Editing Checkpoint Charlie (section)

===Stand-off between Soviet and U.S. tanks in October 1961===
{{main article|Berlin Crisis of 1961}}
[[File:US Army tanks face off against Soviet tanks, Berlin 1961.jpg|right|thumb|US [[M48 Patton]] tanks facing Soviet [[T-55]] tanks at Checkpoint Charlie in October 1961]]
Soon after the construction of the [[Berlin Wall]] in August 1961, a stand-off occurred between US and Soviet tanks on either side of Checkpoint Charlie. It began on 22 October as a dispute over whether East German border guards were authorized to examine the travel documents of a US diplomat based in West Berlin named Allan Lightner heading to East Berlin to watch an opera show.

According to the agreement between all four Allied powers occupying Germany, there was to be free movement for Allied forces in all of Berlin, and no German military forces from either West Germany or East Germany were to be based in the city. The Western Allies also did not initially recognise the East German state and its right to remain in its self-declared capital of East Berlin, and only recognised the authority of the Soviets over East Berlin.

By 27 October, ten Soviet and an equal number of American tanks stood 100 yards apart on either side of the checkpoint. This stand-off ended peacefully on 28 October following a US-Soviet understanding to withdraw tanks and reduce tensions. Discussions between US Attorney General [[Robert F. Kennedy]] and Soviet intelligence officer [[Georgi Bolshakov]] played a vital role in realizing this tacit agreement.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kempe |first=Frederick |title=Berlin 1961 |year=2011 |publisher=Penguin Group (USA) |isbn=978-0-399-15729-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/berlin1961kenned0000kemp/page/478 478–479] |url=https://archive.org/details/berlin1961kenned0000kemp/page/478}}</ref>