The first car from Berlin arrived at Hannover on the morning of May 12, 1949, and the city burst out of cheers, because the first lightning in the midnight of the year was still clear. On the highway connecting Berlin and the British occupied areas, the vehicles travelled to the runners. Those extremely tired airport staff were relieved. The blockade of Berlin ended. The Russians also felt that they had defeated the Russian conspiracy. Russia closed the city in June 1949 to protest the uncompromising attitude of the so-called Western Union on the future of Berlin and Germany. After the United Nations-held New York negotiations, the Soviet Union ended the blockade. The Russians also agreed to participate in a new Eastern Four-Power Foreign Conference, with no more than one opportunity to