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Each side is stating a pratial [partial] truth and creating harmful misunderstanding in a tense, cold-war atmosphere.

Where then do we observe the dangers of Communism, if not in their abuse of international propaganda issues or their "reign of terror" over the people? It seems to me that their threat is even greater because it is subtler. The danger as I see it, lies in the integration of all activities under a central government authority. We saw this in the refugee interviews, as the State passed little, ordinary laws which graduslly [gradually] bring the economy to full socialization and central control, so that decisions on production on price are made according to national policy goals, rather than the demand of the consumers. In the sphere of personal action, the restrictions are just as subtle and unspectacular- the right of the police to take people off subways and demand to see their identification cards (to catch refugees or smugglers), the little signs in the stores and cafes which require showing your identity card before purchasing, the development of "sport clubs" etc so that more and more of the individual's time is spent in activity guided by the state. In the sphere of information and propaganda, it is the same story. On the main streets of East B. are permanent loud speakers (about every 100 yards at least on top of lamp posts) through which the people may be contacted and influenced at will without their own consent (they cannot even "turn off the radio"). In book stores we saw more; there were obvious propaganda books, on the virtues of Socialism, the progress of Sovier [Soviet] culture and science, militarism in West Germany etc. Shelf after shelf of such stuff. But more ominous is the presence of distortion and lie in seemingly innocent books on world geography, history, children's stories etc. There is no way for people to suspect this sort of distortion and they can only grow up believing it. Furthermore, I doubt that any central figure guides the publishing of all such lies- rather they are sort of passed on from author to author, from newspapers to books, in a vicious circle of ignorance breeding more ignorance.

As I realized the subtle, gradula manner in which the Communist system extends its authority over its citizens- passing minor laws, raising taxes etc.- I began to draw associations to our situation in the USA. For the Communists (in east germany at least) hold secrret [secret] ballot elections, have a national legislature, as we do. And we too have recently (over the last 60-70 years really) experienced increasing power and authority in our central gov't iver [over] more and more areas in our activities as human beings. There are really similarites in the two situations- east and west- and they may cause us to ask "Can this happen to us in the United States, too?". We see that freedom is just as effectively diminished through undramatic, steadywhittling as through great sweeping wars and revolutions. But it si [is] just as important to observe the differences between US and East Germany for it is on some of these differences that we can build the defenses of freedom for the individual. Ideologically, we out the welfare of the individual on top, over that of the state, and we don't overlook the individual to protect the "class", i. e. worked or farmer. We still count people one at a time, not by groups alone. Our legislature continues (at least to some degree) to represent the will of the people, or of the majority at least in most cases. Because it doesn't try to represent all of them at once- rather each representative jealously defends the particular interests of his constituents. Out of the competition of such factions, we form laws which generally do justice to more people than could a panel of planners trying to cinsider [consider] everything at once. It is then exactly when we disagree and fight for our own interests that

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we preserve a mechanism by which people may make their wishes known in government. By having only one party the Communists eliminate such competitions and discussion and ultimately an artificial interest, that of the Central State, is the only one served.

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March 26, 1960

Hi, folks-

Dave and I have finally found some spare time to do a bit of the typing for George that has truly stacked up in the past few weeks.

We thought these two subjects particularly interesting in a general way and only hope we can talk further with him about all of this when he gets home.

Meanwhile, he has spent a lovely long weekend in the Black Forest area of Germany and, at the present time, is bicycling through Germany- up to Bremen- over into The Netherlands (The Hague, Amsterdam etc) and then bak [back] into western Germany and along the Rhineriver (including a stop at Heidelberg) and back to the Burg by April 4th. They are loving every bit of it- even going uphill hasn't been too much for them I gather- and feel that they are getting a wonderful close-up view of the countryside they are covering. Later the group goes to East Berlin on a tour and to Luxembourg.

In a few days- maybe even tomorrow- I will be here at the typewriter again and will have some specific news of this trip for all of you.

I know there are probably more than the usual number of errors in this typing job- blame it on my lack of German, or just industrial fatigue. Just hope that you can guess what I could have written had I not made these typographical errors.

Dave and Lo

Last edit over 2 years ago by Ganne
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March 6, 1960

Yesterday I spoke for several hours with the mayor of Beutelsbach, Herr Plessing, and his wife. Our discussion turned among other things, to the war and to current political attitudes, and was, in addition a chance for me to think out several impressions that I have picked up as to American misconceptions about Germany. I am going to set these thoughts down in disjointed fashion so that I may have a record of them and you may share in the insights of my experience here.

#1- It is, as many of us, surely realize, simply impossible for Americans who have not seen it to imagine the destructive power of war. Even being here and seeing what ruins remain (not very many!) we cannot visualize a city 90% bombed out. And even less, could we understand the way this damage was experienced by the people, how they lived during the war. Frau Plessing described to me one very minor incident, the bombing of her small village just outside Stuttgart. In a matter of munites [minutes] there fell on this village of 2000 people 980 fire bombs and 190 explosive bombs. In her home, nine fire bombs hit simultaneously. They were very luck though and saved all but one bedroom. Many of the houses were built of straw. Of 89 of these, 2 remained standing. This in perhaps fifteen minutes, mostly with small fire bombs. I myself cannot imagine what it must have been in the big cities where the effort was concentrated and repeated. She also described living under air raid conditions (going 3 or 4 times in the night on the run with a suitcase of the most important clothes) to the shelter- there to stand perhaps for hours- silent (to cinserve [conserve] air) and motionless against the wall. This perhaps until 4 AM, and then at 6 every day to catch a train for work at Stuttgart (which might also be stopped for an airraid alert) without having eaten to put in a long day's work. Back again at night to have sleep broken again by the sirens.

#2- A second thing many Americans have trouble understanding is how could Hitler have become so powerful, and how could the people have committed such actions and ideas as he accried out? I surely don't claim to have the answers to this but some factors do loom out as important. In the early 30's there were in Germany millions of unemployed, and such a time is receptive to radical proposals. Hitler took several strong actions to mobilize resources- building autobahns, etc. Took thousands into the army to give them purpose and activity again and money to send home to pump into the sagging economy. And, too, Germans were often caught up in the appeal of a "New Germany", a "Glorious Fatherland" etc.- a sort of nationalism which has touched many counties in the last hundred years. As time progressed, however, another factor came forth which we Americans almost always forget, I think. Hitler's regime soon became an internal dictatorship with suppression of news, immiedtae [immediate] police retaliation (away to a work camp) for giving aid to a Jew or speaking against the government etc. It was on this reign of fear that most of Hitler's atricities were built and not on a nationalism ot [or] enthusiasm of the people (though those made his power possible).

Frau Plessing tells of having given food or clothing to Jews as much to get them to leave the shop as to help them. Fear was a very important reality and it effectively destroyed resistance.

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Impressions- page 2

#3 Post-war conditions here were almost as severe as those of the war itself. Thousands of people pired in from bombed out cities or from lands controlled by the Russians- poured into small villages like Beutelsbach where bomb damage was not severe. But Beutelsbach was already overcrowded by people who had come from Stuttgart earily in the war and where could a tow] of 2000 find room for 30 people every day? (they came in truckloads on an hours notice). There was a housing commission which, with police aid made people give up rooms for new arrivals, until several families would be sleeping together, often on the floor. There no clothes, very little to eat, and there were no goods in the stores to be bought. Three stoves would come from Waibligen as aid gifts and 50 families would beg to have them. One very dramatic incident marks a turning point for these people: The Marshall Plan gave (on April 29, 1946- and every German knows the date by heart) to every man, woman, and child in Germany a gift of $10.00! This money acted apparently as a catalyst for the recovery of the economy and soon goods became available and the long road for recovery and rebuilding began.

#4- One very important factor in understanding political life in modern Europe is the realization that present national boundaries as very recent. We think of America as a young nation but most of Europe (Italy and Germany is younger). Thus this area of Baden (Wurttenberg) was a kingdom (several small ones actually) even after World War I. Many people here are far more "Schwabisch" (the folk culture of the area) than they are "German". And many remember in their own lives the whole history of the modern state of Germany. Consequently local areas are very important and each of these sections is quite different than the others. This may help explain some of the lack of deep interest which observers see in German National politics.

#5- One of my first observations here was that Germans rarely talk politics, show no particular sign of interest in political matters. Naturally this was very disturbing because it would seem to be just such disinterest that made Hitler possible. I raised the question with the Mayor and he provided a somewhat different picture: First of all, as a matter of information, virtually every home in Beutelsbach takes a daily newspaper, many two. Every family also has a radio and this often runs a good part of the day. A fact that will probably shock you- in Beutelsbach, population 3100- there are only 180-200 television sets- virtually all bought in the last 2-3 years. As to the political significance of this, they Mayor says that people read the paper carefully and thoroughly and that they get a large amount of news on radio or TV. He says that all citizens, peasant farmers included, are well informed on political matters. How all I don't know, but he himself certainly is. So apparenyl [apparently] people are interested and informed about political matters. Why then so little talk and activity?? One important answer is that many people don't want to be identified with a party. There are two reasons given for this: 1- People remember well the Nazi party experience- what it produced, and what a shadow it could leave on one's postwar record to belong. They distruct open membership in parties-fearing later consequences of this sort. 2- In the small towns especially, it is economically unwise to be an enthusiastic supporter of one party or the other. If a shopkeeper is a rabid supporter og [of] the S.P.D. (Social Democratic Party) conservative peasants who favor almost always the C.D.U. (Christian Democratic Union- Adenauer's party) may supposedly boycott his store. So why should he speak out and lose business? Such "radicalism" is viewed unfavorably and people would rather go silently to the elections, cast their vote, and otherwise remain cautiously silent.

Last edit over 2 years ago by Ganne
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