Sundowner: A History Of The Cold War

Flashpoint
January 12, 1949 - At 11:02 PM, Eastern European Time, an explosion rocks the Red Square. Immediate casualties are low, due to a city curfew, but tensions runs high.

January 26, 1949 - Soviet troops, aided by East German Combat Groups of the Working Class, seal off the border between the West and East Berlin. Within five hours, nervous American and British soldiers can see barbed wire and tank traps blocking the main thoroughfare, with the sounds of heavy construction equipment and the occasional gunshot clearly audible.

January 28, 1949 - With construction on the Berlin Barrier showing no signs of stopping, President Truman issues an atomic warning to the Soviets. The ultimatum, delivered by TV address, gives the East German government 36 hours to cease construction of the Barrier and tear down what has already been erected.

January 29, 1949 - Molotov dismisses the US ultimatum out of hand, declaring: "The GDR is a free agent. We have no control over them. We have issued neither encouragement nor advised against the construction of any kind of barrier. But we will not respond to crude threats and bullying from the capitalists!" Truman, when ambushed by reporters on the White House lawn during his morning run, says only: "If that's true, its going to be a cold winter."

February 2, 1949 - The US moves to DEFCON III.

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Truman Delivering The Berlin Ultimatum.
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East German Troops close the border in preparation for the Berlin Barrier construction.
 
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