East Germans cross the Berlin Wall (also known as the “Wall of Shame”) in Berlin, Germany in the year 1962. View of the Wall of Shame or Berlin Wall. Reflective mirror light from atop a tower intended to block western observation of activity in East Berlin. Officer looks through binoculars at the East German guards across the wall. Communist East German guards carrying away body of Bernd Luenser who was shot trying to escape to West Berlin. Russian guards loaded in buses move through streets. Freedom bell in the Rathaus Schöneberg rings. General of the United States Army Lucius D. Clay salutes as the Allied soldiers march past in the streets of West Berlin along with United States tanks.
Opening scene shows the Rathaus Schöneberg (John-F.-Kennedy-Platz, 10825 Berlin, Germany) where Mayor of Berlin Willy Brandt addresses a large crowd of West Berlin citizens, concerned about the building of the Berlin Wall by the Soviet Union. Many carry placards and signs, including some in English, reading: "We trust Kennedy, Pay any price, Bear any burden, for survival of Liberty" and "Millions behind the Iron Curtain ask for help." Scene shifts to a limousine driving into the center of a crowd. United States Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson steps from the car, accompanied by General Lucius D. Clay, who is seen next, with arm raised, acknowledging the crowd, while standing with Johnson and Brandt, at a podium cluttered with microphones. (Narrator refers to him as "Father of the Airlift.") The next day, British and American soldiers are seen driving in jeeps and trucks and M59 Armored Personnel Carriers, through cheering crowds, as they arrive to reinforce their Berlin garrisons. Closeup of cheering Berliners, waving handkerchiefs. Change of scene shows animated map of Europe illustrating the Westward expansion and growth of Soviet Communist occupation through World War II and the postwar era, concluding with East Berlin, in 1962. The threat to other Nations and regions is also illustrated. Legislators are seen in session in the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag in Bonn. Chancellor Konrad Adenauer is addressing the assembly. He states that Germany does not stand alone in the world. In France, Prime Minister Georges Pompidou addresses the National Assembly, regarding the Berlin Wall. In London, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan addresses Parliament. In the United States, on September 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy, is addressing the UN General Assembly, in New York, about the dangerous crisis in Berlin. Scenes of the Berlin wall and Checkpoint Charlie. Memorials to persons killed attempting to escape East Berlin, are seen along the wall.
United States military broadcast non-denominational Christian religious program from the AFN (Armed Forces Network) Studio in West Berlin, Germany. Wooden wall with letters read “Studio A”. Radio engineer broadcasts a taped religious music program “Hymns from Home”. program Announcer, Army PFC Jan Wood, reads from a sheet of paper and speaks over microphone. Record spinning. Man operates control panel and checks frequency.
Disc Jockey select records to be played regionally at AFN (American Forces Network) studio in Berlin Germany. Vinyl record spinning on phonograph record player. Specialist Jim Ochs starts a program 'Music in Air' and speaks over microphone. Disc Jockey in radio sound studio. The DJ plays classical music on the radio. Man reads magazine listening to music on AFN Radio. Man tunes radio and lies down on his bed. Man listens to music while relaxing in bed.
U.S. Military Police car parked in front of United States Army Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstrasse along Berlin Wall in West Berlin, Germany. A van from AFN ( American Forces Network) Berlin pulls up at the checkpoint. Army reporter Specialist Ted Shrady comes out to broadcast from Checkpoint Charlie. He stands on street and speaks over microphone about the weather conditions in Berlin.
Crowd gathers after the death of a boy as he was shot dead by the East German guards along Berlin Wall in Berlin, Germany. People gather on the street. Policemen guard the people. East German police establish a barricade from barbed wires to control the crowd. Soviet troops as a bus passes on the street. People throw stones at the bus. Ambulance patrol to rescue the wounded refugees. Buildings in the background. A guard stands on the street. A board on a building reads: 'U.S. Army Checkpoint Charlie'. Guards standing outside the building. A sign outside building reads: 'Kommandatura Berlin'. Cars parked outside a building. A man enters a car.