The untold story of the Berlin Airlift - 'America's finest hour' [video 56min]

In his book The Candy Bombers, Andrei Cherny recounts the Berlin Airlift, which began on June 24th 1948 when the Soviet Union decided to deny access to West Berlin and planned to starve the city unless the Americans left. Although outnumbered, the American and British forces responded by airlifting supplies to West Berlin until the blockade ended in May 1949 -- an incident that shaped the Cold War, says Cherny. He is the co-founder and co-editor of the political journal Democracy, was a former speechwriter and advisor to Vice President Al Gore, and was the lead negotiator and chief drafter of the national 2000 Democratic Party Platform. Currently an officer and criminal prosecutor in the United States Navy Reserve, Cherny is the author of The Next Deal: The Future of Public Life in the Information Age. This event was hosted by Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona.