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Communications Can Change History, Whether or Not You Want To

By: Loren Wassell | 11/10/2009

The next time someone suggests that communications doesn't require careful preparation, you might want to show them where the Berlin Wall used to be. The wall came down on Nov. 9, 1989, and paved the way for reunification of East and West Germany less than one year later.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the rivalry between two journalists, Riccardo Ehrman and Peter Brinkmann, over who asked the key question at a fateful news conference.

There is no question about the answer.

Günter Schabowski, a member of the East German Politburo, was supposed to announce a temporary procedure that would make it easier for East Germans to travel abroad. According to the Journal, Schabowski wasn't in the room when the new travel program was decided and he went off to face the world's media after only a quick skim of the official order.

Peppered with rapid-fire questions, he gave confusing answers. Toward the end of his rambling account, Schabowski mentioned plans to allow East Germans to travel to the West or even emigrate. Berlin had been divided between East and West since the end of World War II and East German leaders erected the wall in 1961 to tighten control over passage to the West.

The Journal's account of a videotape of the proceedings indicates both Ehrman and Brinkmann were part of the questioning, along with Krzysztof Janowski. And the newspaper's account indicates an unidentified fourth reporter may have asked the most important question of all.

"When does that go into effect?," the voice asks.

Schabowski scans his papers and responds with words quoted out of context:

"Immediately. Without delay."

As the news aired on Berlin TV that evening, crowds began gathering at the wall. Guards were faced with a choice between opening fire on the throngs or opening the gate. They opened the gate and the Wall was history.

To be sure, the fall of the Berlin Wall reflected historical forces. The East German plan for easing travel restrictions some day in the future was intended to vent off some of the rising pressure. The historic change came on Nov. 9, 1989, because a key official with an important message failed to deliver it clearly and accurately.

Footnote to history: The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the beginning of the end of the Iron Curtain dividing Europe during the Cold War that followed World War II. The term "Iron Curtain" was popularized by Winston Churchill, famously in a March 5, 1946, speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. Today, Westminster is home to a sculpture, by Churchill's granddaughter, Edwina Sandys, made from segments of the Berlin Wall. Standing Partnership was proud to work with Westminster to observe the 60th anniversary of the Churchill speech in 2006.

Posted in Public Relations