Realizing just how much the world changes in a period of fifteen years, the world of 1957 was considerably different than the world of 1942 on this day. In 1942 Russia was an ally against Germany and the Axis plague eager to dominate Europe. In 1957 a divided Germany was now our ally against the "evil empire" of Russia and the Soviet Union.

So in 1957, West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer visited Washington in an effort of seek continued support from the Eisenhower administration and to bolster Adenauer's position with the West during the upcoming elections in West Germany. Facing a bitter election fight at home, Adenauer was keen on receiving assurances from Washington that support, economically as well as militarily would continue and increase. And also some sign, however small, that the possibility of reunification of the two Germany's would become a possibility.

Commenting on the meeting as well as an observation over the upcoming British Elections was Cedric Foster, a regular newscaster/commentator for the Mutual Broadcasting System on May 31st, 1957.

Update: Looking grim. Donations have been slowing down the last 24 hours and that's not a good sign for keeping either Newstalgia online or saving the archive from destruction. There is still some time, and you can still make a difference. I need your help. Give what you can, but please try and give something. I'm not making any money off of this for myself, it's all for keeping Newstalgia going and keeping the Archives together. We're getting down to the wire and there's still time left to help. Please do what you can and my sincere thanks and gratitude to those who have donated so far. We can still do this. You can still make a difference.

News on this day in 1945 was entirely about the historic linkup of Soviet and Western-Allied forces at the Elbe River, effectively cutting Germany in half and sealing the fate of Hitler's "Thousand year Reich". It would be a matter of days, and with bulletins racing in, with reports cutting in and flying on top of each other, it was clear the war in Europe would be over soon. Still, there was caution, and it was stressed over and over in the course of the newscasts that this was not to be considered the end of the war in Europe. Fighting was still intense. With overwhelming numbers of displaced, refugees and former Nazi officials fleeing to safety managing to clog the roads leading to Berlin.

As the reports kept coming in, the later bulletins placed Russian troops, within blocks of the Chancery in Berlin, seizing the Deutches Bank building. So there were conflicting reports with some saying the allies were 75 miles away from the heart of Berlin, and later reports of fighting going on in the streets of Berlin. No one knew for sure and Allied censorship of news reports made it difficult to get an accurate picture of just far along everything was going.

And that's what the news sounded like from 11:00pm-12:00 midnight via NBC and WEAF in New York for April 27th, 1945.

It's been almost fifty years since the Berlin Wall heightened the tensions in an already tense Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West. At the center of it stood West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. In November of 1961 Adenauer paid a visit to President Kennedy, during a time when flash points were erupting around the world. Cuba was heading towards crisis with the question of nuclear missiles being installed on the island nation. War broke out between India and China and Berlin stood more or less in the middle of it.

On November 5, 1961, Adenauer was asked to address the National Press Club during one of their regular luncheons:

Konrad Adenauer: “I’m not a prophet and I never claimed to be one. And in politics in particular you should never try to make any predictions whatsoever, and therefore I remain patient, and I maintain what I have found to be true and correct and right. And even if something takes a long time and before it is achieved you have to stick to what you have recognized to be right and true. That of course requires patience and that is, in my view the only policy which can be successful, vis-à-vis Communism. I’m convinced that the reunification of Germany will come, because each nation and each people has the right of self-determination. And this right is granted to small nations, in Africa. And that is a right to which the German nation is entitled and the German’s will wait and wait and wait and wait until they’re given this right.”

Sadly, Adenauer wouldn't live to see reunification (he died in October of 1963) - but at the time, any thought of that seemed as unlikely as finding life on Mars. Here is his complete address to the National Press Club and a number of questions from the audience afterwards.

News for this day in 1958 came by way of a daily newscast called The United Nations Today. It gave a rundown on the current state of World Affairs and how the UN was playing a role in all of it.

On January 24th Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold held a Press conference where he expressed optimism in renewed Nuclear Disarmament talks and expressed hope that some of the countries not now in favor (like West Germany) would soon fall into line. The Soviet Union showed no particular movement one way or the other, but did say the Nuclear option should be held out for the Middle East. Oh well. . .

Speaking of the Middle East, optimism was again the buzz-word as reports noted a certain stability had taken shape in the otherwise war-torn region, with the aftermath of the Suez Crisis still on everyone's mind.

A report from The World Health Organization indicated Aid and Vaccine were heading off to the Cyclone devastated country of Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka).

And the White House disclosed that UN Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge was to leave on the 28th of January for a month long tour of Iran, Afghanistan and India in an effort to fact-find the current state of that region.

All rather optimistic on this day in the world. Even though the spectre of Nuclear Annihilation hung over everyone's heads. The Cold War '50's.