10 Mind-Blowing Misconceptions About The Berlin Wall
8. The West Hated The Walls Existence
This may be hard to believe, but the partition of Berlin without any physical barrier actually created problems for both the Soviets and the Western Powers. In fact, some historians argue that US President John F Kennedy actually paved the way for a physical barrier to be erected. Before Kennedys comment that the US was determined to stand by our commitments to the people of West Berlin in 1961, no Western leader had ever made the distinction between East and West Berlin. Therefore, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev appears to have taken a direct implication from this that the US was only interested in the Allied sectors of Berlin and that East Berlin was de facto a Soviet Zone. Kennedy also made clear that, as long as the Western Powers were able to enter West Berlin without restriction, were able to protect the citizens of West Berlin, and held a sacred right over the Allied sectors of Berlin, he would have no objection to the GDR doing as they pleased with East Berlin.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
