Berlin Crisis Escalates (PJW)

"Berlin Crisis Escalates" is an excerpt from former Secretary of State James William Fulbright's novel America First: American Foreign Policy from 1961-1964, published in 1986.

Escalation
For two months, Byrd had sat on the Berlin issue, despite several newspapers decrying him for his inaction. Byrd knew once the wall was firmly established it would be difficult to remove, so he had to strike soon. But not too soon, and lose the opportunity by acting rashly. The opportunity finally came when Lucius Clay conveyed to us an angry message on October 25th.

The Potsdam Agreement of 1945 allowed all Allied military and diplomatic forces free passage throughout Berlin. According to Clay, the commander of US forces in Berlin, the Soviets had been stopping and delaying all American traffic at Friedrich Crossing Point. Byrd ordered the operation we had been planning to be carried out immediately.

The two months of inaction had two positives. The first was it led Khrushchev to incorrectly conclude that the isolationist Byrd was just going to accept the Wall. This led to - and this was crucial - the withdrawal of large parts of the Soviet Army that had been stationed there since the Wall began construction. The second is that the Bundeswehr had two months to expand - not nearly enough time for proper training, but the numbers themselves were much larger, and that was all that was needed for the upcoming plan.

When consulting Kennedy about the situation, the Vice President feared war would break out if we carried out the plan, and said it would be best if we just accepted the Wall. That's where the President and Vice President differed. Byrd had decades more experience in politics than Kennedy - he knew, by now, when a man was bluffing. And Khrushchev, threatening war over this wall, was certainly bluffing. This would be one of the last times Byrd ever consulted with Kennedy; in the future, the Vice President would largely be locked out of the decision making.

Byrd phoned Clay at the US Military Mission in Berlin, and told him to begin the operation. A month ago, Clay had become convinced that the Soviets would back down if we tore down the wall, and Byrd agreed. Now his belief was coming into fruition. A tank battalion, armed with bulldozer mounts, was given orders by Clay to head toward the Wall.

The Soviet response was fast. "Khrushchev fears you're starting a war," General Watson, manning the phone at the Military Mission, told Byrd.

The President then got that look on his face he always got when he knew someone fell right into his trap. "Tell Khrushchev to order his forces at the Wall to stand back. And tell the Bundeswehr to advance."