Oldal 2 [2]
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.