Berlin november the 8th 1989 surveillance cameras operated by the east German Secret Police the stars he showed suspicious activity right by the wall at the brandenburg gate. Only a starfleet officer requested information about a tall man asked picked up on the images. Youre about whether or not. You know theyre undergoing what we call. The suspicious mast was being a wrecked id by an American Television broadcaster which had sent its top reporter to dublin. At the same time in the east German Ministry of the interior. A colonel of the Peoples Police was given a secret mission by his superiors. He was to write a paper intended to save the country from disaster at the last minute but the news. Thought out of control and change the wound. Was. Lunch we bundled it was an overcast november day it wasnt raining but it was dull. It helps doc. I hate november i hate this weather it drags down my mood. It was fortunate our embassy had a Swimming Pool a 3040 minute swim gave me enough energy for the rest of the day you know not. Going to talk. He had brattish was a carpenter in east berlin for him the 9th of november began like any normal workday but the mood in east germany had deteriorated dramatically over the past few months. 89 was a year of tension everyone felt the tension increasing the secret code was the candle in the window that we looked where the candles were and there were more and more of them that was telling us there were so many in 89 everything really came to a head. In the autumn the situation in east germany escalated rapidly monday demonstrations riots beating rampages on the part of the Security Forces the regime taught it as it tried to defend itself against its own citizens in. East berlin on the morning of the 9th of november 1989 a camera team from the west set off to document the showdown in the east german capital but the journalists found a city that seemed to sleep there was no sign of change yet. This unique 40th was shot just a few hours before the biggest drama in east germanys history. At the same time in west berlin this medical student didnt yet know he would play a historic role that day. I was just preparing for the final. Im a nation my day was quite structured i got up early had breakfast and then sat down to study every now and again i listen to the radio and watch t. V. So i wouldnt entirely miss out on what was happening in the world and the. Person was after that person get. On t. V. Hed been watching the dramatic events unfolding in eastern europe. The east German Authorities were alarmed at those events somebody had to fix the situation. That somebody was gaffed lauter a senior official in the ministry of the interior known for his level headed approach. It was on the 1st of july 989 i was made the head of the Central Department of passports and registration was i knew there were big problems people wanted to travel to other countries i knew about id cards and passports have much specialist knowledge i had to rely on my staff it quickly became clear that it was mainly political decisions that were needed and pretty george i dont want to. Be held. To this so large among the days agenda was travel regulations. You know i think. Chanted reed hospital in east berlin just a few 100 meters from office part fish began his shift in the hospitals carpentry shop. The news of the day didnt mention a word about travel policy carrying reports only of Party Meetings even though the citizens of the country were trying to leave in droves. 1st of august going on to come here. As it were. The man went on holiday to hungary he crossed the wall into the west from there another person sold everything he had inherited a large bakery from his father and a house he let the state have everything so long as they let him go. So hopefully. We knew that this was all my motto so im you have to remember all that had gone on before i had spent most of the year on whatever point or another fly off to the dissolution of the soviet empire for god therefore i want to germany we had more information that we never had before to go back and forth to the east tom brokaw was planning a live report for the us for the afternoon of november the 9th. We had made arrangements to get a satellite feed from the ground a bird cage on the waters 5 that night we walked. Out i made arrangements to see good her shahbazi and we have got a raise for white 5 oclock in the afternoon as i remember. Like most party high ups can tell schabowski lived on the politburo estates me a bilin hed been through some difficult weeks. This one of your aunts. Was it was frightening for us i have to say of course we saw the Television Images and that was the impulse for us to bring about a decision to diffuse the situation the visa is applied so and shelf and. Communist party chief had led east germany into a rut schabowski fellow politburo members forced him to step down. But the issue of freedom to travel was still an insoluble problem for the new leader. Is this the 1st step of the government that was created after deposing hanukah was to create a travel law with the aim of relaxing the situation. Schabowski was the only member of the Party Politburo to address the popular protests. Each worked to bring about reforms in the system. But the people didnt want to believe him anymore. Since the Early Morning the western camera team had been watching the events in play and fleet week signing 2 districts in east berlin. The journalists asked people about the most important topics of the day the right to travel freely and the policies of the new leadership. They have to resign all of them theres no point they keep on talking about a loss of trust but theyve never had a trust. Something will change but not what the majority want it wont be enough we have a view of the world even though weve never been able to look at the world for ourselves. At the interior ministry for top experts including 2 she says while working on the problem of the right to travel. They had to come up with ideas for the politburo the mass exodus was threatening the countrys very existence. The stasi offices presented a draft version of new travel regulations and. It. Was shocked by the suggestions. For the spend they had proposed the regulation permitting permanent departure meaning that from the 10th of november anyone would have been allowed to leave the country for good. But they still wouldnt have been allowed to leave and come back leave and just see a bit of the world or stroll through west berlin or visit their relatives. Again that meant no freedom of travel just 3 days early allow to have had to defend the governments half hearted stance in the east german media against opponents like greegor gleeson lout i became the scapegoat of the nation he didnt want that to happen again. I said this would be the final straw this would break the camels back. So he refused to accept the half measure. A larger discussion followed in which lao took hold for everyone to be given the freedom to travel the home with the officials knew the people of east germany was still fleeing via hungry in czechoslovakia they knew things couldnt stay as they were but they couldnt agree on a solution. Although i did tell you that after a few kilometers further north was the Bornholmer Strasse a crossing point between east and west berlin one of the busiest border posts in the divided city Lieutenant Colonel how he started work at passport control at 8 am. On the grounds of all the morning almost cross the crossing point was basically the purpose of my life everything happened there my entire professional life was there i really felt i had a calling to fill that position. For. But movement. On the 9th of november was a normal thursday there wasnt much travel activity around 200 west germans came in just under a 1000 from west berlin would stop counting east german citizens. A normal day in divided berlin at least thats how it seems. To me. What no one knew was that the working group was in the process of making a momentous decision on travel policy. On their own initiative. And the other officers changed the brief given them by the politburo an unprecedented occurrence in the east german state. On top we saw this as one of our last opportunities to stabilize the situation in east germany but we didnt want to force the people to leave the state forever they had work they had a home we had a car maybe a boat on a lake they would have come back we wouldnt force them to leave forever that was our idea and for most of us. That idea completely contradicted the orders from above nonetheless the 4 men opted to issue the much more permissive travel regulations. We simply formulated this decision completely differently we wrote that simple trips and permanent departure were immediately allowed for everyone without the previously necessary checks and approval procedures. Or people would have to do was to request a passport and a visa the idea was to gain time and allow a controlled opening of the borders for christmas. At the same time the west german chancellor had left the country have more to call was in poland on an official visit. Truth in point form. We flew to warsaw on an air force plane in the morning and had the standard welcome ceremony. That. Then we had our 1st talks and were put up in a polish Government Guest house. Fish wasnt especially politically minded but the big question of his countrys future was on his mind. As a for travel freedom was a big issue because there were many family connections to west germany and west berlin some werent allowed to go to their parents funeral it was all very arbitrary you never knew what answer youd get it was unpredictable. You know didnt go into that for the credit or. The. Getting out not the beer being ready its a 0 this feeling that was when i dictated the crucial paper to his secretary. Rice trying to galvanise all the details in a coffee pot id read that private journeys to Foreign Countries could be applied for without preconditions printed for the 45. 50 only in. The new travel regulations were not to be made public until the next morning that way passport and registration offices would have time to prepare for the onslaught of people. Thats what it was decided that none of this would be made public until 4 oclock in the morning on the 10th of november nothing would have happened before then an expose your. Lunch break in delhi. West berlin medical student Benedict Ziegler my are headed to the university canteen. But fish was informing himself about the situation in the country all the news was about one topic only the Tense Congress of the east German Communist PartyCentral Committee the highest party organ. They wanted to do something new would create trust they got in cranes who actually was a protege of hanukkahs. That didnt give anyone hope that there would be improvement because the ideology remained nothing changed change could only come about if something old broke to make room for the new year old cup would you like a bag of call. In the Central Committee building Top Party Officials were discussing the future of east germany as always behind closed doors. Just one person wasnt inside the partys new spokesman contest. Too often for the street in going for the media i was responsible for dealing with the media im choosing my words carefully because the expression guiding and instructing the media had been replaced i was in touch with the media on that day to tell them what could come up in the Central Committee or in this was our. Bus and a movie that was at all is beyond what i also acted as their contact with the Central Committee inspired by alston sent our committee. Schabowski set up an International Press conference for that evening. A reporter from the west german tabloid bit Peter Brinkman came especially from hamburg. We had become and i got a call from the west berlin Mayors Office someone said i should come to berlin something was happening to us. It was that i thought if i was going to be there i should sit in the front row i put my jacket over my seat and kept checking to make sure it was still live because i really wanted to sit right in front of the microphone i had no idea what was going to happen but everyone was hoping something would happen get over it or off the. The 1st pussy is. Only a few meters away in east Germanys Interior Ministry get half aloud as working group had completed its job of drafting the paper on travel regulations. Because park it in this package was then brought to the Party Central committee its around noon and it was given to the driver who was told to hand it straight to egg on cranes and that was a difficult situation that we have to assume that those who commissioned it namely the political row would read it and check it and say this wasnt what we ordered and i was nervous i didnt know what would happen and whether id still have my job to mall or. More guns on those. At around noon the driver took the paper to the Central Committee building 1st of all so the politburo the members were having a cigarette break they waved aloud as travel regulations through without objections the 1st hurdle had been ever come. In the early afternoon east german leader gone transmatch with west german politician you had a skull to talk about the future of in the german relations after the meeting kinds went back to the Central Committee was laos has note he altered the agenda for that so that as minister the chairman of the council of ministers has suggested a regulation which i want to read out now because it will have such an effect that i dont want to pass it without 1st consulting the Central Committee the following transitional regulations regarding trips and permanent departures will be implemented with immediate effect that it was rounded off personal trips to other countries can be applied for with out reasons such as family events or the like. Eyes on a bunch of commission will be granted at short notice and ports with travel permits will only be declined in exceptional cases. Viewed as my home i was. Whatever we do we wont do it right but this is the only solutions allows us to avoid doing everything via 3rd states which isnt good for our international reputation. No one in the room appeared to understand the momentous import of the paper they didnt realize it would allow all these german citizens to travel thats the only explanation of why the draft was passed without much discussion at the end times also said the information should be withheld until the following day. It would be tightly attached a press release regarding the transitional regulations is to be published on the 10th of november. But the one member of the Central Committee who was absent at that moment was going to shut off ski. Visions that i wasnt there i wasnt out that Central Committee session because at some point. He didnt return until about half past 5 just before his press conference had been there when i returned to the Central Committee meeting all of these things had already taken place i sat down next to kranz on the discussion continued we spoke quietly and he pushed the nose over to me he told me to take it with me to todays press conference the most a bit in the what they did pass a good bill and even trends failed to mention an important detail to schabowski that it was to be embargoed until the following morning. I didnt know anything about the news embargoed i had no idea. And so good to schabowski went to his press conference. Is that were back at the International Press center in berlin with a live report a tradition that was started yesterday is to be continued every evening after the end of the day sessions of the Central Committee of the socialist unity party a representative of this committee will talk to east german and. Foreign journalists to answer their questions as you can see huge numbers are assembled here of them its integrated under. One of the journalists present was American News anchor tom brokaw. Im pretty exhausted after sports 5 oclock ive formed a monarch so i said is our satellite. Capability still there are they said yes or also were getting a crane out there to protect our over a hard shot all that time Peter Brinkman had managed to defend his seat. Alone while playing for the room was crammed full nobody knew anything nobody had the faintest idea but everyone felt something was up we had to be there for whatever was going to happen today victor. At the same time in warsaw how much code was meeting let fall winter. If we had to talk with will and cern during this talk he said mr chancellor the events taking place in east germany will lead to german reunification of food for those of us for a lens that was convinced this would come of our. Own moon. As the working day near detained in east berlin the Television Journalists from the west had managed to get all the way to the government quarter they were observing east german officialdom much were. The Peoples Police knew their job to keep everyone and everything in its place. 6 pm in east berlin. Mission just wife rita had choir practice that night on the Program Christmas carol. We had in fact we had finished work for the day and were glad it was thursday so we could go and sing in the choir and slowly prepare songs for christmas we had to start those rehearsals in november if not in october already we thought we would receive we had weiqi meetings during which we rehearsed hymns and all of the other things you sing in church we sang at the service on sundays wouldnt that. Also really is all about the streets. Was. At 6 oclock on the dot kuntar schabowski open to the press conference. The spindle introduced himself as secretary of the Central Committee. He also introduced his colleague comrade helga lapse and a member of the Central Committee and head of the Teachers Union on floors its not going to accept inducement so you can talk for not a good about the travel regulations only party my language it was all waffle so it went on for half an hour it was dreadfully boring and all the other journalists felt the same thing. You. Know my isnt going to stay. In the fog i was tired it was way better than i would care about have writing offers drawing auditors bureaucratic work. To tenet colonel how he was just about to have supper in the neighboring canteen. About all of the television was on in the canteen but nobody was watching all this thing i saw the press conference was being broadcast and i thought id listen to what was being said in case there was any news or good news could occur any during and there werent that many Party Press Conferences or. People in west berlin could also receive east German Television medical students ben it exceeded my i was watching the live broadcast of the press conference. From boston. He then started reporting on the days count topics i wasnt really taking him seriously at 1st and i just thought hes sitting there saying whatever that sounds tough plus. But just a few minutes before the end of the press conference there was an unexpected twist to the former. Chicago city job security. And Italian Journalist riccardo was invited to ask a question should not strictly american put a concept to cut how much Riccardo Ehrman was standing to the left. Hed arrived so early he couldnt get a seat and he will he was 2 meters away from me and only to me just to the right of. Mr schabowski you spoke of mistakes because dont you think the draft travel bill you presented a few days ago was a big mistake for free to get dark and dismal as that moment i remembered i had wanted to talk about the issue of the travel regulations for you these are. This is what a. Decision has been made today the recommendation of the political row has been accepted that the passage of a permanent departure be taken from that draft and come into effect. Then he started searching amongst his papers and couldnt at 1st find a note hed been given by a gun krentz he had this big pile of papers with him which i could see because i was sitting at the front to win as well for his last book and thats the guy i reached into this pile and was looking for the note i was supposed to read out a colleague came to help me out when his media somebody handed him a piece of paper from the poet bureau and he took out of the crowd as a writer. And i a waiter described us a New York Times as if a martian had arrived on that stage with a message because it seemed to have come from some other reality. He told the journalists they should have been given the statement then he read it. As a plea bargain eisenach and i was personal trips to other countries maybe applying for without giving any family all other reason permission will be granted at short notice theyre here in west berlin bennett exceeded my and his flatmate later were taken aback by what they were seeing on television. Before. Going to prove to us that as my didnt believe what i was hearing at 1st i thought it was a way of damping down the demonstrations in east germany as if the people were token gesture but i didnt know what to think of it because it is happiness and its still going on and apologise can be made as one of the Border Crossings between east and west germany and wolfy but this point i called out when. Just because far as i know immediately. To adopt it but up i was shocked immediately i leapt up and left my supper i really wanted to know what this rubbish was all about. But it was the fog i think of interest. As its true permanent departures can take place with all of the Border Crossings into west germany west berlin. When you. Move. Back at the east German Interior Ministry express not make that i remember very clearly it was at 6 minutes to 7 the ministry of justice called to suggest the wording and i was able to convince him that our wording made more sense at 3 minutes to 7 i was still on the phone to him and hadnt realized that 6 minutes to 7 going to schabowski had presented a document to the world or the government one even taking a final decision which was. A few minutes later i left his office in the firm belief that his news in bargo was being maintained. That says that. I would fail the future or give in the meantime the press conference had come to a close saying that. None of us really knew what to do nobody drew the real conclusion that this was it was as was. Done to the american and british reporters were confused they suspected the interpreters had made an error in translation. Never actually im obviously asked for the english text to be read out in case there was a problem fixed as a day i was sitting in freddies hospitality and what did this mean with the war be opened how would the Border Police react these were all important questions when i was going to be theophile. Or going to be so hot it made an urgent phone call to his superior because all. Your watches schabowski been talking about shots of us get under the bus is there not always a lot of the real he said to me. Youre calling me because of that rubbish i said yes thats exactly why im calling he said you know the order is east german citizens are only allowed to leave under the Current Conditions meaning they need a passport and a proper visa otherwise they have to be turned back. Violets intellectually. The east german leadership heard nothing about any of this because the put it bureau the ministers and all the Top Party Officials were still at the Central Committee meeting none of them had seen schabowski press conference. At the same time in warsaw helmut kohl was also in the dark about the events in east berlin the west german chancellor was the guest at a banquet. As. The room was a box and that your boss keep all of the paper put it back was walking and lots of stage i want out ran up stairs with my camera crew were a small room with a straw screen it was completely calm and courted down our eyes you still have a piece of paper he said i do eyes that will read it again but it took it out put on his glasses read it again and i said that means citizens from the east can go out of the war any way that they want to. Further forced to leave. By. Transit. Through another country it is possible for them to go through the war some point but it is possible for them to go through the border. I ran downstairs there was a course of American Newspaper correspondents who are friends of mine and i looked at them and i said its true the wall is down. A few minutes later the news programs on both east and west German Television reportage what had happened. With nothing on it according to Police Bureau membership both east german citizens wanting to leave their country no longer have to take the deed to ovadia czechoslovakia stand permanent departures can occur by all of the Border Crossings between east germany and west germany and west berlin. Shortly after a press conference the western camera crew while filming in a pub in east berlin people would drinking a toast to the new regulation. You get with your skin all the. Way i dont know what to say i used to cry every day now were all happy its our its great whats just happened nobody here was expecting but ok. They celebrated the unexpected news with beer bubbly and rocknroll. The soviet envoy only heard about the new regulation from the television. Came as a shock. To come to from cuba hawkish people we hadnt known anything about it on board we were watching television. It was disappointing. And we were if you like or a bit angry for years book. Me to your attention was rising all the time on. The danger that someone would lose their nerve it was quite high you know when the shit. The Border Crossing point upon her national asset. Of t. V. If i didnt have to wait long for people to arrive after id been there for our own 20 minutes the 1st came and asked if they were allowed out. The officer asked if they had a passport in a reserve part of the night as a plane and resume no they said but he said we were allowed to leave no we do have the option of what our lives were. And it was now that the explosive nature of schabowski is no to became clear while its author was sitting in the theater. Ringback shutter for days and i had theater tickets for that evening to see ironic of folks buy goods or the incredible thing about this play which was sold out like so many was that the people couldnt laugh any more because it was such a parody of the actual situation that it was absolutely serious discussion but plans. To have and meet up catch fish finish their choir practice and walk back home to cancel our band. This fall. It was quiet in the streets there was no excitement most people were watching television western television with football matches on what was a good reason to switch on the t. V. I was in town so your answer was. A west German Television station was broadcasting a match between stuttgart and buy in munich. By now the meeting in the Central Committee had come to an end. Going to shove bosky was also finishing work in his office it had been a long day the man who had announced the new travel regulation left the Central Committee building to go home to avenge it the gauge of community where the politburo members live. And. Hundreds used to and its often been does austins or but when i arrived in vans lets so i sold it the windows were all dark which meant that the majority of the political row members slept through these eventful hours is a desire. Increasing numbers of people were making their way to the Border Crossing it on her mushed us and they were convinced they were now allowed to travel. But Border Security hadnt received any new instructions the officer tried to tell the crowd he couldnt let them through. But the people could no longer be turned back so easily. The most ill zoom into like the moment that more and more people were arriving they came on foot in cars and by tram they werent aggressive at this point but they were very firm in their demands on him not to please. Jani. And. That. Made another worried phone call to his superior come out seguin han asking for instructions as author to me available through my superior told me on the phone that hed call the ministry hed get hold of either the minister or is deputy he said i could listen to the conversation as it were to minutes of use of type he wanted to show me that at this point there would be no hope or no rescue from above what a kind i told him the. No one in the ministry wanted to believe i was telling them. Not to look at the question came back was i capable of making realistic evaluations or was i acting out of fear at that point id had enough. Its if there are thousands of people out here he said listen to them yourself. When i got the receiver back i could hear the man and hung up i didnt know what to think and i couldnt understand that they didnt believe me devoted as this big item that my mechanic dogs picked up. In the western half of berlin the news from east germany was spreading as well. If you were to nod off towards 9 oclock we became curious britain i went to the Border Crossing on invalid and strasser that was closest one and could be reached relatively easy from charlottenburg. But at that point the 140 kilometer long border around west berlin was still closed every when. People were now arriving at the Border Crossing up on her mushed in ever increasing numbers. Made up his mind trick at the. Model while there i wouldnt usually have been authorized to call the alarm because i wasnt senior enough but i considered it necessary to go on and on with an entire evening we had to be prepared that people would come and storm the border could. You go. Wrong i was called back by colonel seguin hole and he told me this is whats going to happen all of the people provocatively showing up at the border loudly demanding to leave may leave them. For the record top of all as well as a bunch of all before i was to stamp the photograph in their passport which would allow them to leave but it would prevent them from coming back again until i was like this is written off. To do finish you off. I wasnt allowed to explain this to the people they were only to be told about this when they tried to reenter in a little while then they would be told they were not allowed back in and i was in the community because in other words it was to be a journey with no return. Home. From home. Mom. Mom. To the point of strong opinions from clear positions from international perspectives. Theres a growing sense of war torn syria censoring a new face with the u. S. Apparently ambivalent about its role in the region russia and turkey have stepped into the vacuum so what now lies ahead for syria to find out also the point. Its 90 minutes on the w. And some of the adventures of the famous naturalist and explorer. To some the racial conflicts on the front and more its 250th birthday were embarking on a voyage of discovery. Expedition voyage on t. W. A. Mum. Will. Travel now amazing tyrants. Place. This is d. W. News from god made seeking opportunities in the u. S. And china trade war german chancellor im going to buckle arrives in india to talk trade and security both sides see potential trade in the fall out from trans tariffs with china also coming up. Full steam ahead for the impeachment process is us no way to make their inquiry official public what does that mean old president trying to. Manage that almost there