Evening star., 1948-07-04
Soviet Propaganda
Fails in Red Zone,
Writer Discovers
Fourth of a Series. J
By Curt Riess
North American Newspaper AIIiones

tildI t1AC SOfleI ulONI1lS picture, Lie
Russian Question" was playing in
every city and, without exception
in the largest and most modern
theater in each town. THE Rus
sian Question" it may be remem-
bered, is strongly anti-American;
it deals with the alleged difficulties
of an American reporter who likes
Soviet Russia and wants to say 80
in his articles.
1t is, of course, no coincidence
that this Russian picture-as every
other Russian moving picture-is
playing in the largest theaters. 1t
is also no coincidence either that
almost nobody goes to see these
Russian moving pictures. I made it
my business to buy tickets for every
performance in every city I hap
ened to be in and without exception
l found no more than so or 100 spec
tators: 1000 to 1900 could have
found seats.
At the same time, other thea
ters playing old German moving
pictures-some of them Of prewar
vintage which every one must have
seen-are crowded. This, too, was
checked personally, though in most
cases I had to be satisfied with
looking at the sold out" sign over
the box office.
Symptom of Failure.
The disastrous reception of THE
Russian Question" by Germans in
the Red zone is but symptom OF
the complete defeat of what may
be- called the cultural policy be-
hind the iron curtain which, in a
way, is but a symptom of what may
in a larger sense be called the Rus
sian question in this whole terri
tory. The Germans have no inter-
est in being re-educated or even
entertained by the Russians.
In their opposition to such at
tempts, they do show a certain
amount of courage. On orders OF
Soviet cultural officers. the Russian
play Colonel Kusmin" is being
performed in every town. 1t deals
with the remarkable achievements
of. the military commander of a
German town who succeeds in es-
tabllshing normal relations while
his friend, an American colonel,
military commander of the neigh
boring town, is hampered by the
sinister lntrigues of monopolistic
capitalists in Washington.
In the first scene, when Col
Kusmin comes on stage, the city
has just surrendered, and the Rus
sian orders his adjutant to set up
soup kitchens at every street corner
to feed the starving German chill
dren. At the performance I wit
messed, the public roared with
laughter-and for several minutes
at this point.
All-Russian Concerts Stunned.
Another point of unintentional
humor is. later on in the play, when
Col. Kusrnin tells his American
friend that he has his hands full
supplying food cards to the many
Germans who are fleeing from the
American into the Russian zone.
You cannot tell the hungry popula-
ton that the Russians are feeding
starving children, nor can you con-
vince people who constantly ponder
possibilities of escape into the
American or British occupied zones
that the inhabitants of these west
ern areas are fleeing in the op-
posite direction.
A well-known orchestra conductor
told me that he would never dare
offer an all-Russian program to mis-
Red-zone German audience. 1T
Is silly, but people wouldn't come" "
he said. ''If 1 want to play Tschai-
kowsky, have to start with
Beethoven and end with Brahms,
or else they'll stay away"
Russian political propaganda, too,
Is a complete failure. People every
where constantly see parellels be-
tween Red methods and the methods
Of the Nazis The propaganda for
the Volsksbegehren peoples refe-
rendum). for instance, was carried
out in the manner Goehbels used to
win Nazi "elections." A taxi driver
told me: If you don't sign, they
take you to Moscow or Siberia
Everybody feels that the Russians
keep a painstaking account of all
those who don't sign the Volks-
oegehren. During recent theatre
cal performance in Gefa, an actor
made a speech for the Volks-
begehren. A man sitting in the
second balcony shouted: Keep
politics out of the theater" A few
minutes later he was dragged away
by Russian soldiers and has not
been seen since.
Conference Was Disappointing.
The Soviet campaign against the
Marshall Plan has convinced no
body. Only since the disappointing
results of the London conference
nave few people signed the Volks-
oegehren of their own free will and
as a deliberate demonstration
against the Western Powers.
The manager of small plant told
ne I'VE have nothing against the
Russians We are just against being
occupied"
A school teacher thought that
western propaganda is eXaggerat-
ng what the Russians do in the
East. It is not true that we don't
dare leave our homes. Russians
behave quite decently these days.
of course, certain things have hap
pened in the past; but that is all
forgotten"
AS far as I could make out, it Is
BY no means forgotten. German
women still are very much afraid
If the Russians though few rapes
lave. been reported lately, and the
Red army Furnishes sexual crimes
With. 20 years of prison. However
here are many rumors that many
German women have died after
having been attacked by Russians
md after having suffered unspeak-
lble injuries.
Russians Take Food.
The Russians are reproached by
he Germans with taking away most
If the food; in this connection the
tory makes the rounds about a
ruckload of marmalade which the
Soviet military government in Ber-