1960s Timeline

Aug. 23, 1961 - The Western powers deployed 1,000 troops of their West Berlin garrison, backed by 10 40-ton U.S. tanks, along the border...

Aug. 21, 1961 - Here is video of President Kennedy's remarks at the White House upon the return of Vice President Johnson from Berlin:...

Aug. 21, 1961 - President Kennedy said today that "difficult weeks and months" lay ahead in maintaining the freedom of West Berlin. But,...

Aug. 20, 1961 - Fifteen hundred additional U.S. troops arrived in West Berlin today. The grateful city poured out its heart to them and...

Aug. 19, 1961 - The United States Army battle group ordered to reinforce Allied forces in West Berlin crossed into Communist territory at...

🚨Aug. 19, 1961 - Vice President Johnson pledged to the people of West Berlin today that the U.S. would never forget its obligations to...

Aug. 18, 1961 - Vice President Johnson flew to West Berlin today as President Kennedy's special envoy with assurances for the German...

Aug. 18, 1961 - President Kennedy (pictured with West Berlin Mayor Willy Brandt in March) today ordered a battle group of 1,500 men to...

Aug. 16, 1961 - Mayor Willy Brandt (pictured) told President Kennedy in a letter today that West Berlin expected "not merely words but...

Aug. 15, 1961 - The United States, Britain and France formally protested to the Soviet Union today against Communist East Germany's...

Aug. 14, 1961 - A company of American troops staged a simulated city battle in Berlin today. The training maneuver was held in a mock...

Aug. 14, 1961 - Two battle-ready Soviet Army divisions were reported to have ringed Berlin this morning in support of East Germany's...

Aug. 13, 1961 - The quietness of East Berlin's deserted streets was shattered in the early hours of the morning by the screaming of...

Aug. 13, 1961 - East Germany closed the border early this morning between East and West Berlin. East German troops stood guard at the...

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...

Aug. 10, 1961 - Marshal Ivan S. Konev, former supreme commander of East European forces and one of the leading longtime Communists in the...

Aug. 9, 1961 - Herbert Hoover (center), 31st President of the United States, turned 87 today, and he faces the coming years unafraid,...

Aug. 9, 1961 - Premier Khrushchev warned today that the Soviet Union was capable of constructing a rocket with an explosive warhead...

Aug. 8, 1961 - The influx of refugees to West Berlin from East Germany increased sharply today, a rise attributed to reaction to Premier...

Aug. 7, 1961 - Dr. Robert A. Soblen was sentenced today to life in prison for wartime espionage for the Soviet Union. The 61-year-old...