Did Brinkmanship Fell Berlin's Wall? Brinkman Said It Did

Wall Street Journal ^ | 21 Oct 2009 | Marcus Walker

[docbnj]

iccardo Ehrman, a veteran Italian foreign correspondent, and Peter Brinkmann, a combative German tabloid reporter, both claim they asked the crucial questions at a news conference on Nov. 9, 1989, that led East German Politburo member Günter Schabowski to make one of the biggest fumbles in modern history.

[docbnj]

End of article reveals that an unidentified "fourth man", not visible in the archival videotapes, was actually the one who asked the key question at the crucial news conference. Who was he? Perhaps Saint Michael?

[arthurus]

So what was the question? and what was the answer? I am not interested in all the redirects and puzzles of the site.

[stayathomemom]

The lower link went directly to the article for me.

[stayathomemom]

The answer can be found in three of the last four paragraphs of the article:

With time running out, Mr. Ehrman asks about travel restrictions. Mr. Schabowski drops the bombshell that the regime has decided to allow East Germans to travel west or emigrate.

Three reporters launch a rapid-fire cross-examination: Mr. Ehrman, Mr. Brinkmann -- and Krzysztof Janowski, a political refugee from Communist Poland who worked for Voice of America (and who now says he doesn't remember details of the day). Together, the trio cause Mr. Schabowski to scratch his head and read his brief aloud, learning its content himself as he goes.

Finally, a fourth voice draws Mr. Schabowski's eyes to the opposite side of the room. The voice repeats the key question: "When does that go into effect?" The Politburo member scans his papers and quotes words out of context: "Immediately. Without delay," he blunders.