The Berlin News
12th August 1961
A wall is built
The Soviet and East German leaders think too many people are moving from East to West and a wall is being built. They believe East Berlin are loosing too much brain and brawn. Between 1949 and 1959 2 million people have defected and in 1960 230,000 people alone.
Our Eastern leaders are building a wall of barbed wire today with plans to build a concrete one twelve feet high soon - the leaders of East Berlin are calling it an anti-fascist protection rampart and the leaders of the West are calling it the wall of shame.
The Eastern leaders have ordered "shoot to kill" if people try to breach the wall.
Reported by Ella Moya Hamilton-Brown