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On the afternoon of November 9th, 1989, the East German Politburo — the ruling committee of the Communist Party — met to discuss the travel regulation crisis. The situation was becoming untenable. Tens of thousands of East Germans were still leaving through Hungary and Czechoslovakia. The Monday Demonstrations were growing larger every week. The government was losing control of the narrative and, increasingly, of the country itself. The decision made that afternoon was to introduce new travel re