The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill

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The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Greg Mitchell (Author), John Lee (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)

4.3 459 ratings

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A thrilling Cold War narrative of superpower showdowns, media suppression, and two escape tunnels beneath the Berlin Wall.

In the summer of 1962, the year after the rise of the Berlin Wall, a group of young West Germans risked prison, Stasi torture, and even death to liberate friends, lovers, and strangers in East Berlin by digging tunnels under the wall. Then, two US television networks heard about the secret projects and raced to be first to document them from the inside.

NBC and CBS funded two separate tunnels in return for the right to film the escapes, planning spectacular prime-time specials. President John F. Kennedy, however, was wary of anything that might spark a confrontation with the Soviets, having said, “A wall is better than a war” and even confessing to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, “We don’t care about East Berlin.” JFK approved unprecedented maneuvers to quash both documentaries, testing the limits of a free press in an era of escalating nuclear tensions.

As Greg Mitchell’s riveting narrative unfolds, we meet extraordinary characters: the legendary cyclist who became East Germany’s top target for arrest; the Stasi informer who betrays the “CBS tunnel”; the American student who aided the escapes; an engineer who would later help build the tunnel under the English channel; and the young East Berliner who fled with her baby, then married one of the tunnelers.

The Tunnels captures the chilling reach of the Stasi secret police as US networks prepared to “pay for play” but were willing to cave to official pressure, the White House was eager to suppress historic coverage, and ordinary people in dire circumstances became subversive. The Tunnels is breaking history, a propulsive listen whose themes still reverberate.

Listening Length

11 hours and 59 minutes
Author

Greg Mitchell
Narrator

John Lee
Audible release date

October 18, 2016
Language

English
Publisher

Random House Audio
ASIN

B01KKPYCAI
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	11 hours and 59 minutes
Author	Greg Mitchell
Narrator	John Lee
Audible.com Release Date	October 18, 2016
Publisher	Random House Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B01KKPYCAI
Best Sellers Rank	#324,275 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #417 in German History (Audible Books & Originals) #921 in Biographies of Presidents & Heads of State (Audible Books & Originals) #1,004 in Historical Germany Biographies

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4.3 out of 5

459 global ratings

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Jennifer

Secrets about movies

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2023

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Once again, movies are affected by high profile people in government. Amazing tidbits on some movies.

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Karen Monsen

Important read to not forget the disaster of walls

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2020

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An extraordinarily important book so we do not forget those who died for freedom, and those who risked their lives to dig tunnels. The epilogue is disturbing: there is a growing nostalgia for east Germany, that it wasn’t so bad. Americans showed practically no interest in the anniversary of the fall of the wall. And the book divulges the beginnings of our abhorrent government practice of surveilling citizens and controlling the press. Slow in the chapters about the way American media succumbed to intervention by the president to “stop the presses,” it took a long time and willpower to stick through lots of detail. But it pays off in the end about lessons learned. And don’t skip the epilogue.

2 people found this helpful

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moldynorthwester

I was not disappointed with this account

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2017

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Not normally a historical nonfiction reader, I was not disappointed with this account! I first heard about the book (and its research) on Public Radio (NPR) and was fascinated with how extensively its content was researched. I have always been fascinated with this time period in world history and still strive to find out more. This account relates the trials and tribulations of all concerned, from the abruptly-divided-families, to the stymied and suppressed press, to attitudes and stress and betrayals on both sides of the Wall, to the determination of those who sacrificed their lives to save other human beings. Good integration of Cuba, the Soviet Union, and the inner-workings of the U.S. Government at this harrowing point in time, putting things into perspective.

24 people found this helpful

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Zenhead

An interesting but then redundant story.

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2017

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Became redundant. Same story told six different ways. Betrayal was a master touch by STASI. See: "Barbara" and "The Lives Of Others," along with MHZ Wennessee or however it is spelled for a good look into the dreadful nature of STASI. One of the most efficient intelligence services under the Soviet regimes. Remember: Vladimir Putin was a KGB officer in East Germany. "The Tunnels" was an important story for the East Germans. What's his face, the CBS guy, was an arrogant jerk when it came to going for his story. I was glad to hear an NBC guy beat him out.

5 people found this helpful

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Dr. D A Dworaczyk

Information Most Don't Know

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2019

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This was a fascinating book about a period of time that was very uncertain and stressful in the cold war era. I was surprised to learn about the tunnels from west to east, I would have thought that they would have been the other way around. I was also very intrigued by the involvement, or lack thereof, by JFK and the State Department, as well as the interest by CBS and NBC. Truly fascinating, and real.

One person found this helpful

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Denise the booklover

Fascinating Story of a Difficult Time

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2017

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Fascinating details of a time most of us don't really understand. JFK disliked the press almost as much as Nixon? Further, US government believed billing the wall would lessen tensions with Soviet Union? One of the Berlin tunnelers ultimately help dig the Chunnel! The book provides a real education. But beware the details can get a bit "deep". I think I would prefer to read this in hard copy so I could more easily flip back and forth to keep track of the actual people.

4 people found this helpful

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VickChick

It held my interest throughout

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2019

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I really enjoyed this book, it held my interest throughout and kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering if the tunnelers were going to make it through or not. This is a piece of history that I really didn't know much about since it took place before I was born, so I am happy now knowing much more about it than I did before.

One person found this helpful

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Bernice Decker

Tunnels

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2017

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I thought this book was an excellent source of information about the wall and the many attempts to conquer it. Those who dug the tunnels, often risking their own lives to help others, are true heroes. I admit, thought, that about half way through the book I was bogged down by factual information. I would have liked to have known more about those rescued. The book is well worth reading.

7 people found this helpful

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Giselle Roeder

Berlin - a Powderkeg after WW 2

Reviewed in Canada on September 23, 2020

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I escaped the GDR in 1955. It was a few years before the Wall - but bad enough. The VoPos, the police, had already the order to shoot to kill escapees. I did write about it in my memoir „We Don‘t Talk About That.“ Since I visited West Berlin several times I kept an eye on all the happenings there. My parents were on the way to Berlin on August 12th to leave after my youngest sister finished her training. Dad got a kidney attack and instead of taking the train to Berlin ended up in a hospital. The next morning, the Wall had gone up. Their dream to join me and another daughter in the west was finished. A Stasi informer lived above their apartment, but we did not know that. I even used to babysit for that couples child. Sadly, My parents
died before the unification. Dad had always predicted that this would happen, but nobody believed him.
My personal experiences are the reason I bought this book. I am impressed by the details, the incredible research the author did and congratulate him for the wonderful team of helpers he had. Yes, he and the book deserve 5 stars. Some people with no personal involvement in the history of the cold war and especially Berlin, might find it too long, dragging on - but how can you shorten it? So much has happened... and I dare to say, „There was even more...“
Do I recommend the book? Yes, it may help any reader to understand the world we live in NOW much more.

D. G. Jones

Fabulous read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2019

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A wonderful story or individual heroism and the sheer awfulness of communist repression. Anyone who reads this could not vote for the corbinistas or their ilk. Thank god most of Western Europe was spared communism and how much we have to be grateful for to the USA. I was around in the sixties and this brought those horrors vividly back to life. It does not however make me a fan of a united Europe lead by Germany west ,east or united.

5 people found this helpful

Maria

Muy emocionante!!!!

Reviewed in Mexico on July 11, 2017

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Me ha encantado el libro, pues no conocía este tipo de escapes. Lo que me retrasó mucho la lectura fue la cantidad de personajes de todo tipo que aparecen: políticos, periodistas, los "diggers". Pero me ha encantado la lucha tan valiente y sacrificada de los berlineses del oeste para ayudar a sus hermanos del este. Me quedo con Henry Seidel y los dos italianos!!!!

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Key Perspective

Recommended

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2020

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Very good telling of a less well known Berlin Wall story.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Learned so much that I never knew

Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2018

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A very factual account of the difficulty East Berliners went through for freedom . Many people sacrificed so much of their time to make it possible. All of the information was backed up by documents referenced at the conclusion of the book.

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The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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