Aug. 12, 1961 - Premier Khrushchev said today that it was "a fairy tale" that the West would fight for West Berlin. But the 5,000-man force of the U.S. Army in Berlin has a different idea. Brig. Gen. Frederick O. Hartel (pictured right), its commander, says the basic mission of the unit is simply this: "To defend the Western Allied sectors of Berlin if the necessity arises." This might seem a hopeless assignment for a unit stationed amid the 20 or more Soviet divisions deployed in East Germany. But Gen. Hartel said, "We are not excited. There is no panic nor even worry about the situation."
