HEARTENING OPINION EXPRESSED BY MR SULLIVAN AFTER VISIT TO BERLIN DURING RED BLOCKADE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 14, 1 November 1948, Page 5

HEARTENING OPINION EXPRESSED BY MR SULLIVAN AFTER VISIT TO BERLIN DURING RED BLOCKADE

War Will Be Avoided

Mr Sullivan’s letter was written :from Wiesbaden, a health resort about 30 miles from Frankfurt on .Main. Since then he has visited industrial works in Glasgow and Belfast and has been to Paris and Hanover in Germiany. He leaves England on November 42 for Bermuda to attend a conference there. “On arrival here (in Germany!” .Mr Sullivan writes, “we split into three sections, two sections doing the British Zone; Belgium and Holland, the third visiting * Berlin, ' Frankfurt and many other parts of Germany in the American Zone. The Yanks have taken complete c-targe ■ of us—a day and night progi amme—and some of the party have had it. City of 'Desolation “Berlin has been 65 per cent destroyed. It is a city of desolation, ■ destruction and despair. The people are underfed, poorly clad and sullen. They never seem to look at you. 'The Russian cloud hangs over the -city, and no one knows what the future holds for Berlin. The Air Lift by. Britain and America : s top hole. Without this Berlin would -starve. “In Berlin you see very few young men. Russia has taken them earlier to work elsewhere. The use of road and rail is closed, and the only way is to supply by air. Russia has control of an area some 60 miles wide, •west of Berlin.

, “The whole show bristles with problems, an plans are being made for a four-year battle of supply. Russia no doubt is at-. tempting to freeze U.S.A. and ' U.K. out of Berlin. “America has 200 machines on the 'Rhein-Main Aerodrome (Frankfurt), and every three minutes day ;and night they carry on the job of taking food supplies to Berlin. The British have about 10 machines at •Catow and are doing the same job. War of Endurance

“It seems that the Russian blockade by land and water is a starvation measure and a war of endurance between the U.S.S.R. on one' side and U.S. and U.K. on the other. The Americans are 1 of the opinion that the job must go on, if a real attempt is to be made to save Berlin from Communism. “American Generals say you cannot avoid war by running away from it, and are determined with patience and firmness to carry on. “The Rhein-Main Aerodrome, considered to be the largest building of its kind in the world, was soaked in oil and fired by the Russians just a. few days before they handed over to the Allies. Just a piece, of deliberate destruction. The building is f mile long, all of steel, and roofed to accommodate 60/000 peoule for .Air Pageants. “Berlin City is a shambles—makes one. sad to see it. It had to be, we

Writing from Frankfurt just before his departure from Germany for Scotland, Mr W. Sullivan, M.P., gives the heartening opinion that war over the Berlin dispute will be avoided at all costs. The American view often expressed to him was that it was better to spend millions of dollars on establishing democracy than to spend billions on war.

know. The Tiergarden has its statues—wrecked everywhere—and is now just' a vegetable garden. “Frankfurt proper is 70 per .cent destruction, 33 per cent home destruction, and one-third of homes unfit for habitation. Here in Frankfurt things are much different from Berlin. Re-building and rehabilitation proceeds with a will. The new currency will now buy goods and the people are working. The people are well dressed, better fed and all are happier.

“We attended the Hesse State Parliament one afternoon and met many members, including the President. Frankfurt is now staging an exhibition of some magnitude. The Overbougermaster seems to have as much drive and determination as he has weight (19 stone).’ Politics Under License “Political parties in the west are licensed—including the Communists. Others have to prove the need for further Parties, and show where policy differs from that of others. • “Americans are doing a great job everywhere. They fight and spend to save Western Germany from Com munism. “Often it is said—better to spend millions of dollars in establishing democracy to spend billions on war. War will be avoided at all. costs.

“The Germans do not want Communism, and hope for recovery somehow or other of Eastern Germany from Russia. “Today we visited a displaced persons camp at Hanau, some 40 miles way. There are some 5,000 people here from Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine and Lithuania. All these folk fled from Communism. Altogether there are 60,000 displaced persons in Western Germany. In the Hanf u camp 35 per cent are agricultural, 40 per cent are artisans and they, seem to be a good type. I asked several where they wished to go, and the answer was America. This; because of American contact. None want to return to their own land.

“We ourselves want this very type of person. It seemed to me that Government might be asked to send an Immigration Officer to select and get the class of emigrant needed. We have a duty to assist, even in a small w&v, to help rehabilitate these folk. lam advised by Officers in control that ail these folk are industrious ana law" abiding.

v “No one is allowed in or out of the Russian Zone without Kremlin consent. The Iron Curtain is evident everywhere. “What hope there is of recovering Eastern Germany—no one can say—but somehow I fear there will be a German rising there, assisted by the rehabilitated Western area, when they are ready.”