The Wilmington morning star., 1946-09-05
MORE o
MATTER OF FACT
FROM PAGE ONE

The grand test towards Wnlcn
they are pointing is the Berlin
election next month. AS an en-
clave in the center of their zone
and as the capital of Germany
Berlin is vital to them. Before
they admitted their allies to the
city they had carefully establish
d a Berlin government dominated
by tested Communists. But this
government can be thrown out
at the polls-and indeed seems
quite likely to be. The farce OF
holding elections in the Soviet
zone this month is being staged
in the hope that huge pro-Sovlet
majorities will impress the Ber-
liners and be reflected in the vot-
ing here, where the ballot will be
fairly free and reasonably secret.
The most interesting of the
propaganda lines now being en-
ployed is The insistence that the
Soviet Union alone stands for Ger
man unity. Foreign Minister Via
cheslav M. Molotov's Paris state
ment opposing separation OF the
Ruhr and Rhineland from the
rest of Germany is still repeatedly
German press. Meanwhile, in more
subtle ways 1T is continuously in
simulated that a vote for the pro-
Soviet Unity Party is also a vote
for return to Germany of the
eastern provinces.
This note was first struck by
the Soviets last January when
they were bribing and bludgeon-
ing the Socialists in their zone into
forming the Unity Parry by mer-
ger with the Communists. At that
time. Marshal Zhukov told a meet
ing of reluctant Socialist leaders
at his headquarters a. Karlshorst
that Germany might get back the
East if the merger went through.
That meeting was secret, but since
then The propaganda has become
more open. In August. in a speech
in Berlin, the Communist leader
Wilhelm PECK said that the iron
tiers will be determined by the
way u people tackle democra-
tic reconstruction and elimination
Of war criminals"-which is the
local double 'alk for voting for the
Unity Party. And underground,
Of course. Soviet agents spread
the story in absolutely positive
form.
Other carefully calculated rum
ors are spread in this manner.
One is to the effect that Unity
Party majority will mean with
drawal of the Soviet occupation
forces. Another attributes Soviet
reparations removals to the United
States. Still another accuses the
United States of responsibility for
war prisoners not coming back to
Germany and explains it as part
of an American plot to reduce
Germany to a desert b. "pcstor-
alization."
Above ground, meanwhile, much
is made in the Soviet press of The
"pastoralization' scheme of form
er Secretary of the Treasury
Henry Morgenthau, Jr. At the
same time obvious propaganda
gestures of affection for the Ger
mans are made by the Soviet
military authorities and get must
billing in all Soviet newspapers.
One such was the public request
to the Soviet commander, Marshal
S~okolowski, by Unity Party lead
ers that wal prisoners in Russia
be released. This was followed
by the ostentatious return 20 Ger
many of 120, 900 carefully culled
and indoctrinated P. WIS, many
OF whom are now serving as NIX
VD agents. Still another was a
Unity Party demand for higher
food rations in the Soviet zon
To this Marshal Sokolowski (who
had ordered that the demand be
made) naturally acceded with good
and highly publicized grace. And
equally naturally, the fact that
the promise was not kept received
no publicity whatever.
Then, too, besides aiding the
Unity Party with such stuff as this
and with the terror of the NKVD,
the Soviets give the party powerful
financial aid. While the demo-
nrn4ia -a.4 .