1 August 1961
In the month of July 1961, the number of refugees from the GDR and East Berlin has reached 30,415, the highest level since June 1953.
As of 1 August, the commander of American troops in Europe, General Bruce C. Clarke, tightens the regulations regarding free time and holidays for the US soldiers stationed in Germany. General Clarke: "If we have to go to war one fine morning, we can’t be ringing up every guesthouse in Germany because of our soldiers." [Quoted from Catudal 1981, p. 220]
In a telephone discussion lasting over two hours, the Soviet party and state leader Nikita Khrushchev and the Chairman of the GDR State Council, Walter Ulbricht, talk about the economic situation in the GDR. The “sealing of the border” is, however, also discussed.
