Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-08-09
Slump in Harvest
And Industry Spurs
German Inquiries
BY the Associated Press

BERLIN. Aug. B. Harvest
failures and sinking industrial
production tonight spurred the
Communist East German gov
eminent in its secret police hunt
for Fascist backgrounds"
Red press reports indicated a
grave deficit in bread grains and
fodder as tens of thousands of
unpaid volunteers" were sent
into the country for emergency
week end work.
Hampered by continual rain
storms, farmers were rs per cent
behind schedule in grain reap
ing in the once rich agricul-
tural area of Mecklenburg, the
Soviet zone news agency Adm
disclosed.
The East German Ministry of
Agriculture reported much grain
in other provinces was still lying
in open fields after the harvest
and in danger of spoilage in bad
weather.
Police Help Farmers.
Peoples police attachments in
some districts were diverted to
help farmers in the crisis.
Meanwhile, with Communists
still imposing a real blockade of
Berlin and Tightening up police
controls around the city, the
rush for free American food
packages slumped here today.
Officials said LESS than 100, OO0'
were distributed - the lowest
figure since the outlawing of
train travel for food-seekers last
week end. This would mean the
total of Is days was still under
100000. 1t was 1855, 900
yesterday.
The East German planning
commission, supreme arbiter Of
the economy, announced the
output of fats, fish, eggs. sugar,
meat and milk had failed
seriously to fill planned quotas
in the second quarter of 1853
and limited the situation was
even worse now.
A host of confidential reports
on East German industrial con-
ditions, gathered by Allied off,
Gals, showed every large national
enterprise from mining to steel
making tagging because of con-
tinued passive slowdowns.
20 Industries Affected.
The Red commission itself
listed 20 classes of industries
where output had been adversely
affected but did not specify the
reason.
Oldtime saboteur Ernst Woll-
weber, new boss Of East Ger
many's Red Gestapo, was cred
tied in Allied reports with dras-
tically enlarging the spy system
in strategic industries.
Dispatches in East German
provincial newspapers almost
daily disclose some new trial Of
alleged resistance leaders uncov-
cred by Wollweber's agents in
zonial plants. The government
has repeatedly stated that "F'as-
cist undergrounds" are still &C
tive and must be rooted out.
Allied military sources dis
missed new Berlin rumors today
of large Soviet troop movements
in East Germany as unfounded.
They said the Russians probably
will hold some field exercises in
the near future, however. Regu-
lar summer maneuvers were dis
rupted by the June II revolt.
DibeIius Makes Denial.
Bishop Otto Dibelius, chair
man of the evangelical church
council in Germany, said tonight
the council "is in no way re-
sponsible" for a published at
tack by Dean Heinrich Grueber
on American food relief as "psy-
Geological warfare"
Dean Grueber, official church
representative to the East Ger
man government, said in an ar
ticle today in the Red-collabo-
rating newspaper Neue Zeit, that
the food program 'brings not
a blessing. but a cure" because
it stirs unrest.
II regret he did not consult
me before the publication" Bish-
op Dibelius said. 1.-THE council
is in no way responsible for the
publication. The high service
which Dean Grueber has given
to distressed human beings
should not be forgotten in any
diSc,1SSinY ah0IIt him -