Evening star., 1961-08-13
REFUGEES
Red Force and Propaganda Fail
To Stop Germans Flight to West

Continued From First Page
hundreds came through with
out registering.
Experts said it looked like
the biggest day since May 20,
1858, when Marienfelde regis
tered 3,793 new refugees
about 800 Of them left over
from the day before. Two
weeks later, q brief but wide
spread uprising began in East
Germany against the Commu-
nistS.
The refugees are being flown
out to West Germany almost as
fast as they arrive.
Before the border closing
the Red police wer making
new efforts to hold back the
refugees. Hundreds Of police
at stations surrounding the
city pulled persons from trains
bound for Berlin. Trains arriv-
ing from Potsdam were nearly
empty.
Sick persons from Com
munist-ruled suburbs were be-
ing prevented fom taking short
cuts through West Berlin to
East Berlin hospitals unless
the could show doctors certifi-
Gates, private intelligence re-
ports said.
Apparently the Reds feared
their people were playing sick
in an effort to avoid police
controls. Some patients had
to take the long way around
West Berlin, a detour Of about
SO miles, the private reports
said.
The official East German
news agency Adm pumped out
a stream of stories about faith
full workers who had rejected
offers Of western head hunt
ers" to take jobs in the West.
The Communists claim the
refugees are being lured to the
West by western intelligence
agents.
Bad Housing Charged
Adm also sought to deter
refugees with reports Of bad
housing in West Germany,
claiming half a million people /
there were homeless.
Far from encouraging the
East German refugees, Chan
cellor Konrad Adenauer today
appealed to the population in
Communist East Germany not
to panic over the current tense
political situation.
Speaking to 5000 persons at
a Christian Democratic cam
paign rally, Mr.. Adenauer de-
clared the West German gov
ernment is very much con-
cerned about the flight from
Communist East Germany. He
added that while his govern
ment will refrain from encour-
aging East German citizens to
flee to the West, all possible
help will be extended to those
who feel forced to leave.
The chancellor repeated his
conviction expressed earlier
that there will be negotiations
in the near future between the
Western allies and the Soviet
Union over the problems of
Germany and Berlin.
The Soviet troops at the city
limits of Berlin belong to the
20 divisions whose command
has just been taken over by
Marshal Ivan S. Konev, one of |
Moscow's most distinguished |
soldiers. NeueS Deutschland,
the official East German Com
munist daily, published a short
biography Of Marshal Konev |
with a small picture.
Defense Pledged
Neues Deutschland pointed
out that the marshal saw Wal
ter Ulbricht, East German
Communist leader, on the
same day as Mr.. Ulbricht said
in a speech that East Ger
many's borders would be de-
Tended by both Soviet and
East German troops If need be.
"The working people Of our
country, and the West German
militaristS too, we'll know who
Marshal Konev is." the news
paper said.
A high official Of the Com
munist East German Defense
Ministry, Maj. Gen. Siegfried
Weiss, says his forces are work.
ing for a higher degree of
fighting readiness"
1T is known" he said in
an interview with the East
German weekly Volksarmee
(people's army, that the
leadership of the party and the
state has given us the task
for the coming weeks of back
ing up militarily the fight for
a peace treaty"
The newspaper became avail
able in West Berlin today.
The East Germans today
published testimony indicating
that people fleeing the Soviet
Union and other Communist
countries have also used the
Berlin escape route. The testi-
mony was given at a trial of
four Germans accused of Turing
people to West Berlin.
The East German news
agency reported the testimony
of Guenther MaSke, identified
as having spied for the Com
DDEDA ID