Overview
Sixteen years (1961) after the fall of Nazi Germany, the scars of the Second World War are far from healed, and Berlin has become the crucible of Cold War confrontation.
A city divided.
A continent on edge.
An alliance at risk.
The Berlin Wall has gone up. Soviet rhetoric has intensified. And the Western alliance is no longer as solid as it once seemed. At this moment of heightened tension, one question looms large over Europe:
Will NATO hold? Or will it fracture under pressure from within and without?
The Soviet Union has demanded that the United States withdraw all forces from Berlin, insisting that the city, wholly surrounded by East Germany, must fall entirely under East German and thus Soviet jurisdiction. Framing the Western presence as a continuation of colonial imperialism and capitalist militarization, the USSR has launched a global propaganda campaign to isolate the U.S. diplomatically... and perhaps militarily.
Meanwhile, France is hesitating.
President de Gaulle has questioned American leadership in Europe.
French officials are privately debating whether NATO still serves their national interest.
Should they side with their neighbors? Stand alone? Or bridge the gap between empires?
Each delegate represents a critical piece of their nation’s foreign policy machinery: diplomats, military commanders, legal minds, intelligence agents, and public ideologues. You are not all soldiers, but your decisions are directly tied to military consequences.
Your task is to respond to the challenges presented by this detente, preserve or realign your alliances, and influence the direction of the world order, all while maintaining your personal and national goals.
There is no guarantee that all of you will succeed. There is no guarantee that Europe will survive.
The United States is committed to staying in Berlin.
The United Kingdom is pushing for unity but growing wary of American boldness and Soviet brinkmanship.
France is the swing power, and may determine the fate of the Western alliance.
The Soviet Union seeks more than Berlin; it seeks to shatter the illusion of Western cohesion and present itself as the true voice of post-colonial liberation.
Crisis Designers Note:
In this crisis, delegates will step directly into the tense atmosphere of the Cold War, where every decision carried the risk of global escalation. Using Command: Modern Operations (CMO), military maneuvers, radar locks, and missile launches will be simulated in real time. Delegates will issue directives that shape the actions of fleets, air wings, and defensive systems, and then watch as the software renders the consequences. It should be noted that none of your delegations are actual people from history, and that liberties were taken to reduce the complexity of military operations across the European theater, but great effort has been made to preserve the authenticity of the situation and the spirit of Model UN crisis committees nonetheless.
This one-of-a-kind integration of modern wargaming software and MUN crisis committees marks the first step in preparing delegates for high-tension, high-stakes scenarios. Unlike static simulations, CMO introduces the uncertainty and pressure of a real operational environment: radar contacts appear and disappear, aircraft run low on fuel, and commanders must decide whether a move is a bluff or the spark of open conflict.
Delegates can expect to balance strategy, diplomacy, and brinkmanship under conditions where mistakes have immediate, visible consequences. The goal is not only to test political creativity but also to expose students to the complexities of decision-making under pressure; an essential skill in both international relations and real-world crisis management.
You are not bound by history.
You are here to make it.
Good luck, delegates.
United States Delegation
Ambassador Jonathan Keller
United States Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (Bonn-based, temporarily posted to Berlin)
Mr. Howard Langley
Chief of Station, Central Intelligence Agency, Berlin
Ms. Evelyn Cross
Legal Attaché, U.S. Mission Berlin (DOJ liaison, Office of Legal Counsel)
Mr. Raymond T. Blake
Director of European Public Affairs, United States Information Agency (USIA)
Brig. Gen. Wallace Ames
Commanding General, Berlin Air Division (Air Defense), United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE)
United Kingdom Delegation
Sir Alistair Penbrook
British High Commissioner to West Germany (with oversight over Berlin affairs)
Mr. Thomas H. Langford
MI6 Berlin Desk Officer, attached to British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS cover)
Ms. Margaret Ainsley
Legal Counsel, British Foreign Office, Germany Desk
Mr. Percival Graves
Press Secretary, UK Ministry of Defence, Propaganda & Psychological Ops Liaison
Admiral Sir Edmund Raleigh
Senior RAF Officer, British Forces Germany – Berlin Sector Air Control
France Delegation
Ambassadeurr Jacques Delorme
Ambassadeur de France auprès de la République fédérale d’Allemagne (temporarily seconded to Berlin mission)
Commandant Marcel Artaud
Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE), Liaison à Berlin
Maitre Claire Fournier
Conseillère juridique, Ministère des Affaires étrangères
(Legal Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Monsieur Gérard Moreau
Conseiller spécial en information stratégique, Bureau du Président de la République
(Senior Advisor for Strategic Information, Office of the President of the Republic)
Général de Division Henri Vallois
Commandant des Forces Françaises à Berlin, Forces Armées Françaises en Allemagne (FAFA)
Soviet Union Delegation
Comrade Viktor Baranov
Soviet Ambassador to the German Democratic Republic (GDR)
Colonel Yelena Orlova
Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB), Deputy Head of Berlin Rezidentura
Comrade Dr. Leonid M. Rostov
Senior Legal Officer, Soviet Institute for State and Law (attached to GDR delegation)
Comrade Anatoly Yegorov
Senior Officer, Department of Agitation and Propaganda (Agitprop), CPSU Central Committee
General Viktor Sokolov
Commander, Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG), East Germany