The Wilmington morning star., 1945-12-29
RUM0R FACTORIES
WORK OVERTIME
AT HALLE,CERMANY
By CHARLES ARNOT

United Press Staff Correspondent
HALLE, Russia-Occupied Ger.
many, Dec. 19.-(Delayed-War
plants have been suppressed in
this industrial section of Germany
but rumor factories are operating
full-time. Our party of five Amer.
can correspondents touring the
Russian-occupied zone had not been
in Halle five minutes before ru.
mors spread that spearhead Of
American forces had arrived to
rescue the German population from
the Russians. Next day the Ger
man rumor factories had war
going full blast between the Ameri.
cans and the Russians.
When our cars stopped before
Russian headquarters, a buxom
German woman boldly approached
and asserted in the presence of two
Russian officers that she was slow
ly starving and had lost 38 pounds
during the Russian occupation.
During our stop here, Well-nour-
ished frauleins constantly tried 10
gain the favor Of our three Amer.
can CT drivers by telling lurid sto.
ries of Russian behavior. Another
German claimed he was getting no
heat and was being frozen to death.
The old rumor about Premier
Josef Stains desperate illness
never dies. In the German version,
it varies from cancer to blood
poisoning.
The Russians are completely
casual in their treatment of Ger
man civilians and fatty refuse to
listen to German wailings. THIS
average American, on the other
hand, is considered soft-hearted
and more inclined to listen to tbs
German panegyric of self pity.
The Russians simply ignore
most rumors and 60 on about their
business of getting everything in
operation again except war plants
They let German civilian ofticials
tell you that the population is re-
ceiving a full food ration, an av-
erage level of more than 1000
calories a day, and that rations
of brown coal are being distribut-
ed.
American troops captured Halle
last April and they remained until
July, when the town and area
was turned over to the Russians
German government officials who
served under both Americans and
Russians say that the soviets have
done more to improve the general
living conditions of the average
German than the Americans did.
In Halle, and elsewhere in the
Russian zone, you don't see Red
Army troops walking arm in arm
with German women as in the
American and British zones.
Maj. Gen. Alexander Kotikov,
military govsrnoR Ct Saxony prov
ince, said the Russians forbid fra
termination, but he explained with
smile: NO matter how many
orders you Issue, you can't pre-
vent it entirely"
The Russians generally appeer to
be keeping aloof from the Ger
mans and thereby earning German
respect. In Russian messes and
billets women workers are mostly
Russian displaced person who are
awaiting transportation home.
At the same time the Russian
military occupation officials ap-
pear to have established cordial
relations with officials of the Ger
man administration. Leading Ger
man officials were invited out to
two dinners during our visit.
Fritz Won Basse, Oberburgo-
meister of Weinssenfels. testified
that the Russians are well-behaved,
II have wife and two children
in the British zone and I am
trying to bring them here" ht
said. do you think l would do
that if I thought there was thu
danger Of misconduct by the Rus
sians?"