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