Airlifting Supplies and Entertainers
In 1948, as the relationship between the Soviet Union and the West deteriorated and plans for a separate West German state were announced, the Soviets blockaded Berlin. In response, Western fliers airlifted supplies into the city for nearly a year before the Soviets relented. At President Truman’s request, Bob Hope put together a Christmas show for fatigued airmen, the first of Hope’s annual Christmas tours that he joked “saved me a fortune in Christmas presents.”
In 1948, as the relationship between the Soviet Union and the West deteriorated and plans for a separate West German state were announced, the Soviets blockaded Berlin. In response, Western fliers airlifted supplies into the city for nearly a year before the Soviets relented. At President Truman’s request, Bob Hope put together a Christmas show for fatigued airmen, the first of Hope’s annual Christmas tours that he joked “saved me a fortune in Christmas presents.”