With the Berlin blockade, Russia proved they were serious about keeping at least a part of Germany under their influence. The blockade failed in that respect, but it did alarm quite a few East Berliners on the Russian side enough to pack up and take their chances in the West. Alarmed by the flight of young professionals, Russia began separating out the border between the two sides – first with barbed wire, then concrete blocks, and eventually with a wall stretching end to end, with mounted machine gun emplacements and watchtowers. Overnight, families and friends found themselves on opposite sides, with no hope of meeting.

On this day, December 20, 1963, for the first time since its construction, the Berlin Wall opened. Russia relaxed their policies, allowing nearly 4,000 West Berliners in on a one-day pass.

Of course a propaganda war broke out over the visiting Westerners. Russia welcomed them in the capital of the German Democratic Republic, and issued pamphlets explaining to them the wall was constructed to keep out from their land the corrosive Western culture – which was true enough, the East Berliners were big consumers of Hollywood films. Meanwhile the U.S. newspapers argued that Russia’s move was a backdoor into creating a de facto recognition of the division of Germany.