The Berlin Bluff (PJW)

"The Berlin Bluff" is an excerpt from The Dancing Bear: The Soviet Union in the 1960s, written by historian Robert Conquest and published in 1977.

The Berlin Bluff
US TANKS ADVANCING ON WALL STOP ARMED WITH BULLDOZER MOUNTS STOP REQUEST IMMEDIATE INSTRUCTIONS STOP

The alarming wire from Berlin made Khrushchev realize he had been outmaneuvered by his American counterpart. For the past two months, the American president, champion of isolation, had seemingly sat idly while construction on the wall continued. While his ultimatum of withdrawal from West Berlin had not been accepted yet, Khrushchev was confident enough that the Wall would be enough to solve the problems of immigration into West Germany. So confident, that several Red Army units stationed in Berlin from the onset of construction were demobilized.

The First Secretary immediately ordered the Commandant Solovyev to send in a tank division, with orders to fire if fired upon. The Soviet garrison already on the ground near the Wall was ordered to do their best to delay the American tanks as possible. Solovyev conveyed this message, and Soviet soldiers assembled at Friedrich Crossing Point and other points along the wall. There, they faced the Americans.

American General Lucius Clay ordered his forces to halt near the Wall. He himself was at Friedrich, and requested to meet with Solovyev. While the two negotiated, sirens along the wall began blaring, and the already anxious soldiers pulled out their rifles. It was not known who fired the first shot, but soon there were bursts of fire all along the wall. Clay and Solovyev immediately called for a ceasefire, and after a few tense moments, the gunfire subsided.

GERMAN ARMY ON BORDER STOP ENEMY NUMERICAL SUPERIORITY STOP

The West German military had been quietly re-arming itself for the past two months; it's believed the initially effective counterintelligence network headed by Reinhard Gehlen was the reason this information did not reach the Kremlin. With their appearance on the border a surprise, Khrushchev realized his bluff had been called. He had no intention of starting a war over a wall in Berlin.

Communicating through Soviet high command to the Crossing Point to the US Military Mission to Byrd, Khrushchev threatened to fire upon the Americans in Berlin. Byrd correctly called his bluff and told him the Bundeswehr would advance over the border if done so. Backed into a corner, Khrushchev offered the destruction of the Wall in exchange for the removal of American nuclear bombers in Turkey. Byrd knew he had no reason to make any concessions here, and told the First Secretary the destruction of the Wall would begin within the hour.

With a sigh, Krushchev accepted Byrd's demands. He then ordered Solovyev to stand down. The Soviets and East Germans could only watch as American tanks plowed through the wall they had spent so much time, energy, and funding to construct.