Oldal 2 [2]
OCR
a XeAslle for September 52. - page two western Berlin. The first impression given by Western Berlin is similar to that of any large, strongly bombed Western German city: busy life, heavy traffic, many small shops growing out of the ruins, well lighted streets at night, quiet and comfortable residential sections at the outskirts. At a second look however, thc true difference appears: Berlin is a besieged city that fecls the impact of the mast. As building material cannot be shipped in great quantities from the west, reconstruction is lagging and housing is still a crucial problem. with lacking material and limited market, production is slowed down and unemployment rising. although rationing has ceased, shops are less well equiped than in the West and the general standard of living is lower. 30% of the population is thus unemployed, has to live from public assistance, which again increases the burden placed on the city administration. This delicate economic and social situ&tion is constantly pushed out of balance by the stream of refugees that day after day comes in from the East. Their number staying at present in Western Berlin is estimated at 150.000. Of these, about 25% are registered: they are not allowed of accepting reguh&r employment; they receive a small assistance; are usually housed in camps; but can hope to be eventually cleared and shipped by plane to Western Germany. The remaining 75% are illegally in the city: they avoid registration, knowing that they could not qualify as “political refugees" and therefore would not be granted the p ssion to stay. They have come for the most different veusanarta & for better opportunities in the "golden West"; others try to avoid persecution for some ordinary crime; young people have escaped from home and look for adventure; others again are communist agents or prspagandists who try to infiltrate into the West; others, and they are many, have become victims of a panic campaign. Often the latter is spread by the communists themselves, who hope that the presence of refugees would disorganize Western economy. All these people - whatever their reasons -— try to stay on in Berlin illegally and live in the city's ruins and underworld. They are the gravest worry and the foremost concern for the local administration, po ice and social agencies. As a matter of warning, these responsiblé yemphasize that they have learned a grave lesson from that situatione Should ever a clash occur between Hast and West, communists would certainely use their carefully developed system of panic campaigns as a mighty weapon. They are much more skilled in it than their Nazi predecessors. If the Western defense is not prepared to meet the flood that will come, the refugees will unwillingly play the role of the most distructive and overwhelming secret weapon. This difficult economic situation, the ppesence of refugees and of immumerable agents, the population flooding back and forth on the common Kast-West subway system,-the border line that surrounds the small territory, ~ all this explains why Western Berlin has a life and an atmosphere, unknown in Frankfurt, Munich or Cologne. ---- 46.
