World History

"Kennedy and the Berlin Wall"

W.R. Smyser

About the Program

August 13, 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall.  During thei event, W.R. Smyser, former U.S. diplomat to Germany, discusses the Berlin crisis of 1961-1963.  Mr. Smyser was a special assistant to General Lucius Clay, President Kennedy's representative in Berlin during the crisis.  He recounts the meetings between President Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, the threat of nuclear conflict, and the political fallout from the construction of the Berlin Wall. W.R. Smyser is joined by Mary Beth Stein, German professor at George Washington University, R. Gerald Livingston, senior fellow at the German Historical Institute, and Bernd Schaefer, senior scholar at the Cold War International History Project from the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC.

About the Authors

W.R. Smyser

W.R. Smyser was Special Assistant to General Lucius Clay during the Berlin Wall crisis.  He later served on Henry Kissinger's staff and was Assistant Secretary of State and Assistant Secretary-General of the UN.  He is the author of several books, including From Yalta to Berlin: The Cold War Struggle Over Germany.  He is currently a adjunct German and European Studies professor at Georgetown University.


Buy the author's book from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

Program Information

"Kennedy and the Berlin Wall"

Watch This Program
Watch This Program

Purchase This Program

Past Airings

  • Sunday, August 14th at 5:45pm (ET)
  • Monday, November 9th at 5am (ET)
  • Sunday, November 8th at 2am (ET)
  • Saturday, November 7th at 1pm (ET)
Listen to C-SPAN Radio