very much. Of course those are very important, exciting questions to face. We are not there yet. Where we are right now on this thursday in november is that the east German Government, the communist leaders, have decided to open their borders as of tomorrow morning. Any east german citizen can leave to the west at his or her own choosing through the east west german border or even through the berlin wall itself. Hard to believe, but that is the news of today. And this evening tom brokaw will be reporting from berlin on nbc nightly news. Im garrick utley, nbc news in new york. Announcer this has been an nbc news special report. Pres. Bush our objective is a europe whole and free. I would say yes. Gorbachev talks about a common home. Is it a step towards that . Probably so. What about immigration to this country . Will we be seeing new refugees . Pres. Bush there is no indication of that. These are germans going to the federal republic of germany. What is the danger of this spinning out of control . Secretary baker commented earlier about how rapid change nobody expected this to happen as quickly as it did. Is there a danger here that things are accelerating too quickly . Pres. Bush well, i would not want to say this kind of development makes things be moving too quickly at all. The kind of development we would long encourage by our strong support. For the helsinki act. Im not going to pontificate that if anything goes too fast. We are handling it in a way where we are not trying to give anybody a hard time. We are saluting those who can move forward with democracy. We are encouraging the concept of a europe, polandfree. And so we just welcome it. But i dont like to go into a lot of hypothesis about too much change or too rapid change or what i would do, what our whole team here would do if something went wrong. Were not i think it is being handled by the west very well. And certainly, you salute the people in east germany whose aspirations for freedom seem to be a little further down the road now. [indiscernible] pres. Bush i dont think anyone can resist it, in europe or in the western hemisphere. That is one of the great things about dynamic change in central america. Moving in our direction. Did you ever imagine anything like this happening on your watch . Pres. Bush we have imagined it, but i cant say that i foresaw this development at this stage. Now, i did not foresee it, but imagining it . Yes. When i talked about a europe whole and free, we are talking about this kind of freedom to come and go, this kind of staying with and living by the helsinki final act, which gives people the right to come and go. In what you just said, this is a great victory for our side in the eastwest battle, but you dont seem elated. And im wondering if youre thinking of the problems pres. Bush i am not an emotional kind of guy. I am very pleased. And i have been very pleased with a lot of other developments. And as i told you, i think the United States part of this, which is not related to this Development Today particularly, is being handled in a proper fashion. And we will have some that will suggest more flamboyant courses of action for this country. And we are, i think, handling this properly with allies, staying in close touch. In this dynamic change, try to help as Development Takes place, try to enhance reform both political and economic. And so, the fact that im not bubbling over, maybe it is getting long towards the evening because i feel very good about it. What i wanted to ask is the second part of that was, is your second thought, what are we going to do if it does explode over there . Obviously, if they just flood into west germany, they are handling it now, but they only have gotten 200,000. What if they get one million . What if they get two million . Pres. Bush well, what i would like to think is the political change in the gdr would catch up right, would catch up very fast with this liberation, if you will. You may remember that before i went to poland, i dont know whether jim baker was sitting next to me, i know brent was there, and john sununu, and i was asked by a polish journalist if i were a young pole, what would my advice be . And what i said is, i think you ought to stay there and participate in this dramatic change in your country. You ought to feel the surge of freedom, feel the move toward democracy, and be a part of it. And these are germans. And germans love their country. And at some point, i think a lot of germans who had felt penned in and unable to move are going to say, look, we can move, but wouldnt it be better to participate in the reforms that are taking place in our own country . So i think it is too early to predict, but these openings are there. That that means everybody is going to take off. [indiscernible] he said to gorbachev that europes side is winning. Is that the kind of thing youre going to communicate to him . Pres. Bush he has already expressed his interest in a common european home. We faced it differently. We said a europe whole and free. And when you see citizens wanting to go and flee what has been an oppressive society, clearly, that is a message that mr. Gorbachev will understand. He sees it not only in eastern europe, but he sees it inside the soviet union. So we will have a good, lively before these developments took place, i have said that we would be discussing a rapid change inside eastern europe. And we have been talking about that today, just before you all came in here. We have been talking about the gorbachev meeting. And one of the things that we are determined we will discuss, and i know he will want to discuss, is this change. Mr. President , do you think maybe east germans will want to stay and participate in reforming their country that suggests you think german reunification is some ways off. What is your view on german reunification . Pres. Bush i do not see they are related. Huh . [indiscernible] pres. Bush i dont know. I think it is way too early to speak on that. I have spoken out on the question of german reunification. The know the president of france spoke out. Ive heard what the chancellor has had to say about it. But michael, i dont know whether the development of today speeds up the day or not. Mr. President [indiscernible] pres. Bush discussing a wide array of those subjects with the soviets, i am sure. I know of their interest in talking about that, so we will be prepared to talk about it. [indiscernible] pres. Bush i would like to talk to him soon, but he is off in poland. I may try to get him there. But i talked to him quite recently. We confer quite regularly. Have you talked any of the others . Pres. Bush not yet. No. [indiscernible] pres. Bush we might want to talk about it. Thank you. Mary alice president george bush speaking just moments ago from the oval office on the surprise announcement from the government of east germany that there were opening their borders, all their borders to the west, giving the east german People Freedom to travel where they wish as long as they wish, for the First Time Since the berlin wall was erected in 1961. Early on in that News Conference, president bush was referring to west german chancellor helmut kohl, who has just left for a trip to poland, left before the surprise announcement was made. West germany of course has been besieged by refugees. 200,000 of them over the last several weeks. 50,000 of them since saturday alone. The u. S. Pentagon has announced that it has agreed to temporarily provide emergency housing for about close to 1000 of the east germans flooding into the west. There is a lot more reaction in washington. Robert hager is standing by there. Robert mary alice, as you can imagine, everybody is talking about this here. Just before the president spoke, Vice President dan quayle called reporters into his office at the Old Executive Office building and said events in east germany were not moving too fast. In fact, he said the sooner the better. There was a flurry on the senate floor with several senators speaking out. The majority leader George Mitchell of maine said that it was a step that the east germans had to take. Lets listen to that now. Mr. Mitchell todays decision, not an act of democracy, not an act to please or placate the west, but a desperate act of survival by the east German Government to permit their people to leave, represents the symbolic destruction of the berlin wall. Robert there was a contrasting reaction from the minority leader, republican bob dole of kansas. A statement on the senate floor that was restrained. Mr. Dole talk of reelections can turn out to be nothing more than talk. Bureau withilot some deadwood remove. But seven of the 11 members are holdovers from the old bureau, and they are undoubtedly still powerful forces which will see all of the recent developments as abhorrent. Robert by coincidence this was an afternoon when the house of representatives passed the spending bill, which produced a lot of debate about military spending in the house. And included that in that is a lot of money for hightech military items. Later, two congressmen of different stripes, liberal democrat ron dellums, and conservative republican john kasich, both offered the same view, questioning why are we spending all this money on hightech military items when things like this are going on in Central Europe . Mary alice . Mary alice ok, thank you, bob. Nato of course is also very concerned about this. Remember that the berlin wall, put up in 1961, has shaped the politics and policies of whole generation. John cochran is standing by at the white house with more reaction. John mary alice, i was struck by how lowkey the president was, how cautious, how prudent. Adjectives we use all the time in describing george bush. A couple of reasons why he did not appear more elated in public about the announcement of the past two days in east germany. First of all, he doesnt want to gloat. After all, he has got this meeting coming up on the second and third of december with gorbachev. The worst thing he knows he could do is to gloat and to embarrass gorbachev as they prepare for their talks. And secondly, it is a little early to gloat. East germans are not out of the woods yet. It is still possible there could be a crackdown. There are still some conservatives in east germany. This could all turn around. At the last moment, you could see the east German Communist Party decide theyve tried everything else, theyve tried to institute reforms, now they will crack down and use force. That is a possibility. So george bush is not counting his chickens too early. He is that cautious president. Mary alice we have talked about this being a gamble. We have talked about it being a gamble by gorbachev. Can you determine which one the president views as being the mover and shaker behind this action today . John the feeling here is that none of this wouldve happened if Mikhail Gorbachev did not exist. Theres also the feeling that gorbachev, he would not tolerate, would not support a crackdown, military or police slugging it out in the streets. That would not be tolerated. Because after all, gorbachev said he would not do that in his own country. However, there are people in the white house, people who dont trust gorbachev quite so much, who pointed out from time to time the soviet union still see the kgb knocking heads in the streets of moscow. So, the feeling here is that gorbachev is ultimately responsible for what is happening. But as i say, theres a feeling here that this isnt complete victory. Theyre not saying that the iron curtain is definitely down yet, mary alice. Announcer we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. Here is Mary Alice Williams. Mary alice astonishing events today unfolding in east germany. The berlin wall that separated east and west and shaped the politics of a generation is no longer a barrier to freedom. The east German Government, in a surprise announcement today, said that its borders to the west would be open, its people given the right to travel freely anywhere they want for as long as they want. For the First Time Since the berlin wall was erected in 1961. With us now from san antonio, is the west german ambassador. Thank you for being with us, mr. Ambassador. Your reaction to these amazing events. It is a pleasure to be with you. I think it is breathtaking events for us. I have not heard the details yet on how this new permission to travel from gdr, from east germany to west germany, is going to be shaped, but i think it has been a demand from the east germans, as well as from our side, for a long time that there will be an opportunity to travel freely from east germany to west germany. And if that comes about, i think this is going to be a very important and remarkable step. And i share your opinion. I think it will reduce the importance of the wall. In other words, it will punch a hole into the berlin wall. And let me add, i think if these steps are being taken, that may be an encouragement for the germans in gdr that they see that reforms are taking place, and that it might encourage them to stay in east germany and to see how and when and how quickly these reforms are taking place in east germany. Mary alice just in the past six weeks, mr. Ambassador, 200,000 east germans have fled, most of them to your country, putting a terrible strain on your infrastructure and your economy. In the shortterm, how can west germany handle what is expected to be an even larger flow of refugees . Well, i think my compatriots in the federal republic of germany have received the refugees with great emotional welcome and with solidarity. Indeed, the larger number, the growing number of refugees creates growing problems. So far, we have been able to find employment for quite a few of them. The good state of the economy helps. We have had about 300,000 vacant positions beginning of this week, but housing is a growing concern and a growing problem. But it is important that reforms take place in east germany. And my government has said if these reforms take place, we are willing to do very substantial help and support for these reforms. Mary alice it sounds a bit as though youre asking east germans to stay where they are . It sounds as though you are asking east german citizens to stay where they are and not come to the west . No, we have always said it is their decision to take. And whenever they come to us they are very welcome. They will receive a passport and they will receive all of the other help we can give them. To employ them, to accommodate them in the federal republic of germany. I think you have to recall that after 1945, we have integrated over 10 million refugees from east germany. So i think even if the number keeps growing that is a magnitude we can cope with. But great willingness on our to do the best to help them and to cope with the situation. Mary alice you are saying you will continue to allow as many east germans to come into your country. To the extent that that is detrimental to the east german economy, how can west germany handle that, help east germany . We can extend our cooperation. We have very Good Corporation in the economic field, industrial, and economic connections. We have cooperation in the field of environmental problems, cleaning the rivers, cleaning the air. We have contacts with universities, we have partnerships with cities. All of these different areas can be extended considerably if this process of reforms take place. Mary alice today your government announced that they thought the wall should be taken down as soon as tomorrow. Do you think it should be taken down . Well i mean, that is the line of the government. I think it would make the progress significant. I think the main point is really that the cities now have this perspective of free travel. That was the largest impediment for movement from east to west germany. And i think this is a very remarkable step if this can be brought about. Mary alice mr. Ambassador, thank you very much for being with us. The west german ambassador speaking to us tonight from san antonio. Nbc news will keep you updated on these Dramatic Developments today. And on nbc nightly news, tom brokaw will be reporting from east berlin. I am Mary Alice Williams. Announcer this has been an nbc news special report. Announcer we interrupt this program for an nbc news special report. Here is Mary Alice Williams. Mary alice the communist east German Government struggling to survive, today decided to reverse a decadesold policy and let its people go. It announced they would be free to travel over any of its borders, including the one with west germany, including the one through the berlin wall. Built 21 years ago to stop the kind of east german exodus to the west we have seen in the last six weeks. President bush has applauded the announcement as a Dramatic Development for freedom, but the president said that he does not think any single event is the end of what you might call the iron curtain. Robert hager is standing by in washington. Bob . Robert well, the president reacted cautiously, first allowing a couple hours to go by before he called reporters in to the oval office to make his offthecuff statements. He said he welcomed the decision. And here you will hear him refer to the gdr, the german democratic republic, the formal name for east germany. Here is what the president had to say. Goes. Bush and lets the gdr forward now. And this wall built in 1961 will have very little relevance. And it clearly is a Good Development in terms of human rights, and i must say that after discussing this here with the secretary of state and National Security advisor, i am very pleased with this development. With a truly open border, it is hard to predict how many will be trying to leave. And so, its a dynamic development. And we just have to wait and see. Robert as you said, mary alice, the president said he did not think that any single event would mark the end of the iron curtain. But he did say clearly we are a long way from the harshest days. Reporters asked him about his lowkey demeanor. The president insisted he was elated over the developments and said to the reporters, im just not an emotional kind of guy. Mary alice . Mary alice ok, thank you, bob. And president ial spokesman Marlon Fitzwater said earlier in the day that all of the allies are standing by watching and willing to help if necessary. The pentagon has agreed to temporary house close to 1000 of the refugees who have already landed in west germany. The west german canceler helmut kohl has called for direct talks leader toast german discuss the communist partys political crisis. Just yesterday, he purged the old guard, diminished the size of the politburo, urged free elections, hinted at a multiparty system, promised new laws on freedom of assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of the press. Earlier i spoke with the west german ambassador to the United States, and he indicated that a major flow of refugees is going to be a problem. The growing number of refugees creates growing problems. So far we have been able to find employment for quite a few of them. The good state of the economy helps. We have had about 300,000 vacant positions beginning of this week, but housing is a growing concern and a growing problem. But it is important that reforms take place in east germany. And my government has said if these reforms take place, we are willing to do very substantial help and support for these reforms. Mary alice at the Brandenburg Gate now, a major checkpoint between east and west in berlin, we have Martin Fletcher standing by. Martin, what is the mood of the people after todays announcement . Martin jubilant here at the Brandenburg Gate. West berliners have come here for hours now, shouting at the across the wall at the east german Border Guards to let their people go, to break the wall down. They have been lighting candles at the foot of the wall in memory of the germans who have died trying to escape. That will no longer be necessary. Mary alice details that need yet to be worked out, for instance, visas for those who simply want to visit as opposed to emigration. How is that going to work, do you know . Martin well, most east germans do not have passports or travel papers. And they will not be able to leave east germany efficiently without them. It will take time and they expect here in west berlin a lot of east berliners to come across. Mary alice how concerned is the government of west berlin about the economic ramifications on west germany for taking all of these refugees in . Martin it is interesting. Because most of the refugees so far who have come across have been young and semiskilled or skilled and had been a great boost to the west german workforce. At the same time there is a major housing shortage in west germany and the refugees have added to that. So there has been some Competition Among those in west germany looking for homes and the refugees. But there has been a lot of goodwill towards absorbing the east germans. Mary alice are there suggestions in the west German Government for east germans to stay there, to work within their system and watch the Democracy Movement grow there rather than emigrating to the west . Martin well yeah, theres a major irony here. For years the east germans have been calling on the west German Government. But now they are coming in such large numbers that the west germans are getting worried and they are calling on the east germans to put their own house in order. There are also calls in east germany among those leaving saying look, finally we have a chance to reform our society. Dont leave. Stay and help work it out. Mary alice how serious is the refugee problem there in west berlin . Martin it is pretty serious. Many refugees have come through czechoslovakia and hungary. And they have come to west berlin. Because west berlin is the outpost of west germany, if you like. It is closer to east germany. Many refugees have come here. There has always been a major housing shortage here and they have made a lot worse. As i said before, it is a welcome problem, if you like. Mary alice thank you very much, martin. Martin fletcher at the Brandenburg Gate. East germans extraordinary actions have ramifications not only for the political and economic stability of the germanys, but for the military policies of nato and the defense policies of america. All of these no doubt will be talking points at the bushgorbachev summit next month. I am Mary Alice Williams in new york. Tonight on nbc nightly news, tom brokaw will be reporting from berlin. Announcer the tonight show starring Johnny Carson and late nite with David Letterman will be seen in their entirety following this nbc news special report. [cheering] tom east berlin tonight. Tens of thousands of people crossing into west berlin, pouring through the berlin wall which opened today. Not waiting for special visas or even daybreak. They are still coming. Announcer this is an nbc news special report. Here is garrick utley. Garrick berlin, you are looking at a live picture of the berlin wall shortly before the dawn of a new day, a day that will see this border built by the communists open for freedom to all in east germany. And what you are seeing now is taking place at 5 30 in the morning, berlin time. These crowds, mostly young people, have been there all night, celebrating the opening all of the wall, welcoming the tens of thousands of east germans coming across to the west. Good evening. We are truly privileged tonight. We are eyewitnesses to history. Who on either side of the berlin wall or in this country would have believed this morning that this day would end the way it has . And with the very symbol of the division of europe, of the division of the free world and that which is not free disappearing, or at least becoming irrelevant . That is the result of a stunning surprise decision today by the leaders of communist east germany, the announcement that east germans may now leave their country and cross directly into west germany, even through the berlin wall itself. Tonight, germans on both sides of the berlin wall could not wait to test their new freedom. These were sites unthinkable only a few hours ago. Young west germans atop the concrete barrier, reaching out to east germans, helping them up the wall despite a barrage of police Water Cannons. Jubilance and graffiti where once there was only despair. For 28 years, the wall has been a part of berlin life, a given, something that was just there. Tonight, it symbolizes something else, the failure of an east German Government to resist the wave of change rolling over soviet bloc nations, and the sound of new freedom, the chipping away of the wall itself, and the system that built it. What we are witnessing this evening in berlin is the euphoria of course, set against the cold, bleak background of the wall itself. Tom brokaw is covering the events. Earlier this evening i talked with tom brokaw and correspondent mike on the western side of the wall. Tom and mike, i doubt if any of you watching the scene can actually believe what is happening there. Talk to us about what you have been experiencing. Tom it has been a very giddy day here. Actually a giddy afternoon and evening. The remarkable thing is that the east German Communist Party announced this almost by accident. It came at the end of a long News Conference and the propaganda minister was reading the details of a policy, and then when the word began to spread throughout both east and west berlin, then control was lost on both sides. The people came here, effectively seized control of the wall. And mike, you are up on the wall or looking down on the other east german kids started to climb the wall. Mike there is a dead zone on the other side of the wall. No one thought the east germans would be able to cross over. We looked over and all of a sudden several hundred east germans started running by the police who were firing Water Cannons and they would not stop. They ran up to the wall. They started pulling them up by the hundreds. And many of them are here now. Tom and we are told tonight, garrick, that east berlin and west berlin authorities have worked it out so they can cross both ways. The question is, what will this mean for the east German Communist Party . It offered this conjecture in an effort it is serious about reform, but will it be the undoing of the party . That will play out in the next several weeks, months, maybe as long as a year. Garrick tomorrow morning, does anybody have any idea of the numbers of people who might be coming through that wall . And are west berliners prepared to welcome them into their homes, providing care and have to get around . Tom frankly, this whole thing is being handled moment by moment. I dont think anyone is prepared for that at all. One of the leaders of the Reform Movement on the other side of the wall in east germany said tonight that they may lose as many as a million people, but then he said many of them will come back and we will have a chance to revive our country. But what we could have once these floodgates open is an and or miss curiosity, an enormous outpouring from east germany out of curiosity of nothing else. The city will be besieged. This is where they will want to come. One young man said earlier tonight i just want to take a walk across and see what it is like. Anothertalked with young man who said i hope i dont lose my job. Tom there was an east german guard who said, this is not good for us. We could lose our jobs. And of course all this is going on tonight right up to the moment that the word went out. They were still checking cards, still having to buy visas. And then suddenly, garrick, after 28 years, it came to a sudden halt. Truly it was an example of people power. Garrick thank you very much. Thank you very much for reporting from the berlin wall. We will follow events as they continue to unfold. The wall itself. How did it get there and why . 1961. Then as now, east germany was slowly bleeding to death. Thousands were fleeing west to freedom and prosperity. Then, as now, east germanys communist leaders were desperate. And suddenly it was there on that august morning of 1961. It did not look like a wall at first. It was just a barbed wire fence. But it was enough to stop people. Soon came the stone and the steel and the the armed guards with orders from guards to shoot to kill. Later, there would be watchtowers and minefields. Families were divided. The division of berlin was also the division of a country and a continent. It was the front line in the cold war that threatened to turn hot. American and soviet forces stared each other down, but fortunately neither side opened fire. It is ironic, but true, that as the communists felt more secure behind their wall, the danger of conflict dwindled. Europe grew more stable and peaceful, but at a price. All these years it has been the people who have paid for their leaders decision to build the wall, to hold onto their power. Now, today, the people have the freedom for which they have waited so long and which their leaders have now so grudgingly granted them. In the last six weeks events have moved at a very dizzying pace, catching even experts by surprise. Sudden government resignations. It is not often that one sees is history being made so suddenly. Today was the most dramatic of all. Arthur kent takes us through those dramatic moments. Arthur some came to stay. Some came just for a visit. They all walked into history as the barrier through the heart of germany came down tonight. I am 24 years old and i have waited for this moment my whole life. Arthur west German Police sources say a confidential agreement earlier in the day cleared this crossing as the first breach in the wall. But soon, east germans crowded through other checkpoints. No visas, no passports. And for some, no intention to go home. This man says his family will settle in munich, west germany. West berlins mayor appealed for calm as berliners milled through checkpoints in both directions. Tomorrow, all crossings are expected to be open. Berliners and all germans will come to terms with the joy and the worry caused by this sudden, unexpected embrace. What does this mean for germany . For berlin . On one hand, it is happiness. But on the other hand, many problems come to us. Arthur tonight at least, the problems of bringing the two germanys together were forgotten. It was a night to cross bridges, scale walls. A night for a divided nation to come together again. Arthur kent, nbc news, berlin. Garrick and as we watch these truly remarkable scenes from east and west berlin, this just in. They have announced that as of 8 00 a. M. Tomorrow morning, friday morning, anyone leaving east germany to the west can go, but first they must obtain a visa. The opendoor policy of this evening to go without a visa is for this night only. As of 8 00 a. M. Tomorrow, they have to have a visa. They have said that anyone who wants one, can get one. For the past 28 years, when it was not possible to cross bridges or scale that wall, people have tried to escape any way they could. Their efforts were a testimony to their bravery, to their ingenuity, and often to their desperation. And the images remain with us. At first it was literally a tugofwar between the long arm of the oppressor and the desire for freedom. This woman made it. Many more did not. Almost 200 east germans have died trying to cross the wall, or the long border between east and west germany. For each person fleeing, there was that moment of terror when he or she was a target for the Border Guards. But still, they came. Sometimes, welllaid plans worked. The escape was successful. But we should not forget those who tried and failed. In 1962, an nbc news documentary showed the digging of a tunnel from west berlin under the wall to bring 59 people to freedom. Every six feet, they planted two uprights and across them, a shaped fourbyfour which held up the wooden ceiling. This digger, the man with the beard, was a refugee himself. He had fled east germany after 4. 5 years in a communist prison. Now he wrenched the clay out of a tunnel face with a spade, twisting to fill the cart in a space three feet by three feet, barely roomier than a coffin. On thursday, september 13, they make their last inspection. In august, the builders of still another tunnel had broken through into a cellar and looked up into the eyes and gun barrels of communist police. Some were killed and some were captured. In 10 minutes, the first of the refugees would come. Death was not the greatest danger. Prison camps can be worse. One of the diggers watched his daughter come through. And then, his wife. He had escaped from east germany a year before. His wife had spent 10 months in a communist prison for trying to follow him, and their second child was born in jail. Tonight, for the first time, he held his baby. Garrick that was back in 1962. The nbc news documentary program, the tunnel. More than 2. 5 million east berliners got out before the wall went up back in 1961. In the next quarter century, 39,000 others somehow breached the concrete and barbed wires with guards with orders to shoot to kill. Then during the past two years, the iron curtain began to rupture, more than 250,000 swarmed into the west. Through the years, some immigrated here to the United States. For them especially, what happened today has special meaning. Bob there could not have been a better night for the annual first fast in the big germanamerican community of New Braunfels in texas. All over the United States, those who fled germany found joy and comfort in todays historic developments. At a high school in littleton, colorado today, tina was the memory for her german students who were not born when the wall divided her former country. The 50yearold came to the United States from east berlin and her family still lives there. The suddenness of the change, the prospect of getting her family out, is overwhelming. This is an extremely exciting thing to happen. You are here when history is being made. And i am so glad i have not kicked the bucket yet. The readers were born in prewar germany. They fled to the u. S. When the country was divided. The two germanys were never really the homeland. Suddenly, this is part of our world again. It is like the china wall, so to speak. It was hiding the holy spirit you see People Like Us again, and the past and in some ways present again. Today is a very special day. Bob today was the monthly luncheon with the portland germanamerican society. Have you heard the news . That the borders to eastern germany are open. Free. Everybody can travel. [applause] bob and the monthly ritual where they can talk about the past, it became a special day of talking about the future. If you were to ask me a week ago if this was possible, i would not have have been able to these are our people, our family. Bob and then around the piano, they sang a version of Deutschland Uber alles. Once the National Anthem of a unified germany. And tonight, a song of freedom. Bob jamieson, nbc news, new york. Garrick for years, the berlin wall has been held up as a symbol of the failure of communism. A place where leaders of the free world could go and orate and challenge the leaders on the other side and not have to think about what they would do if the wall were to come down, or at least open up one day. Here are some voices from the past. Pres. Reagan yes, this wall will fall, for it cannot withstand fate. It cannot withstand the truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom. Pres. Kennedy there are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to berlin. This generation of germans has earned the right to be free, including the right to unite their families and their nation. In lasting peace with goodwill to all people. Freedom is indivisible. And when one man is enslaved, all are not free. All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of berlin. And therefore, as a free man, i take pride in the words ich bin ein berliner. [cheering] garrick and now, a personal note, if i may. Many years ago as a young correspondent with nbc news i lived in west berlin. And every morning as i awoke and opened the curtains in my bedroom, the first sight to greet me was east berlin, the Brandenburg Gate, and the wall. And one morning as i stood at the window of my apartment, i had a terrible thought. How easy it was for one to grow accustomed to the wall. It became part of the landscape, part of your life. Until you did not even notice it anymore. How wonderful it will be for east and west berliners to open their curtains tomorrow morning, see the wall, and know it no longer separates them. Now, lets go back to tom brokaw at the wall. Tom i guess i always thought that 1968 would be the most memorable year of my journalistic career. The deaths of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther king, the invasion of czechoslovakia, the Democratic National convention in chicago, of course. But 1989. Think about what we have witnessed this year on the joyful side of the ledger. Tiananmen square, the Democracy Movement is not yet dead. It may be on the run, but it is not yet dead. And then what has been going on in the communist world on both sides of this wall. The climax, what has happened here tonight. The wall, effectively has come down. And i mean physically as well. That is a chunk of the berlin wall. Men and women atop the wall tonight, hammer and chisel, taking it down, symbolically, because realistically it had s been taken down by the people in the last eight hours or so. They are tossing this wall east to west, and west to east. They are being joined once again as one, as freedomloving people, and no wall can stand in their way. It is a night to remember. Garrick thank you, tom. Finally we must say that here at nbc news we take a certain journalistic pride in our coverage of the wall, and not only today. On the day the wall went up back in 1961, nbc news correspondent David Brinkley was at the Brandenburg Gate. The night the wall opened up, tom brokaw was there. And tomorrow, tom and the rest of the nbc team will provide you with full coverage of events in berlin. I am garrick utley. Good night for nbc news. Announcer this has been an nbc news special report. We now join the program already in progress. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] announcer watch the cspan Networks Live this week. The Committee Led by chairman adam schiff will hear from three state Department Officials starting wednesday at 10 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan3. Friday at 11 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan, former u. S. Ambassador to ukraine maria von of which will appear before the committee. And, testimony from a deposition. Had to cspan. Org impeachment. Announcer cspans washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Coming up tuesday morning, politicos andrew the scenario reviews the first public impeachment inquiry this week. Then, the Coalition President and ceo, carol jenkins, talks about efforts to read his efforts to ratify the amendment. Adam gillette shares the Organizations Mission and focus on investigative journalism. Be sure to watch cspans washington journal live at 7 00 eastern tuesday morning. Join the discussion. Announcer it is veterans day, coming up tonight on cspan, President Trump speaks at a veterans day ceremony in new york city. Then, Vice President pence lays a wreath at Arlington National cemetery. S inr that, veterans of war vietnam, iraq, and afghanistan. Then, the fall of the berlin wall. Speaks atident trump a veterans day ceremony on parade in new york city. Thank you very much, stanley, and thank you for your tremendous support of this wonderful parade. Today, we come together as one nation to salute the veterans of the United States armed forces, the greatest warriors to ever walk the face of the earth