The Dangerous Island of Berlin

Contemporary newspaper map of the Berlin Crisis.

The 1950’s and early 1960’s saw a marked increase in the escalation of the global conflict known as the Cold War, with several notable events severely damaging relationships between the Soviets and the West. One example was the Berlin Crisis, touched off in 1958 by Nikita Krushev’s ultimatum that the U.S. and its allies withdraw all armed forces from the German capital within six months. Negotiations continued for the next two years, and the ultimatum was re-issued in June of 1961.

This map, published in the August 31st, 1961 issue of the Indianapolis News, shows the situation at the height of the affair. The border had been closed two weeks earlier with the construction of the Berlin Wall, and the listed divisions gives a numerical edge to the Soviets in the ensuing military standoff.