Evening star., 1960-10-09
By DAY THORPE
star Music Critic
COLOGN

I have Just spent a week in
Berlin as one of eight Ameri-
cans interested in the theater,
who are touring Germany as
guests of the German govern
ment. In the city you find that
the headlines of American news
papers contain more excitement
about the East-WeSt political
tension than is seen among the
Berliners themselves. Crisis is
the natural environment Of
West Berlin, and the inhabi-
tantS have more vital interests
than wondering If they will be
allowed to visit their friends In
Communist Germany tomorrow.
Greater Berlin is city Of
S.3 million surrounded by Com
rnunist Germany. West Berlin,
slightly more than one-half |
the area of the city, is the home |
Of 81 million. 1t is accessible to
the west by air and by three
corridors in East Germany
along which cars may travel but
not stop or leave the highway. |
1t is q serious crime for an East
German to attempt to escape to
West Germany.
Border Wired
With one exception the entire
border is patrolled and defined |
by barbed wire. The exception
is. greater Berlin, where, al
though the telephone lines are
cut and streetcar service is dis
continued, the subways and the
elevated still run between the
two zones.
Berlin. is the principal point
where East Germans try to es-
cape to the West.
An East German can flnd an
excuse to obtain travel permit
to East Berlin. There. leaving
behind suspicious suitcases and
travelling alone, he may 60 for a
sightseeing trip into West Berlin
and simply never come back.
His relatives, If there is no evi-
dence of collusion. usually are
not subject to reprisal. Such
escape is a matter of some
daring. If the refugee is caught
the penalty is severe. There are
at present about 500 refugees a
day.
Once in West Berlin, the
refugee, If he has family or
friends in West Germany. is
quite free to go where he
wants. But most refugees
would rather register at Mar
ienfeld, the great reception
center in West Berlin. Here the
''1uchtling" is taken care Of.
fed and clothed, flown out of
West Berlin, and found a job
in West Germany. He enjoys
many prerogatives. such as par
tial tax exemption, priority in
housing, re-establishment of
lapsed social security, and war
damage rights.
There are, Of course, many
classes of refugees, each enjoy
ing various privileges. but it is
noteworthy that there is no
class subject to extradition
back into East Germany. Even
q criminal is not sent back, but
is tried and sentenced under
West German law.
13 Million Refugees
ct must be remembered that
since the war Germany has re-
ceived 13 million refugees. One
out of every four faces you see
in the street is that of a person
who has entered or returned to
Germany in the last IA years.
Assimilation has been hetero-
genious. There has been much
moving about of the new refu-
gee Germans. so that the dis
tinguiShing characteristics Of
Prussia, Bavaria, HesSe, Ham,
burg, the Rhineland and other
German states-religion, dia-
lect, temperament-have be-
come much less pronounced
Because, or in spite of, this
nationwide reshuf1ing, Ger
many is in the midst Of a great
economic boom. If the concep-
tion Of the resettlement pro-
gram was an almost unprece-
dented piece of social imagina-
ton, its success has been q
niracle.)
Our group was taken tC
Marienfeld one day last week
The refugees were sitting ir
groups, smoking and talking
happy at having escaped, but
worried about the future. The
children were in a day nursery
contributed to by Americans
It takes 10 to IL days Il
go through the bureaucratic
processes of Marienfeld.
With the consent of the ref
ugees involved, we were allowet
to be present at the question
ing of two cases. One was {
42-year sculptor who ha,
been a spy for the Unite'
States. Sentenced to IL year
in prison by the Communist
he was paroled after eight
Within six weeks he made hi
successful break for the West
He was alert and healthy. H
said he had not been mis-
treated by the Communists
although the food was bad.
The other was a former
member of the Hitler Elit
Guard who said he could no
stand communism in East Ger
many longer. especially sine
his wife had become a part.