BEHIND IRON CURTIAN

Chronicle (Levin), 7 February 1948, Page 5

BEHIND IRON CURTIAN

W.Z.P.A,

— Reutef.

Graphic Story Of Russia By Germau Prisoner

coihifibht)

Received Friday, 7 p.m. nUi.NUUi\, x-'eb. 0. Glimpses of life b-enmu ltussia's iron curtam are coniamed in ± linwar ex iracts froni tne uiary of a repatriaxeu ^.eruian prisoner uj. war, puonsiieU Uj tne lviancnesLer Guardian. Eniry into the oovioi 2one, he says. is as ordinary as an entry into a pup. -ifter.crossmg tiie no-man 's-iand o± 2Uc pawes separating tiie aemarcation lin». w nere the Angio-American aml Russian zones meet, lie reaclied a lluskian tuni pike and /ed ffag where he.and ockej icpatriates u-ere regarded lndnfereniq. oy two Red Ariiiy piiicers and a sentn healthy aud welt diseipii-iied-look mg. ' ' ' ' The surprise about this side of the iron curtain is slronger activity than in the west. This is seen in the maxn mioking factory' chimneys aud m the c ork of farmers who are cultivating uheir iields even 011 Bunlays. , The people here looit, 011 tiie wliole, a little more ragged. They criticise or dlsparage the people who caused theii ' calamities only wlien there^ were no Russian or Gernian officials within j reach. They must clearly have had the I experience of what comes from expresling opinions openly. ' ' Reaching Ludwigsiust he iinds life fairiy quiet and unexciting. "On the .iverage only one person a week comes iO an earlv end bv Russian guns and .tui ves. Cqnditions would be . much more unsafe if the town had not such a vigilant commandatit. Walking through the stroets you meet many meu anu women wliose clothes are toru, whose •cet are in wooden slippers or rags, and whose hands and faces have not seen u cake of soai> for weeks. But though they don 't look liappy, they give you a I'eeling of strength and a will to ffghi through." By coincidence, Karl, his brotlier, anived home from Staliiigrad — thv Russians only release sick prisoners — "a ti red nmn in. a ragged Russian uniform. At Jirst 1 didn't recognise liim, so much had captivitv changed him. ' i-iivmg conditions in Btatingrad, his brother says, are as had as during the war. ' ' As the Russians nevetr knew other conditions, they do not get lrrifcated hy this. They work, sleep and v^ork. If this cycle gets too strenuous, the administration distributes some 3:ctra rations and the people are contented again. ' ' "All Russian meu and women have ■ lo work according to a certain 'norm. In some occupations this norm is easier to attain than in others. Bo it. happens that some workers — particularly ihyse whom they call specialists or ijualilied workers— get aiietter income. uthers, on the other liand, have tojive noar the starvatiou levei. This lattei grou]) tries to improve the sitiiation b.\ oiack marketing which is widespread. There are also the soldiers and civilians who return from Central Europe. When they tell their advencures they afe usualiy looited at a's nars, saboteurs or boasters. The admin xsti'ation tries to counter their activi ties by prohibiting them from telling any stories besides propaganda. No--ody, however, dares to open his moitth m public for fear of being sent to a lorced labour camp in Siberia or some other unhealthy spot.

"Karl was very anuoved by the way they use Germau reparations. As W well known, the Russians deport Siinply everything, starting from say nails, tools, dolls, furniture and elothmg to uiw materials and wliole factories. They coniiscate the lot. These things are seut to Russia by ship or rail. in Stolingrad Karl observed the unloading of what had been a Mecklen ourg brewery. The different parts remained for weeks in the rain and sunshine unprotected at the station. They wero not reconstructed, and started to rpt. He noticod the same tliing with turners' lathes, machine tools, niecliani •ai goar, very sensitive optical instru ments, and so ou. All civllian wants are negiected in favour of probably immense rearmamcnt. Tlius civilian reconstruction is in a great mess. 'Every Vvorker fulfils his nol'm and'nothing more because he eannot buy anything with his overtime money. Hence the general laek of jnterest. ' ' Houses are btlilt which soon break down again. Shoes are distributeld which dissolve after a few hourS' wear. Ahundant farm products rot unharveste8 in the fiejds. No'one cares for anything because hothing is his own. Sometimes the N.K.V.D. arrests a few saboteur0 unfortunates, people who have to sttffer for geiieral laziiiess. Th6n the working tempo becomes a little better but after a short time everything is back in' the old state. The Soviet workers' paradise seems to be a good way off. Karl often asked how it was possible that the Russians won the war. I think, if it had- not been foi American help, they would never have sitceeeded. ' '