Evening star., 1948-10-09
BerIin's New Police Force

The Western powers would be naive in
deed if they accepted at face value the
announcement of a Russian Stooge in
Berlin that the German police force"
being formed in the Soviet zone is de-
signed primarily to preserve order. If in
telligence reports reaching the Western
zone are correct, this will be the best
armed, most militaristic organization of
peace officers on record.
According to DR.. Kurt Fischer, head of
the Soviet zones Department of the In
terror, the force will be "permeated with
high democratic conscience, powerful and
always ready for action, excellently Or
ganized, splendidly disciplined, we'll armed
and trained, provided with specialists in
armaments and training; men who stand
irreSistibly loyal to the camp of democratic
progress" BY democratic conscience"
was meant, of course, the sort of democ-
racy and the sort of conscience that prevail
behind the Iron Curtain.
AS for the remainder of the description,
intelligence sources are said to be of the
opinion that DR.. Fischer probably was not
exaggerating as to the attributes of the
police recruits. The information in pos
session of Western authorities is that
formidable militialike corps of approx
mately 100000 men is being recruited from
among Nazi combat veterans 1t is said
that while the Russians have been de-
Eouncing Western efforts to make use of
the services of former Nazi governmental
officials, technicians and the like, the
Soviet authorities have been mobilizing
veterans of Himmler's SIS elite Guard,
Hitlers vaunted K suicide units" war;
hardened parachute troopers and other
similar specialists in ornaments and
training" There have been reports, too,
that picked members of the RuSsian-spon-
sored Free Germany army of General
Walther Won Seidlitz have been brought
to Berlin and inducted into the police"
force.
There is good reason to believe that DR..
Fischer was speaking the truth when he
stated that the immediate objective" of
the force will be to prevent sabotage and
protect democratic" is, Soviet-of-
fees and officials from assaults" There
have been indications of increasing un-
rest and resistance in the Eastern zone,
stiffened their attitude toward the Rus
slams. One branch of the organization
has been empowered to make arrests as
it sees fit among those, e,engaged in Fascist
activities" Such offenders will be tried
by special" courts
The announcement was less specific as
to the long-range objectives of the out
Mt. Mention was made of its readiness to
combat civil war" at any time But
Western authorities are not likely to over
look the marked similarity between this
new development in Berlin and the Rus
sian pattern of action in Korea In the
latter country divided into Soviet and
American zones after the war, the Rus
slams also organized a native "constabu-
larry which repeatedly has grown into
well-trained and equipped North Korean
Communist Army. Once this army was
firmly established, Russia proposed that
all occupation troops be withdrawn from
Korea. After the United States refused
to fall for this transparent scheme for
Red domination of the whole country,
Russia announced that her own troops
would be gradually withdrawn. This an
nouncement obviously was designed for
its propaganda value.
So it would not be very surprising if, one
OF these days, Mr.. Stain or one of his
spokesmen proposed a complete evacua-
ton of Soviet and Western troops from
the Berlin area. The ace up the Russian
sleeve would be the new Communist con-
trolled German constabulary-ready, in
DR.. Fischer's words, for anything" We
are no more apt to be fooled by such
trick than we we're by the Soviet maneu-
vers in Korea.