September 1961: A girl who lives outside the village of Steinstuecken looks through the barbed wire barricades East German border guards built around the village during the Berlin Wall crisis.
A 1945 U.S. government map of the Allied occupation sectors of Berlin. I colorized them to highlight the Western and Soviet sectors. Steinstuecken---which wasn't on the original map---is the small blue area outside Berlin's southwestern boundary, with the U.S. and Berlin city flags.
Why Should YOU Read This Book?
• With Steinstuecken, America did the right thing, instead of the convenient thing. The U.S. could have easily justified letting the East Germans take over the neighborhood--but it didn’t. The U.S. had promised to protect West Berlin, and Steinstuecken was part of West Berlin. For over twenty years, the Army and State Department safeguarded the village and kept it free. (The Army even set up an MP post in the village, sustained by a helicopter airlift). America kept its word.• Many Americans know about the many things the U.S. did for Berlin, such as the Berlin Airlift. But, my book also talks about some things that Berliners did to help the U.S. during the Cold War. Berliners supported the Americans, openly and frequently, and often at real personal risk to themselves. For example, in 1946, Berlin held city elections. Thousands of Berliners voted for the Western political parties, even though they knew the Soviets were watching. (Kidnappings by Russian secret police were an everyday occurrence all throughout Berlin at this time). This was a huge PR blow for the Communists; my book tells this story, and others like it.• During the Cold War, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and their families built close relationship with their German neighbors and friends. Many of those relationships are still strong today. My book will help remind people of a proud moment in American-German relations…and hopefully strengthen those relations for future generations. My book features stories and personal photographs of the people who lived the Steinstuecken story themselves----the MPs who guarded the village, the helicopter pilots who maintained the “airbridge” to the neighborhood, the diplomats who wrangled with Soviet and East German officials on its behalf, and the villagers who tried to live as normal a life as possible.