The Tunnels

The Berlin Wall went up in 1961. A year later a group of young West Germans risked prison, Stasi torture, and even death to liberate friends, lovers, and even strangers in East Berlin by digging tunnels under the Wall. When American channels NBC and CBS heard about it, they funded two separate tunnels in return for the right to film the escapes, planning spectacular prime-time documentary specials. President John F. Kennedy was not in favor of the plan because he was worried that the Soviets might take offense. As he said, "a wall is better than a war." In an era of escalating nuclear tensions, he approved unprecedented maneuvers to halt both documentaries, testing the limits of a free press.