Checkpoint Charlie: Cold War, Berlin Wall, & Most Dangerous Place on Earth

Description: Title: Checkpoint Charlie - The Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth Author: Iain MacGregor Edition: Hardcover. First Edition. Publisher: Scribner / Simon & Schuster (New York) Copyright: 2019 Printing: 2019 Dimensions in inches: 9.25 x 6.5 x 1.25 (340 pages) ISBN: 978-1-9821-0003-2 A powerful, fascinating, and groundbreaking history of Checkpoint Charlie, the legendary and most important crossing point on the border of East and West Berlin where the United States and its allies confronted the Soviet Union during the Cold War. As tensions between East and West rose during the Cold War, East Germany committed millions of dollars to the creation of the Berlin Wall in the early 1960s. The 11-foot-high barrier would eventually evolve to consist of 79 miles of fencing, 300 watchtowers, 250 guard dog runs, and 20 bunkers and was operated around the clock by guards who shot to kill. Over the next 28 years, ten thousand people attempted to smash through it, swim across it, tunnel under it, or fly over it, desperate to escape the repressive totalitarian East German regime for the freedom of the west. In November 1989, the East German leadership buckled in the face of a civil revolt that culminated in half a million East Germans demanding an end to the ban on free movement. The world's media flocked to capture the moment that, perhaps more than any other, signaled the end of the Cold War. The Wall was opened and then torn down, stone by stone. Checkpoint Charlie, the epicenter of global conflict for nearly three decades, was the location of the greatest jubilation as crowds flowed across the border. As the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Wall approaches in 2019, lain MacGregor captures the mistrust, oppression, paranoia, and fear that once gripped Berlin in this brilliant work of historical journalism. He also includes never-before-heard interviews with the men who built and dismantled the Wall; lovers who crossed it; relatives and friends who lost family trying to escape over it; German, British, French, and Russian soldiers who guarded its check-points; CIA, MI6, and Stasi operatives who oversaw secret operations across its borders; politicians whose ambitions shaped it; journalists who recorded its story; and many more whose living memories contributed to the full story of Checkpoint Charlie. Contents: Prologue: October 1961 Exodus: Map of East and West Germany, 1949-90 Island in the Communist Stream The Spook in Berlin In a Mousetrap Now A Tale of Two Cities: Split Asunder Map of the Berlin Wall, August 1961 - November 1989 A New Border to Patrol Who Blinks First? Elvis is Dead Let Them Come to Berlin! The Intelligence War: The Secret Army Searching for a Grain of Truth Catch Me If You Can! Death of a Soldier The Struggle to Be Free: The Singing Jew of Checkpoint Charlie Going Underground Chimes of Freedom At the Edge of Control Map of Checkpoint Charlie The Last Escape Diagram of the Death Strip, 1989 The Wall Falls: A Family in Berlin The Memo that Ended the Cold War The Flood Lights, Camera, Action! Aftermath Goodbye Checkpoint Charlie Epilogue: Four Memories Appendix: Fatalities at the Berlin Wall, 1961-1989 CONDITION: NEW Hardcover edition with dust-jacket in FINE condition, with strong binding, bright boards, and sharp corners. All pages are free from any writings, markings, tears, or pastedowns. Text block and pages are tight and clean, with no soiling, creasing, dog-ears or markings. POLICY & GUARANTEE: FULL SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK. Please contact us with any questions, comments or concerns prior to bidding. All items sold as described, and returnable for any reason within 30 days of receipt. Payments: Payment in full must be received within 10 days of auction close. If payment is not made within the specified period, we reserve the right to re-list item and to submit feedback with non-paying bidder notification. Shipping & Handling: Items are shipped within 1 business day after payment has cleared. Stated rates are for confirmed delivery through the United States Postal Service via Media Mail (“Book Rate” class.) Insurance is added for items valued over $100.00. International and Overnight shipping available at additional cost; Please contact us prior to bidding for adjusted rates or with special requests. We recommend international buyers check with their country's customs office prior to bidding/buying with questions on import duties or tax charges. Book condition guidelines: Fine (F), No defects, or wear, or previous owner markings; Tight binding and the boards are without bumps or wear (Synonymous for “very fine”, “as new”, or “mint”.)

Price: 8.99 USD

Location: New York, New York

End Time: 2024-10-20T21:47:36.000Z

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