Evening star., 1952-07-20
East Germany Issues
Registration Order
For Defense Army
sy IN. A..oeIo,.d Pres.

IW VClCII9C HH
By the Assoeicssd Press
BERLIN, July 19.-East German
Communist leaders today ordered
registration of all persons from II
to IS to find out which industrie!
can provide manpower for a "de.
lfense army" Of 375,000 without
Icrippling production.
All former officers Of Hitler!
army who live in the Soviet zone
were directed to register for pos
sible service.
The interior ministry told the
one-time officers to report to pro-
vincial police for political ex.
animation to Judge their suitability
for commissions in the new Eas1
German army. The Russians have
kept a close eye on these men.
''Volunteers" Sought by Quota.
The ministry announced the de-
lfense program would be directed
| by the Inner Politburo," headed
by Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl
The registration Of workers af-
Ifects rs million men and women
Teams will determine which in
Idustrial areas can get along with
fewer workers. Then intensive
drives for volunteers" will be
made in these areas by quota.
BY this system, Communist lead
ers apparently hope to build their
army without an outright draft
law. They say East Germany must
have a defense army" to counter
West Germany's alliance with
Western powers. ;s1
West German leaders said they
regarded the registration order al
a sure indication that previous
efforts to get volunteers hac
failed. American officers said East
German Peoples Police units, the
nucleus of the army, were in.
creased last month from $4,000 te
slightly more than 10000. An
other 10000 are believed to have
been recruited since then. But
they come mostly from members
of the Communist Free German
Youth movement, who were given
the choice Of signing up or losing
their standing in their Commu-
nist-run home towns.
Concentration Camps Rising.
The West German Socialist
Party, which maintains a private
intelligence network in the Red
zone. said today the Communists
were building huge new concen-
tration camps to house East Ger
mans objecting to their measures
"The spirit Of resistance is
steadily increasing among the
population of the Soviet zone,'
the Socialists said In q report is
sued at Bonn.
The West Berlin refugee center
reported that. despite roadblocks
and peoples police with orders tc
shoot to kill, the number Of refu-
gees escaping to the Allied sec.
tors here is steadily growing. In
the first two weeks Of July, the
center recorded 4.400 who sue
cessfully made the break. One
fourth Of them. the center said
were young men who feared they
would be drafted into the defense
army"
If the number who cross the
death zone" around Berlin con-
tinues at its present pace, July
may record an all-time high fol
refugees. There were 1857 in June
and 4,422 in May.
Churches Attacked.
From East Germany came indi-
cations Communist leaders had
launched an anti-church drive
The controlled Eastern Press at.
tackled what it called "unhygien-
ic and unworthy conditions" ir
vacation camps conducted by Pro
testant and Catholic churches
West Germans viewed this a move
to close these church camps and
restrict. such camping activity tc
the Free German Youth Camps
Earlier Communist leaders had
refused to grant travel permits for
5000 Protestants to visit West
Germany for the Lutheran World
Federation convention at Han
mover in August.
West German political experts
said they were convinced the
Communists were deliberately at
tempting to break down deep
rooted local loyalties among East
Germans. They saw this in an
announcement the East German
parliament will be called next
week to act on a bill to abolish
the states in the Soviet zone and
replace them with a system Of
districts.
Could Transfer Populations.
Under this measure. the states
of Mecklenburg. Brandenburg,
Thuringia, Saxony and Eaxony-
Anha1t would cease to exist as
such.
Fifteen districts would replace
these state governments and re-
port directly to the Central Com
munist Government in East Ber-
lin.
Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl
has described the idea as neces-
sary to bring the government
closer to the people" But West
German observers said that. By