Temperature Control

Despite Nikita Khrushchev's insistence that Communists no longer believe in real war, he has no scruples against a war of nerves. Last week East Germany was hard at work trying to throw a scare into West Germany by a series of calculated maneuvers and conspicuous leaks.

Two defectors from East Germany turned up in Berlin with reports on the new doctrine of the East German army. Captain Guenther Malikowski, 32, a one time political officer with the First Motorized Rifle Division in Potsdam, said the theme of troop indoctrination is now a "justified war of liberation" against West Germany. East German troops are told they should have no compunction about killing fellow Germans if they are serving the "imperialist" cause.

Captain Eduard Wedmann, 36, a former artillery officer in the Eighth Motorized Rifle Division in Schwerin, reported that recent East German military exercises presuppose an invasion of West Germany using nuclear weapons at the outset, without regard to whether West Germany has used them first. Explained the divisional commander: "We have no nuclear weapons now, but when they are needed, they will be available."

Since East Germany has no nuclear capability of its own, this was meant to indicate that when the time came, the Russians would provide full support.

Sometimes Nikita Khrushchev also be comes convinced that a war of nerves can be too risky--or that the irresponsibles he has encouraged may get out of hand. Last week Khrushchev gave an interview to the left-wing Cuban newspaper Revolucion, and just to make sure everyone got the point, had Tass circulate it six days later. Key passage: "The head of the Soviet Republic noted that he would like his statements regarding aid to Cuba in the case of armed aggression against that country really to be symbolic."

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