THE NATIONS: Not to Submit…

On the 112th day of the great airlift, while Russian artillery continued firing into the grey skies near Berlin by way of “target practice,” the Western powers had an announcement for Berlin’s people. The airlift was doing so well that Western Berlin’s food rations would be boosted about 15%, from an average of 1,800 to 2,040 calories a day. That meant more cereal, fat, sugar, and—for the first time since war’s end—cheese.

Said a joint announcement by the three Western powers: “Additional food during the winter months will help to sustain the population in their clearly expressed intention not to submit to the harsh consequences of the blockade . . . The Soviet occupation power has vainly attempted to gain political advantages in the city by inhumane and illegal means.”