Postwall history. Washington journal is next. East berlin tonight, tens of thousands of people crossing into west berlin, pouring through the berlin wall, which opened today. Not waiting for officials or even daybreak, they are still coming. Host those are the words and images that nbc used to open its special report on the night of november 9, 19 89. 30 years later, we are remembering that earth and concrete shattering day. Gallery,he berlin wall from the newseum and washington, d. C. It is our home for the next three hours on washington journal on cspan and cspan3. Were asking you to share your own memories. Give us a call and let us know fall meantrlin wall to you. If you live in eastern or central time zones, the number to call is 202 7488000. Mountain or pacific time zones, 202 7488001. At a special phone number for germanamericans this morning that number 202 7488002. If you want to send us a text this morning, that number is 202 7488003. If you do, please include your name and w
And more them, 100,000 of them in the summer months were taking refuge in west german emphases in czechoslovakia, hungary and other places. They were trying to go to west germany. The country was hemorrhaging. At some point the leadership decided we have to let people travel. This point anyone between if you are under six or over 70 may be you could travel to the west. Most young adults could not travel. They decided to have a meeting and some new laws allowing east germans to go to the west, west berlin, west germany and see what it is like. It is late at night on the night of november 9. Official withried a piece of paper and he reads it and says soon people will be able to, without a visa, travel to the west. An Italian Journalist is in the audience and he says these germans are all seeing this. The Italian Journalist, and a flat voice, he says immediately. East berliners here this. Thousands left their homes. Some of them were in pajamas. They come with their families and they walk
A very warm welcome to the program from all of us here at r t h 2 in moscow thanks for joining us this hour. 30 years ago the berlin wall was torn down reuniting east and west berlin and held in the beginning of the end of the cold war security is high a head of major celebrations across the country and berlin thousands are expected to take part in numerous events including exhibition exhibitions on the walls history lets take a quick look at its rise and fall of. The berlin wall a symbol of the cold war and division a mine that separated the city families friends and changed berlin for the remainder of the 20th century 40 kilometers long at slice of the city and was erected in the night of august 13th 1981 1st it was just a barbed wire and concrete fence with 12 checkpoints but it swiftly grew into the fortified version most know it today the checkpoints were reduced to 3 and crossing became all but impossible. Imagine this a concrete wall 3. 6 meters high and 1. 2 meters wide a smoot
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 weat
One emphasized it was a piece border, doing what they needed to do, what any sovereign state could do. People who were family members of people who were killed at the wall have a very different view on the legitimacy of the wall and see it as a terrible, violent thing. What are your thoughts on how germany is marking the anniversary today . Is this a day of celebration in germany, a day of remembrance, what is your view, looking at what happened so far this weekend whats happening today. Guest theyve been busy all week with the climax today and i think they do multiple things. They always come on the anniversary of the fall of the wall, commemorate the people who lost their lives for whom the wall fell too late. They celebrate the glorious moment of the peaceful fall to the wall, and many germans feel proud of this. And thee holocaust heavy weight of history on germanys shoulders, to feel there is something in their contemporary history they can be proud of, this peaceful fall of the w