NATO - The Berlin Crisis and the Allied Response 1961

The Berlin Crisis and the Allied Response

NATO marks 50 years since the 1961 Berlin Crisis

13 Aug. 2011

Fifty years after the erection of the Berlin Wall, NATO has released hundreds of formerly classified documents that shed light on how the Alliance and its member states managed the fallout of that event and the wider crisis surrounding Berlin. A key concern of France, the United Kingdom and the United States, and of the Atlantic Alliance as a whole, was to keep access to West Berlin free under all circumstances, while avoiding tensions from escalating into a wider conflict. To this end, the three Western Allies, as well as NATO, began to develop contingency plans and other measures.

50th anniversary of Berlin crisis marked by exhibition and release of declassified documents

29 Jun. 2011

“The Wall and the Allied Response to the Berlin crisis of 1961” is the subject of a multimedia exhibition which opened at NATO Headquarters on 23 June. The exhibition was co-organized by the NATO Archives and the German Delegation to NATO and coincides with the public disclosure of NATO planning documents related to this pivotal moment of the Cold War.

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011 Official opening of the exhibition by Ambassador W. Eaton, Assistant Secretary General for Executive Management

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011 Official opening of the exhibition by Ambassador W. Eaton, Assistant Secretary General for Executive Management

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011 Official opening of the exhibition by Ambassador W. Eaton, Assistant Secretary General for Executive Management

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011 Opening remarks by Ekkehard Brose, Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO for Germany

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011 Opening remarks by Ekkehard Brose, Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO for Germany

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011 Opening remarks by Ekkehard Brose, Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO for Germany

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011

Exhibition on the Berlin Wall and the Allied Response in 1961 23. Jun. 2011

Military Planning for Berlin Emergency (1961-1968)

Following the Soviet note of 27 November 1958 which challenged the status quo established by the Potsdam Agreement, the Three Western Powers (UK, US and France) decided on 4th April 1959 to set up a Planning Group, named Live Oak, to prepare plans on land and in the air which would guarantee West Berlin’s access and would help assess Soviet’s intentions.