Press Release nr98-77
Press Release · Thursday, June 11, 1998

Washington, DC

Washington, DC . . . To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, the Eisenhower Center for American Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the National Archives will sponsor a one-day conference on "Berlin and the Cold War" on Thursday, June 11, 1998, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. in the downtown National Archives Building. The National Archives is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, between 7th and 9th Streets, NW. The programs is free and open to the public, but will require advance reservations. The public may make reservations by phoning the National Archives public programs conference line at 202-208-7345 or by FAX at 202-219-1888. Please provide the complete name, address, and phone number for each registrant.

Leading academic and government authorities on German-U.S. relations will participate in this commemorative symposium. National Security Advisor Sandy Berger is expected to open the program, followed by historians Stephen Ambrose and Ernest May, who will comment on the strategic significance of Berlin in the Cold War. The discussion will begin by focusing on the Berlin Crisis of 1948-49, the tension-filled ten-month period during which the West delivered 2,325,809 tons of food, coal, and other supplies on 277,804 flights. High-level officials from key Federal agencies, members of Congress, and diplomats will discuss the continuing significance of the German-U.S. relationship. Other participants will include historians Douglas Brinkley, Michael Beschloss, Peter Grose, Gordon Craig, Dick Murphy, and Ronald Prussen.

Dr. Douglas Brinkley, director of the Eisenhower Center, is the chief organizer of the conference and has arranged for the publication of the participants’ papers in a special commemorative issue of the journal, Foreign Affairs.

A complete schedule of speakers, topics, and times will be distributed at the event. Seating will begin at 8:30 A.M. and is limited for this event. Reservations will be held until 8:45 A.M. on the morning of the event.

For additional PRESS information, please contact the Susan Cooper at (301) 837-1700 or by e-mail or Judy Edelhoff at (202) 208-7345.

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