Schabowski is no doubt the night the wall came down. Next. Staying up to date dont miss our highlights from the w. Program online w dot com hard. East berlin november the 8th 1989 surveillance cameras operated by the east German Secret Police the stasi showed suspicious activity right by the wall of the Brandenburg Gate. A stasi officer requested information about a tall man asked picked up on the images. By saddam whatever. You know then when you were what we call. One of. The suspicious mast was being a wreck to judge by an American Television broadcaster which had sent its top reporter to berlin. 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 notat out of control and changed the world. And 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. Im good at this it was fortunate our embassy had a spring pool of 3040 minutes swim gave me enough energy for the rest of the day which may not. Be have 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. To try and 89 was a year of tension everyone felt the tension increasing the secret code was the candle in the window we looked where the candles were and there were more and more of them that was telling 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. 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. Consumer person was after they perceive it. On t. V. Hed been watching the dramatic events unfolding in eastern europe. The east German Authorities were alarmed at days 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 but i didnt 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 sure try to understand. You know. This so large among the days agenda was travel regulations. Q why is it legal. To drink hospital in east berlin just a few 100 meters from the office he cant 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. I know as it were. When i 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 that year on water wine or another fire off to the dissolution of the soviet empire for god therefore i want to germany there we had more promotion that wed ever 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 Brandenburg Gate on the watch of survivor that night we had booked a satellite i made arrangements to see her shahbazi there we have that arrange for white 5 oclock the afternoon as i remember. Like most party high ups. Lived on the politburo estates near beilin 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 visas abroad so enchanted from the communist party chief he had led east germany into a rut schabowski and fellow politburo members forced him to step down. But the issue of freedom to travel was still an insoluble problem for gone tense the new leader. Is this the 1st step of the government that was created after deposing hunnicutt was to create a travel law with the aim of relaxing the situation. Schabowski was the only member of the party pullet bureau to address the popular protests. Hed 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 plans and fleet week signing 2 districts in east berlin. And 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 the 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 to show the offices were 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 this and 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 green. Blouse 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 and which lauter called for everyone to be given the freedom to travel. You know the officials knew the people of east germany were still fleeing via hungry in czechoslovakia they knew things couldnt stay as they were but they couldnt agree on a solution. 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 hard here just started work at passport control at 8 am. All the ball and 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 a position. For a beautiful 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. Like. 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 change the brief given them by the politburo an unprecedented occurrence in the east german state. We saw this as one of our last opportunities to stabilize the situation in east germany and we didnt want to force the people to leave the state forever they had work they had a home 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 the force of sovereignty to force them to got. 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 doctors 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 whats called was in poland on an official visit. We flew to warsaw on an air force plane in the morning and had the standard welcome ceremony. 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. We are as a player travel freedom was a big issue because there were many family connections to west germany and west berlin some wouldnt allowed to go to their parents funeral it was all very arbitrary you never knew what answer youd get it was unpredictable do you know. That for the credit or. A. Good ally or not theyd be ready to sail fiscally that was when the dictator of the crucial paper to his secretary dies to the gallows rising i was detailed in coffee the pot id read that private journeys to Foreign Countries could be applied for without preconditions printed or the 45. 00 if some in. The new travel regulations were not to be made public until the next morning that way passports and registration offices would have time to prepare for the onslaught of people. 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 than one expose your. Lunch break in delhi. West berlin medical student Benedict Ziegler my are headed to the university canteen. Fish was informing himself about the situation in the country all the news was about one topic only the 10th 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 day 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 couple do you like about your 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 could. Go on for the media and 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 what was the us and. I also acted as their contact with the Central Committee. Or stimson targum with the. Ski set up an International Press conference for that evening. A reporter from the west german tabloid bid. Came especially from hamburg. And we become i got a call from the west berlin Mayors Office someone said i should come to berlin something was happening to us. And there 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 over it or off the. This was perceived. 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 regulation its. Just part of 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 krenz that was a difficult situation that we had 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 tomorrow or. More guns on those. After around noon the driver took the paper to the Central Committee building 1st of all to 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 egon trends met with west german politician your highness how to talk about the future of imagine the relations after the meeting clients went back to the Central Committee was loud as a note he altered the agenda therefore as its not 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 troops and permanent departures will be implemented with immediate effect that it doesnt always run 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. Travel permits will only be declined in exceptional cases. Viewed as mama homos. Whatever we do we wont do it right this is the only solution that 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 kinds also said the information should be withheld until the following day. It would be tight the attached 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 schabowski. Visions that i wasnt there i wasnt out that Central Committee session because its open and shut off ski 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 occurrence on the discussion continued we spoke quietly and he pushed the note over to me he told me to take it with me to todays press conference sure but the india with the plaza could. Be going to cleanse fair 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. Heres the 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 each german and. Foreign journalists to answer their questions as you can see huge numbers are assembled here of them that integrated under. One of the journalists present was American News anchor tom brokaw. Im pretty exhausted as for its 5 oclock ive formed a monarchy so i said as our satellite. Capabilities are all there they said yes ross were getting a crate outerbridge there over a high shot all that time Peter Brinkman had managed to defend his siege. Delhomme of waiting 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. At the same time in warsaw how much code was meeting let fall winter. We had to talk with will and earn 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 lenses it was convinced this would come of our. Own room. 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. Police knew their job to keep everyone and everything in its place. 6 pm in east berlin. Trish and his wife rita had choir practice that night on the Program Christmas carols. 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 weekly meetings during which we rehearsed hymns and all of the other things you sing in church we sing at the service on sundays wouldnt that. Turns out also mirrors all go to streets. At 6 oclock on the dot kuntar schabowski open to the press conference. Bush in dundee introduced himself as secretary of the Central Committee the starving to death. Miner he also introduced his colleague comrade helga lapse a member of the Central Committee and head of the Teachers Union on forces that theyre going to actually see you im told for not a word 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 would. Be. The myosin gas they have. In the fog going i was tired it was quite a day and i would care about have writing off a drawing art enters your crowded way. To tenet colonel house was just about to have supper in the neighboring canteen. The television was on in the canteen but nobody was watching all this ning i saw the press conference was being broadcast and i thought id listen to what was being said in case there was any news good news could occur any day and there werent that many party press conferences. People in west berlin could also receive east German Television medical students then it exceeded my i was watching the live broadcast of the press conference. Suppose we then started reporting on the days count topics i wasnt really taking him seriously at 1st i just thought hes sitting there saying whatever. First. Just a few minutes before the end of the press conference there was an unexpected twist to the form. Of john security if you get voted to an Italian Journalist a card was invited to ask a question should not strictly american put on some. Trick or do if someone was standing to the left he derives silly he couldnt get a seat and he will he was 2 meters away from me and only 2 meters to the right of schabowski. 4 feet in 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 up and visit only to that moment i remembered i had wanted to talk about the issue of the travel regulations for you these are. The sort of. Decision has been made today recommendation of the political euro has been accepted that the passage of about 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 he. Been given by a gone krentz he had this big pile of papers with him which i could see because i was sitting at the front when this will form is us called but 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 so well if me yes somebody handed him a piece of paper from the poet bureau he took out his classes and a writer. And i a waiter described us in the 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 to be told the journalists they should have been given the statement then he read it. As a plea bargain eisenach and i was personally trips to other countries maybe a point for without giving any family or other reason permission will be granted at short notice and theyre here in west berlin benedictine and my and his flatmate peter were taken aback by what they were seeing on television. Before. I was 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 to give the people a token gesture but i didnt know what to think of it has come to this with me i mean its. Just come in made us all the Border Crossings between east and west germany and wolfie at this point i called out when i. First 3 times 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. It was the fog i forgot the interest. As its true permanent departures can take place at all of the Border Crossings into west germany west belin. Back at the east German Interior Ministry not mature i remember very clearly it was at 6 minutes to 7 the minister of justice called to suggest the wording 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 have presented the document to the world the government hadnt even taken a final decision which was. A few minutes later lauter left his office in the firm belief that his new zimbardo was being maintained. Thats and that. I would fail to fish or give in the meantime the press conference had come to a claim. That. None of us really knew what to do and nobody drew the real conclusion that this was it was cause for us to be a lot like the american and british reporters were confused they suspected the interpreters had made an error in translation coverage of the schabowski asked for the english text to be read out in case there was a problem fixed as it is a big game for us but i wanted to know what this means with the war be opened how would the Border Police react these were all important questions when alice comes with your flag. For him to be so volatile made an urgent phone call to his superior it was all. Your watching schabowski been talking about which of us have often found it easier to sell 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 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. Fights through torture for. The east german leadership had nothing about any of this because the politburo the ministers and all the Top Party Officials posted at the Central Committee meeting none of them had seen schabowski press conference. At the same time in warsaw how much cold was also in the talk about the events in east berlin the west german chancellor was the guest at a banquet. The room was a box and then chavasse pulled up the paper put it back as walking and left the state i want out ran upstairs with my camera crew there were a small room with a straw screen it was completely calm recorded down our eyes. Used to have a piece of paper here so i do i said will read it again but he took it out put on his glasses read it again and i said that that means citizens from the east can go out of the war any way that they want to. 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 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 members east german citizens wanting to leave their country no longer have to take the d. To of via czechoslovakia permanent departures can occur via all of the Border Crossings between east germany and west germany and west berlin. Shortly after the press conference the western camera crew were filming in a pub in east berlin with people were drinking a toast to the new regulation. In the big book at the school all the. Way i dont know what to say i used to cry every day now were all happy. 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 peacekeepers we hadnt known anything about it on board we were watching television and it was disappointing and we were if you like or a bit angry with us books. Me to you the tension 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 at spahn 100 national assets. Of to me that 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 in real life i know they said but he said we were allowed to leave no. And it was now that the explosive nature of schabowski snow to became clear while its author was sitting in the theater. The shutter for these i had theater tickets for that evening to see a run into 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 heat up catfish finished at choir practice and walked 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 football matches on what was a good reason to switch on the t. V. I was in towns the 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 shut 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 the gated community where the politburo members live. And. Hundreds used to and its often been. But when i arrived in 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 is a desert i started increasing numbers of people were making their way to the Border Crossing at bonheur 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. A month ill comment on 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 not. Jani. And. How they made another worried phone call to his superior cannot see good hon asking for instructions a lot of the mere verbal 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 me out of use not tired he wanted to show me that at this point there would be no hope or no rescue from above or the kind that i told there will be. No one in 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 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 the world as this big guy im the bomb youre kind dog tricked. 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 invalid and strasser that was closest one and it could be reached relatively easy from charlottenburg land. But at that point 140 kilometer long border around west berlin was still closed every when. People were now arriving at the Border Crossing up on her mushed asked in ever increasing numbers. Made up his mind he triggered the. Model was that 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 could. Longer so 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 3. 00 buys a bunch of obviously 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 he always fight has to be written. Off to do finish me off i live i wasnt allowed to explain this to the people they were only to be told about this when they tried to reenter and. 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. 30 years after the fall of the berlin wall on t. W. Because he wrote it. He passed it on. And he read it to the world. Over 9989. The story behind one of the most remarkable days in recent german history. Schabowski snow and the night the wall came down. To 15 minutes to talk. In a way discover the bounce codes to help world starts number 45 on w. This is d. W. News live from berlin a once divided city that celebrating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall the front line of the cold war. For 30 years ago that still gives many germans goosebumps germanys been marking those Historic Events with ceremonies here and elsewhere around the country chancellor Angela Merkel honor the memory of those killed trying to flee communism offering a special message about freedom