The Berlin Wall
Short History Of...
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The Surreptitious Defection of East Germans
East German leader Walter Ulbricht appeals to Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union since Stalin's death in 1953. Ulbricht is hosting a garden party at his woodland retreat, 25 miles outside Berlin, formerly Hermann Goering's hunting lodge. He tells them he issued a series of top secret orders to his most trusted military and police commanders in Berlin. Operation Rose will finally stop the flood of defections from East to West. At 1am, the streetlights are switched off across East Berlin. Tens of thousands of soldiers move into position. By 6am they have closed off nearly 200 streets,. A dozen stations have been boarded up as well. While they slept
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