In his 1989 book, Master Spy: The Story of Kim Philby, author Phillip Knightley pointed out that when the Soviet spy Philby, stationed in Washington, discovered that the U.S. had no atomic bombs on hand, Stalin soon gave the order to commence the blockade of the German capital. The attached article briefly explains what the 1948 Berlin Blockade was and how the Anglo-American masters of West-Germany dealt with the issues at hand:
"Soviet counter-action to American efforts to rebuild the European economy came swiftly. Besides rejecting participation in the program the Soviets, in October 1947, announced the organization of a permanent committee for coordinating the activities of the Communist parties in Europe... By June 1948 the Russians had cut off all land and water traffic with Berlin and the only means of entry was by air."
Click here to read an article about American public opinion during the early Cold War years.