Editorial Note
The papers presented in this chapter seek to delineate the main lines of development of the Berlin crisis of 1948. For reasons of space, the editors have been obliged to restrict the scope of the documentation to important high-level diplomatic exchanges and major meetings and negotiations between the principal occupation authorities in Germany. Documents defining the formulation of the more significant United States policies at various junctures in the Berlin crisis have also been included where possible and appropriate. Important reports from responsible officials in Germany regarding the situation in Germany and particularly in Berlin during the months of the blockade have likewise been included. Detailed documentation on the conduct of the Berlin airlift and on the many aspects of the political, economic, and financial situation inside blockaded Berlin has not, however, been presented. An official account of developments within Berlin during this period is included in Office of Military Government, U.S. Sector, Berlin, A Four Year Report, July 1, 1945 to September 1, 1949 (Berlin, 1949). A personal but authoritative account of the airlift appears in Clay, Decision in Germany, Chapters 19 and 20. A large collection of documents on all aspects of Berlin life during the blockade appears in Berlin Senate, Berlin, Quellen und Dokumente, particularly chapters IX through XIII.