Africa. Ensuring good theres no moves without the 6 pm on the 9th of november 1989. Opened a press conference about the meeting of the communist Party Central committee you know some hundreds of journalists had come hoping to hear news about east germanys latest decision on letting its citizens travel and told for no 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. Should also be secure against the us is voting to an Italian Journalist because i was invited to ask a question should not strictly about going to. My tree can do if someone was standing to the left he did. Arrived so late he couldnt get a seat anymore. Mr schabowski you spoke of mistakes dont you think the draft travel bill you presented a few days ago was a big mistake for your state for freedom in this and all it was that moment i remembered i had wanted to talk about the issue of the travel regulations for you these are. Sort of. A decision that has been made today the recommendation of the political row has been accepted that the passage of those homan and departure be taken from that draft and come into effect. I reached into this pile and was looking for the note i was supposed to read out a colleague came to help me out so when this media. Told the journalists they should have been given the statement then he read it. As a plea bargain as an option also personal trips to other countries maybe applying for without giving any family or other reason. Which was here. In departures can be made as one of the Border Crossings between east and west germany. At this point i called out when. Just as far as i know immediately. But i was shocked immediately i leapt up and left my supper i really wanted to know what this rubbish was all about. Love was the fog i think of the interest. Its true permanent departures can take place with all of the Border Crossings into west germany west berlin being 1st if youre the man in charge of the Border Crossing at on her must pass or. Made an action film called to his superior what hatchet ascii been talking about is there not always a lot of them you know he said to me youre calling me because of that rubbish i said yes thats exactly why im calling he said you know the orders 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. 500. 00 which are for. The east german leadership heard nothing about any of this because the politburo 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. The room was a box and then sure boss he pulled up the paper put it back as walking and left the state i want out ran up stairs with my camera crew there were a small room with a straw screen it was completely calm and collected now i saw you still have a piece of paper he said why do i said well read it again but it took it out put on his glasses read it again and i said that means citizens from as can go out of the war any way that they want to they are not further forced to leave. By a. Transit. Through another country it is possible for them to go through the war at some point but it is possible for them to go through the border. I ran downstairs there was a course of american newspaper correspondents were 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. On it according to Police Bureau membership of east german citizens wanting to leave their country no longer have to take the d. 2 of via czechoslovakia permanent departures can occur by all of the Border Crossings between east germany and west germany and west berlin. Shortly after schabowski press conference a west german camera crew was filming in a pub in east berlin where people were drinking a toast to the new regulations. Yes people can go 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. 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 with us books to. Me to your attention was rising all the time on. The danger that someone would lose their nerve it was quite high you know been pushed to. The Border Crossing point upon her national asset. Of 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 and a reserve part of it as a plane resume no they said but he said we were allowed to leave no we do have the option of what our lives will. And it was now that the explosive nature of schabowski snooch became clear while its author was sitting in the theater. Ringback a charter for the i had theater tickets for that evening to see ironic of folks by good and 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 plants. Violinist and shut but the issue and his wife rita were just finishing choir practice afterwards they walked down to the plans how about district. As youve all been in shit was quiet in the streets there was no excitement most people were watching television western television this week or so theres a football match was on and that was a good reason to switch on the t. V. On to. The 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 shop boesky 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 vangelis the gated community where the politburo members live. And. Hundreds and its often been because when i arrived in van lifts so i saw that the windows were all dark which meant that the majority of the political row members slept through these eventful hours design. Increasing numbers of people were making their way to the Border Crossing at bonheur mushed us or 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. Miles i was going to like the money out there 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 i. Made another worried phone call to his superior come out seguin han asking for instructions to move over to my superior told me on the phone that hed call the ministry hed get hold of either the minister or his deputy he said i could listen to the conversation. As a word in lots of use not tired he wanted to show me that at this point there would be no hope or no rescue from above were the kind that i told there will be. No one in this does the ministry wanted to believe what he was telling them. 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 in 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 explode as this big guy of the bomb your dog flicked. In the western half of berlin the news from east germany was spreading as well. Towards 9 oclock we became curious britain i went to the Border Crossing on the invalid and strasser that was closest one and it could be reached relatively easy from silicon berglund. 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 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 the entire evening we had to be prepared that people would come and storm the border. I was called back by colonel seguin home 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. The policy over us with all the talk of all as high as a bunch of obviously if i was to stamp the photograph in their passport which would allow them to leave but it would prevent them from coming back again and then as you always fight has to be written. To do a lot i wasnt allowed to explain this to the people they were only to be told about this when they tried to reenter. Then they would be told they were not allowed back in and i was in the community because thats one way trip whats known as the safety valve solution. Had no idea about any of that their flats was just 2 blocks away from bone hire mushed. I got my money my husband like to watch every Football Game and i was annoyed when he wanted to switch the television off so i said no i want to watch the news. And that was decisive. Good evening we should all be weary of using too many supportive because they quickly lose their force but todays superlatives are appropriate today the 9th of november is a historic day east germany has announced that its borders would be opened immediately to anyone but. We thought we werent hearing right we look to the each other and we live close to the Bornholmer Strasse a Border Crossing so we went to check it out. We wanted to see this sensation we got dressed and headed down. The situation of the Border Crossings in berlin is currently quite confusing unclear here it invalid in strasser nothing has happened all evening on the west side people are still waiting for the 1st people from east berlin to come over the short visit to the us and of course mr l. About. Then the safety valve solution was applied at. This does he wanted to use the trick to relieve pressure on the border and also to get rid of possible dissidents. Fell into the trap. He started to us all the people standing there we went all the way to the front to the heart of the window open and someone said what do you want those cigarettes i asked whether he knew that the border was open now i was faced with that we said we wanted to cross. The line or ask for our passports in a really brusque way or that if your presence here is with. God our staff we took our passports and off we went but the laws. What they didnt know was that the stamp meant they were expatriated. I was so excited my legs were shaking i was scared because i didnt know what would happen and i knew and he was the last thought that all this is that it was this really a good thing we did in order on our knees walked across very slowly and did it as well unsub. But again its a feeling its quite a way from the order to the bridge we were completely on our own we couldnt see anyone there was nobody around. Usually these Border Crossings were very brightly lit but here it was dark. There was a sentry box and a fence with dogs behind it anyone who tried to escape here could expect to be arrested or shot peter latz fish felt very apprehensive. The news of schabowski snow was also spreading in west berlin the 1st people from that side of the war began arriving at the Brandenburg Gate u. S. News anchor tom brokaw was preparing for his broadcast weve been kind of keeping track of German Television about what was going on in a lot of students have come from the west got up and traveled along and theyre always thought that maybe were back again and there was a story. Just horrible like yeah so i got up hardly watch it it was chaos i couldnt hear myself. It was all west german chancellor helmut kohl was trying to get a picture of the situation in berlin. That time in poland you couldnt just find a telephone in a guest house to make a call we had a floor mounted instrument with a crank lever that you had to turn the lever to create the line to the situation room in the chancellery. Log it sent. To all that was needed so we could be connected to the people the chance of the wanted to talk to us concerts person but. Shortly after 11 we shut and heat up our fish one half way across the still empty bridge at upon her mushed last a crossing. My man and i held on to my husband and we walked across together then he let me go and waved his hat out of joy. Cup recently of course as we were so happy imagine i said were not even retired and we can cross over oh well how is that my wife for the twirled around she gets dizzy easily so i didnt do that for long so i threw up my hands up that we didnt know what we were going to do next its what i would. Become the who were going to land they came across all alone and there was nobody else around i asked how they got here. They told me theyd gone up to the little building and got stamps in their passports and they said they were allowed to leave east germany because i couldnt believe it but thats what they told me so theres a snitch there thought thats all for us to get off he asked if we wanted to stay. I said stay the wall is open and we live right. Thats why i told him we live there and he said he live there that was our home. Or dog and then he invited us. There cant. Be talking a took a couple on his own private tour of west berlin by night. As you do exist but you know as we were driving through west berlin bar nothing was going on everything was normal or city was calm there was advertising and everything was brighter but there werent many people around while he wasnt like the west berliners were already dancing in the streets just as it was said. That the bill maher must pass a Border Crossing hardly a dozen men left about 500. 00 people go through to the west they included those whose demands to leave are the loudest im sorry it was just standing nearby. But the vast majority of the people waiting was still not allowed to leave you or you were being made a mockery of i could have stayed at home got some sleep instead would have come of i mean told about this its ridiculous the town of azaz didnt see eye to eye suddenly a piece of paper showed up at the border schabowski snow which was making the rounds. As it would communicate off its f l r t and keep our eyes near fishel note says personal trips out of east germany can be applied for without giving any reason just say this about talk that. The situation was escalating. Long he wanted on through not and it was a myth a while and they came so close to our colleagues here they could have grabbed the guns they were carrying which would have been dreadful. And. Thats not the. Source of the through. The market. And when you bring up the middle one of them stupid some off the beaten by i ask my colleagues to step into the office and tell me want to should do they told me i should know i was the boss of. I asked if i should let the people out or have them shot here god is nothing compared to spirit. In the soviet Embassy Officials fear the west. Reservation a 3. Way smoking for important her when such developments occur you know that if it happens just once if just a single shot is fired or the Border Police get help it with stones just once you work. The situation can get out of control very quickly that if you do use your thoughts your guns should move at that point west berlin medical student benedictine and my and his flatmate better reach the invalid nj pass a Border Crossing. And come when we arrived we saw many people standing within the border facilities which hadnt been possible before the mood was quite jolly some people had brought food and corks were flying into the air sick or people moved here is the in believe in stronger Border Crossing weve let ourselves be swept along with the action and many people from west berlin are pushing their way across the border beyond the wall far into east berlin territory the east german Border Police are sitting in their watch towers watching the goings on sometimes even with smiles on their faces so in these momentum that was the 1st time i fully realized something was happening as had previously been unimaginable to me and its not quite possible to see from here how close the people are getting to the checkpoint. Systems are consuming the crowd to work their way further towards the border facilities until we were right at the barrier immediately behind it was a group of Peoples Police and side fun for us politics. Those waiting at Bornholmer Strasse i was beginning to run out of patience. It wanted to get out immediately. On the other side of the french the 1st east german citizens were returning from that trip to west berlin but technically i think the next. You go on the north pole and i got a call from the 1st guard house by the bridge he said a young couple wanted to re enter but the woman had the passport stamp on a photograph and i said so what he replied they have their children at home. Playland. Just got up the amulet cannot charge of. The cups and i live in the us and i said it no longer mattered whether the people had the stamp on their photograph or not. They are up to boston dollars and lovely for the money they could all come back in again to view the others for god but that moment i really didnt care for them clottey i was really angry others only think it would. Involve. The 28 years this had been part of the border dividing east from west. Of the sun with everything put together created the motive for my actions i thought ive had enough i started making decisions on my own i gave instructions to have the barrier opened in area 6 to allow all east german citizens to leave without being checked but they could all leave for all i could. The. Good luck to him i gotta be on the up and then went to the former west german Border Office thats where i started after all in that hut in 1964 go to i just wanted to cry. It was through you know that i had to be on my own i cant describe it any more but it was the worst and best thing ever but ever experienced both at the same time for the shy kids to the cyclists who want to show its way out of the road and it is by the sort of life i but i was out of luck with your not i someone else the captain and beat me to him when he was trying to live up to be a life of whom i couldnt really join him. I had to talk to him and calm him dawn worsened in the even though he was 2 years older than oil to watch it. On t. V. As the other joint people poured over the border lash out it will be back get hot lotta who had written a note schabowski had read had left the theater and was just returning home. But its like when i got. I dont. Want to lose our son but welcomed us with the words dad you should make a call the phones been ringing off the hook it was you minister and then he said by the way the borders open and soviet invites us to come so all i could think was something must have gone terribly wrong but i didnt call the minister he wouldnt be able to help me over the phone i drove to the ministry i didnt know at the time how all this had come about we had only worked out the paper that morning and making it public was not supposed to happen before 4 in the morning next day it would have been around 6 in the morning before the 1st news programs broadcast the information so i knew something had gone very very wrong as you have less sex hormones could be clapped out on expressing optimism was helpless crimes comes fresh cut off. By midnight the border was open at other checkpoints as well as in the leadership us a bit exceeded my use the Border Guards confusion to find a way through. This time just another car went through and as the barrier went up a handful of people just ran into east berlin the moment at that moment i had no concerns or fears that something could happen even though i knew that breaching border regulations could be extremely dangerous so Prince Philip but these 1020 people had made his across in 24 to be done to involve the wanted and so benedict even my and his friends crossed into the east from the west. In la i think id. Mention here the city was completely devoid of people nobody was on the streets we started shouting in calling for people to come out we even rang doorbells we. Were deflated when nobody opened but we saw people at the windows and we got the impression they were uncertain and were scared to open it so we decided to go and see what was happening at the Brandenburg Gate. Stop us here at. The Brandenburg Gate and iconic landmark in the divided city and symbol of the cold war here the east german state didnt want to get into popular pressure so easily several 100 Border Guards were in position. To Brandenburg Gate could be seen from the soviet embassy. Was the 1st step to feel we were looking out of the windows. Of the usually empty den linden avenue was filled with people on their way to the Brandenburg Gate they knew just as much as we did that there was no Border Crossing at the Brandenburg Gate but but im told. None the less people from west berlin were flocking to the Brandenburg Gate ignoring police warnings. Of the Brandenburg Gate we were waiting. For people of literally coming through a wall naked not here to watch or shouting at the strictly come out. A lot of research on guards came in always everybody off the wall. On the east berlin side the Border Guards barricaded the gate against the fast growing crowd of people there. As a recall there was a steel fence in front of the Brandenburg Gate. To the Border Police officers were behind it of course they tried to end. Simulators but as soon as we got to the barrier the 1st person jumped across the Peoples Police officers grabbed him and tried to hold onto him but there were only 2 of them and we all climbed over one by one. And i mentioned it was going to. Weaken he would have to i jumped over the steel fence and rip my right hand then i ran towards the Brandenburg Gate they called out stop the stretch between the place where the hotel are going no stands where the barrier was and the Brandenburg Gate was quite long with a lot of uncommon but then a larger number of Peoples Police came marching out under the Brandenburg Gate and they lined up there we didnt know how they would react and how dangerous theyd be going on its nice you know if its this or that made me think what are we doing here and really theres nothing to it i mean if youre. Out in front good to schabowski got an alarming phone call from delhi. Theres a part of the saw i i said what a mess why is communication been so bad in the last few days i hadnt understood yet this it was a fundamentally muddled situation because when i heard the news i was horrified because i knew that it could lead to confrontation which had to be prevented without fail. Then i drove into 1000000000 that i mean far away shortly after midnight ski reached the hina Border Crossing. Over because as i was getting out of my car a civilian came towards me i assumed he was from the start he told me theyre letting them through now no incidents so. There was nothing more schabowski could do. He trails back hoe. In west berlin took his east. German guests to a pub called house of a 100 being is. Not very much then we were in a pub and boom a store where they had more than a 100 kinds of beer that was incredible for us and it tasted better than our beer. Some people heard what we were talking about whats happening they said did we hear right. I said yeah were from over there the wall is open you look at our id weve just come across that made an impression the 1st thing they said was oh what a shame weve got nothing here for you they wanted to give us something would. Eat and they said in the news that all those people who have stamped on their passports wouldnt be allowed back in the east germany. Fish had a fainting fit and we had to rush back to the border. It was like to go he was so worried about her family and that she wouldnt be able to see them again you know this is it a Family Living with each. Other. As office in the east German Interior Ministry the found was ringing off the hook finish i was sitting there completely alone the staff on duty in the ministry had no idea and every call that came in about this matter was put through to me which caused a huge queue that if i had to jump from one green button to the next to try and answer questions for sort of talking to bob as one very different people were calling i think the American Embassy called very early on asking what was going on in this country as the Party District and the municipal leaders called asking what was going on in this country because they knew the borders had opened in berlin. Up your magazine to somebody and you kind of pick on private citizens to hold on enterprises to. Account member animal. Consumption as are. The people for. The most middle of the midnight we have to assume the measures have been decided we couldnt take anything back anymore because the borders were open life had caught up with us it might and i quote. Only at the Brandenburg Gate was a border guard still trying to stem the tide of events it was a last chill down between the state and the people. And then their lives 2 days of there was this woman these of Border Police officers with impassive faces when living across she was elderly and she was crying i just want to go to my children she cried let me go just once im going to come back again just me to my games almost a look thats yeah he did that and i swear on my childrens lives and theyre with the army too but they do their duty just like you both of them have for 3 years. And one of them wants to study to become a teacher in this republic our republic is all of that so hard to understand if i did. It. Was true that i thought this wont last they wont manage this cant go on an emo shout from the. Finally they left a woman thread. And. Everyone in the west was also waiting for the crucial moment. Yeah 1 point one young man from a piece popped up. And he was the 1st one of the crowd went. Wild. So we go on the air the last thought i had before us and good evening was dont screw this around. Name a wire from the royal wall on about to start right and this was her story what you say we i mean it was celebrating of a new policy and i was there by the east German Government now for the 1st time so there was a rocket a night in 61 people will be able to move through freely. Design and then i touched the columns and i had to admit i just broke dont crying i was so emotional i cried like a baby even now it makes me emotional to think about it i was touching these columns would only been able to see from a platform in the west it was an incredible feeling but. That night picked up anchorman and spent it exceeded my monthly only ones who had a posse of their lives. Starts investing he turned into a big party people were coming in that bathrobes and pajamas they walked through the Brandenburg Gate with tears in their eyes it was very emotional. For the 1st time in decades to bridge at bonheur mushed aso was open again. Tens of thousands of people flooded into west doesnt match night. But. The times they had blackfish returned to the bridge but no one asked them for their passports to realize the wall had come down for good to. Be an insult even though he kept weve never had to fight like that in our lives we were used to accuse but we were the only ones going into east berlin. We were in the middle where the hearts were and on one side were cars on the other people some with buggies it felt like the whole of east germany was moving because everyone was scared the borders would close again they were carrying so much. Longer obviously with my then i met with my deputy who kept telling me i had to do something because i was the boss no he said harold its finished. I didnt know right away what he meant i said what is it and he said with an east germany its finished were printed both were. Established 4 oclock in the morning and that was the moment when the news of boggle on good to schabowski snowed was supposed to have ended. It was only now that the people were meant to find out about their new freedom to travel that at least had been plotters planned. But yet it was lauter who had to deliver an explanation on east German Television because the party bosses were silent. In the. Thousands of thousands of citizens who are waiting for this decision and they took the opportunity and went to the Border Crossing points without using the published channels in order to prevent a dramatic situation rooms at the crossings of the border troops and passport offices have acted and bureaucratically and have permitted citizens to cross the border immediately for. The cunts presence of a motorist. Eternally shuttle that got how many early hours of the morning a little while later they went to work as usual. East berlin the day after the fateful announcement the country was no longer the same. When i came home i said to my wife i opened the border she told me not to talk such rubbish and walked off or not betrayed looking. A shortage of teachers in rural areas its a big problem for russia and a huge problem for children. Arsalan jaan isnt a teacher but he wants to do something positive. Voluntarily travels to remote areas in teaches kids to open doors of opportunity for them. 30 minutes on d w. Repeated new beginnings continued battleforce b. M. V. Of west and east germany 30 years after the fall of the wall. How competitive are the 2 economic region what about salaries and of course the residents. A few what happened in this country everything changes. Made in germany. On d w. Their wealth isnt calculable. Their egos inside. Their rivalry. 3 princes. Who dream of leading the arab world. There are for power and boundless ambition have moved to the middle east into a grave crisis. The rival princes of the gulf states nov 27th on t. W. This is d. W. News these are all top stories german not german chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected french president macross claim that nato is experiencing quote brain death the chancellor along with nato secretary general young stoltenberg reaffirmed their commitment to the military alliance despite the recent controversial actions of Member States turkey and the us in syria. Still its German Defense minister and a great crime tyron by