Evening star., 1950-10-21
By Blair Moody
North American Newspaper Alliance

BERLIN, Oct. 2l.-"Berlin is
the safest place in Europe" says
it's mayor, Ernst Reuter-. and he
acted that way long before the
Big 3 pledged themselves to de-
fend the city if the Communists
attack.
It has been Mr.. Reuters job.
about once week since he was
elected to lead West Berliners in
this hottest spot in the not-so-
cold war, to spit in the Russians
eye when they start trying to
shove him around again.
A former Communist, he learn
ed two things early. First, the
only real interest of the Russian
Communists is the Russian Com
munist. Therefore. following
Kremlin leadership is no solution
for the social injustice of Ger
many or any other nation. Sec
ond, he learned that the only wav
to handle the Soviets is to stand
up to them.
So. whenever the going gets
tough-which is often-Mr. Reu-
ter strikes back blow for blow,
even though the disparity in
armed strength within-reach is
about that of Is divisions (22
Russian. three German police"
in the East zone) to two or three.
Mr.. Reuter- works intimately
with the like-minded Maj. Gen.
Maxwell D. Taylor, American
commander in Berlin, as he did
with Gen. Taylor's predecessor,
Gen. Lucius D. Clay. The result
is that Berlin. the most exposed
Allied position in Europe, an al
most-isolated island in the center
of the Soviet zone, is perhaps the
least soft" spot on the edge OF
the Iron Curtain.
Terror Didn't Work.
When the Communists tried
terror-Mr. Reuter- knows he is No
l on the list to be shot if the Com
munists could take overland
seized the Berlin city hall by force
Mr.. Reuter- barricaded himself in
his Office and told them where tc
go. Ultimately, they went.
When, last May %. the Com
munists announced with great
fanfare that 900 East German
Communist youths would enter
West Berlin, another power play
to overrun it by sheer numbers
Mr.. Reuter- refused to give them a
license to parade. He got some
help from Allied machine guns
set up along the edge of the Soviet
sector of the city and the "inva-
sion" flzzled. These are just a
couple of typical instances.
Mr.. Reuters spirit reflects and
strengthens the high morale OF
West Berliners. The Russians
have been unable to break their
spirit, have only deepened their
hatred by attempts to grind them
down since the fortnight when
Russian troops occupied the en-
tire city.
Soviet troops looted the private
home where am billeted of every
thing in it but the furniture, all
the art work, the owners clothe.
and his wife's, including theil
shoes, and their American auto.
mobile. The Russian blockade Of
Berlin, in which they tried p tt
drive the Allies out by making life
untenable for West Berliners
merely cemented the natives re-
sentiment and resistance.
Airlift Saved Berlin.
When the United States imme-
diately launched the airlift to pro-
diately launched the airlift to
provide food and fuel, any chance
Moscow had of getting these Ger
mans to cry "Uncle!" to Joe, and
beg the Allies to withdraw, went
glimmering. The city was cold
the people got pretty hungry, pro-
duction was cut by lack of power
to 19 per cent of the 1896 average
Unemployment ran into hundreds
of thousands. But Berlin stood up
The Russians used their brief
occupation to grab an estimated
IS per cent of the industrial
eouipment of Berlin and shin ii