The Berlin Wall, Hiding Shame

American politicians have always loved their walls: "On July 30 [1961], Senator William Fulbright (D-Ark.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, appeared on ABC’s Issues and Answers and suggested the Soviets could stop the hemorrhaging of the East German population by cutting off the refugees’ escape route through Berlin. 'Next week if they choose to close their borders they could without violating any treaty,' Fulbright said. 'I don’t understand why the East Germans don’t close their border, because I think they have a right to close it.'"