The border crossing at Checkpoint Charlie has gone down in history as the outpost of the free world. It was one of the places at which the western Allies, under the leadership of the United States, proved that the defense of Berlin's freedom was taken seriously.

The checkpoint got its name from the American alphabet. After the erection of the border fortifications through the center of Berlin and across Germany, the U.S. forces were ordered by President John F. Kennedy to create three checkpoints in order to exercise the right of free access to Berlin at any time as stipulated under quadripartite status. Checkpoint Alpha was located in Helmstedt, Lower Saxony, between the Federal Republic of Germany and the territory of the GDR. Checkpoint Bravo was the crossing point between West Berlin and the GDR. Checkpoint Charlie became the post connecting East and West Berlin. As of 1962, Checkpoint Charlie served as the only border crossing point for foreigners visiting Berlin. Even the members of the diplomatic corps and the Allied forces had to use this crossing.

The first dangerous confrontation after the building of the wall occurred in October 1961, when the East German authorities, in violation of the quadripartite status of Berlin, tried to impede the access of American military personnel. The U.S. commandant of Berlin sent tanks to the border, a response that moved the GDR to yield. In agreement with the Soviet Union, the organs of the GDR went on to make similar attempts. They failed as well because of the clear stance taken by the western Allies.

To encourage the population of West Berlin after the wall was built, President Kennedy sent Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson to the city on August 19, 1961. The visit became an impressive token of the city's close ties with the people of the United States. The climax in this regard was the visit of the President himself on June 26, 1963, when Kennedy, accompanied by masses of the West Berlin population, also paid a visit to Checkpoint Charlie. At the end of his major speech before the town hall of Schoeneberg, he uttered the now famous words that have been quoted in the history of German-American relations ever since: "Ich bin ein Berliner."