Foreign Affairs

Home > Research Our Records > U.S. Foreign Affairs Research > The Cold War > The Berlin Crisis of 1961: Documents at the National Archives

The Berlin Crisis of 1961: Documents at the National Archives

Documents at the National Archives

2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the political crisis that resulted in the erection of the Berlin Wall, which divided that German city for 28 years. The National Declassification Center of the National Archives and Records Administration and the Historical Collections Division of the Central Intelligence Agency have partnered to publish newly declassified documents that reveal intimate details of the five month Berlin Crisis of 1961. The documents listed below are in the holdings of the National Archives at College Park, MD. Documents owned by other agencies, such as the JFK Presidential Library, Department of State and Central Intelligence Agency can be accessed from the CIA's website.

All files in the "Title" column are in PDF format. Due to some of the large file sizes, we recommend that you save them rather than try to open them directly.

Title Dates National Archives Identifier RG/
Collection
BDQ-E4 Economic Countermeasures 1/31/1960 6035084 59
Chronology of Statements and Documents Concerning the Berlin Crisis for the Period November 1, 1959 to January 31, 1960 4/20/1960 6035085 59
Memo for McNamara 8/12/1960 6037284 MNR
Report of the Four-Power Working Group on Germany Including Berlin on "Planning to Deal with a 'Separate Peace Treaty' Between the Soviet Union and the 'German Democratic Republic'" [Contingency Planning with attached memo] 3/3/1961 6036974 59
Clandestine Action in Support of the U.S. Berlin Policy 3/23/1961 6035203 59
Memorandum of Conversation: European Integration and the Six and Seven Problem 4/13/1961 6036997 59
National Intelligence Estimate Number 11-7-61: Soviet Short-Term Intentions Regarding Berlin and Germany 4/25/1961 6035205 59
Memorandum for the President - Preliminary Draft - The Berlin Crisis 5/3/1961 6037283 MNR
Berlin-Germany Group 1961 (54 MB)
 5/14/1961 6036993 59
Memorandum for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff - Subject: Berlin Contingency Planning 5/19/1961 6037290 MNR
Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense - Subject: Temporary Reinforcement as a Berlin Deterrent (S) 5/26/1961 6037287 MNR
Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense - Subject: Temporary Reinforcement as a Berlin Deterrent (S) 5/29/1961 6037288 MNR
[Background on] The Berlin Task Force and Other Berlin Contingency Planning Organizations 6/4/1961 6035198 59
Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense - Subject: Berlin Contingency Planning (U) 6/6/1961 6037286 MNR
Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense - Subject: Berlin Contingency Planning (U) 6/26/1961 6037285 MNR
National Security Action Memorandum (NSAM) #58 6/28/1961 6037280 MNR
Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense - Subject: Restrictions on the Use of the Attached Report (Ref: Memorandum for the President, dated June 28, 1961, Subject: Berlin) 6/28/1961 6037282 MNR
Letter From President John F. Kennedy to General Lauris Norstad 6/30/1961 6037279 MNR
Briefing Paper for NSC Discussion on Berlin, 29 June 1961 7/5/1961 6037281 MNR
First and Second Acheson Reports 7/13/1961 6036628 59
Memorandum of Conversation [MemCon] McNamara to Strauss 7/14/1961 6036657 MNR
NSC Meeting re: Berlin 7/19/1961 6036971 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Brigade, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #4) (U) 7/21/1961 6037231 549
Letter and Translation from President Charles DeGaulle to President John F. Kennedy 8/26/1961 6037210 59
Steering Group Minutes 8/31/19616036642 59
Talking Paper for Discussions with Stikker regarding his Memorandum of September 2, 1961 to the Four Governments 9/2/1961 6037130 59
[Memo in German] 9/7/1961 6037211 59
National Security Action Memorandum No. 94: Steinstuecken and Friedrichstrasse Crossing Point 9/14/1961 6037034 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Command, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #10) 9/15/1961 6037216 549
NEGOTIATING STRATEGY BERLIN - Germany Crisis 9/16/1961 6036649 59
Air Access [General Norstad/LIVE OAK] 9/16/1961 6037133 59
BQD-M-15: LIVE OAK Status Report Which Summarizes the Measures Connected with LIVE OAK Contingency Plans 9/22/1961 6035206 59
Status of Quadripartite Planning on Air Access as of 22 September 1961 9/22/1961 6037136 59
Maritime Rules of Engagement 9/22/1961 6037140 59
Live Oak Status 9/22/1961 6037141 59
Memorandum for General Norstad - "JACK PINE" Plans (U) [BQD 4] 9/23/1961 6037137 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Command, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #11) 9/26/1961 6037217 549
Status of Contingency Planning - Quadripartite Contingency Coordinating Subgroup 9/29/1961 6037142 59
Berlin -- 1961 10/4/19615663184 306
Negotiations on European Security 10/4/1961 6037028 59
Summary of Reports Given by Refugees During the Period September 28-October 5, 1961 10/5/1961 5989324 59
Memorandum on Negotiations on European Security 10/11/1961 6037026 59
Memo to Gerard C. Smith From Raymond L. Garthoff - Subject: Possible European Security Arrangements Restricting Nuclear Weapons 10/12/19616037206 59
Status of Quadripartite Planning on Air Access as of 13 October 1961 10/13/19616037135 59
Memorandum of Conversation [MemCon] Secretary Robert McNamara and Foreign Minister Gerhard Schroeder 10/16/1961 6036658 MNR
Negotiations on European Security (U) 10/16/1961 6037024 59
Draft Report by the French, United Kingdom and U.S Governments to the North Atlantic Council 10/17/1961 6037131 59
Draft Directive to General Norstad 10/17/1961 6037132 59
National Security Action Memorandum No. 109: U.S. Policy on Military Actions in a Berlin Conflict 10/23/19616037035 59
Air Access Announcements 10/25/1961 6037134 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Command, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #12) 10/31/19616037218 549
G-2 Division, Berlin Command, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #13a) 11/16/19616037220 549
Status of Berlin Contingency Planning (Fourth Revision) 11/17/1961 6037143 59
Memorandum of Conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Belgian Foreign Minister Paul Henri Spaak 11/20/1961 6036987 59
Berlin Command Ops Plan 1961 11/21/1961 6036651 549
Letter from Chancellor Konrad Adenauer to President John F. Kennedy 11/22/1961 6037207 59
President John F. Kennedy to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan 11/22/1961 6037208 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Command, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #14) (U) 11/23/1961 6037221 549
National Security Action Memorandum No. 117: Contingency Planning on Berlin 11/29/1961 6037036 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Command, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #13) 11/29/19616037219 549
Draft of Letter from President John F. Kennedy to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan 11/30/1961 6037209 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Command, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #15) (U) 11/30/1961 6037222 549
We Vote for Freedom 11/1961 5663853 306
Military Countermeasures 12/5/1961 6037138 59
Expansion of Tripartite Operational - Level Plan Jack Pine 12/5/1961 6037139 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Brigade, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #1) (U) 12/7/1961 6037223 549
Telegram, [Control 335] 8 Dec 1961 - 1 AM - [From Kohler. Afternoon meeting Senior Officials on December 7 devoted to discussion substantive paper (BQD 55)] 12/8/1961 6037199 59
Report of the Four Power Working Group on Germany and Berlin 12/10/1961 6037198 59
Telegram, [Control 590] 12 Dec 1961 - 3 AM - [Four-Power Ministerial meeting this afternoon focused on formula with respect negotiations on Berlin for NATO meeting] 12/12/1961 6037201 59
Telegram, [Control 585] 12 Dec 1961 - 9 PM - [Four-Power Ministerial meeting this morning once again entirely to discussion of problem of negotiations on Berlin] 12/12/1961 6037202 59
Telegram, [Control 589] 13 Dec 1961 - 2 AM - [Special quadripartite ministerial meeting called 9:45 this evening failed to reach agreement on common approach to negotiations.  Session opened with circulation of text which had emerged from telecon President and de Gaulle] 12/13/1961 6037203 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Brigade, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #2) (U) 12/14/19616037224 549
An Intelligence Paper on Berlin Received from the West German Government 12/18/1961 6037030 59
Memorandum of Conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan - Thursday, December 21, 1961, 4:00pm - 5:30 pm 12/21/19616037204 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Brigade, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #3) (U) 12/21/1961 6037225 549
Memorandum of Conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan - December 22, 1961, 9:45 am - 10:30 am 12/22/1961 6037205 59
Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] Berlin Handbook 12/27/1961 6036283 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Brigade, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #3a) (U) 12/28/1961 6037226 549
Telegram, [Control 423] 9 Dec 1961 - 1 AM - [From Kohler. Morning December 8 Senior Officials Meeting continued discussion substantive paper (BQD 55)] 12/29/1961 6037200 59
G-2 Division, Berlin Brigade, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #4) (U) - This is the last ISUM for 1961 1/4/1962 6037227 549
G-2 Division, Berlin Brigade, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #1) (U) 1/11/1962 6037228 549
G-2 Division, Berlin Brigade, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #2) (U) 1/18/1962 6037229 549
G-2 Division, Berlin Brigade, Intelligence Summary (ISUM #3) (U) 1/25/1962 6037230 549
Wall of Tears 02/1962 5663843 306
Freedom or Death 04/1963 5663356 306

 

 

 

Top