U.S. National Archives Releases 11,000 Newly Declassified Documents Relating to Berlin, 1962–1986
Press Release · Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Washington, DC

National Declassification Center and Central Intelligence Agency To Host Symposium on Berlin at the National Archives on January 14, 2014

Washington, DC…The National Archives National Declassification Center (NDC), in partnership with the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) Historical Review Program, announced today the release of 11,000 pages of newly declassified documents relating to various topics and activities in Berlin between 1962 and 1986. A selection of the release, 2,464 pages, is available online [www.archives.gov/research/foreign-policy/cold-war/berlin-wall-1962-1987].

The newly declassified 11,000 pages are available for research at the National Archives at College Park, MD, located at 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD. Research hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Sundays and Federal Holidays).

Symposium: "A City Divided: Life and Death in the Shadow of the Wall"
January 14, 2014, 9 a.m. – noon
William G. McGowan Theater
National Archives Building, Washington, DC

The NDC and CIA will host a free symposium discussing the release. The symposium is open to the public (reserve a seat by sending an email to ndc@nara.gov) and the press (email public.affairs@nara.gov).

The symposium will highlight newly published and released declassified documents that reveal East and West Berliners’ struggles in the shadow of the wall. The documents detail many aspects of their lives, focusing on the resolve of the human spirit for freedom and equality.

With his iconic speech on June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy united the citizens of Berlin with the United States by stating that he, too, was a Berliner. Twenty-four years later, President Ronald Reagan declared in Berlin that "I do not come here to lament. For I find in Berlin a message of hope, even in the shadow of this wall, a message of triumph."

The National Archives Building is located on the National Mall at Constitution Ave. and 7th Street, NW, and is fully accessible. Metro: Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance.

Speakers:

National Declassification Center - Sheryl Shenberger
Archivist of the United States - David S. Ferriero
Director, Information Management Services, CIA - Joseph Lambert
National Declassification Center - Neil Carmichael
Historian at the George Washington University and the Woodrow Wilson Center - Dr. Hope Harrison
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars - Dr. Christian F. Ostermann
Central Intelligence Agency - Dr. Donald P. Steury

For more information:
Please email all inquiries to ndc@nara.gov.

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For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs Staff at 202-357-5300.

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