A Year Later

When the Communists built their ugly Wall across Berlin last year, East Germany's Red Boss Walter Ulbricht freely predicted that the barrier would bring prosperity to his own puppet nation and strangulation to the hated capitalists of West Berlin. Last week, on the Wall's first anniversary, it was clear that just the opposite had happened.

Shiny cars clogged West Berlin's broad Kurfuerstendamm, while pedestrians window-shopped at fancy stores or looked for an empty seat at one of the many sidewalk cafes. Tourists were flocking in as never before, and savings accounts were at the record level of $366.5 million, $20 million higher than in early August last year. Although West Berlin's industry was beginning to feel the effects of the tapering West German economic boom, there were still job vacancies for 29,000 workers. The panicky exodus of thousands from West Berlin in the days immediately after the Wall was built has been halted; nowadays about the same number of people come to West Berlin to live as leave it. The city's officials happily report that it is the young who arrive, the old who leave.

The Dismal East. Despite West Berlin's stability, there was just a touch of tension in the air last week. Part of it came from the spate of new rumors that Moscow will soon sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany, a move that would bring new efforts to shut off West Berliners' few remaining access routes to the West. West Berliners were also nervous at the chance that hordes of restive East Germans might choose the Wall's anniversary as an occasion for a mass escape attempt through the 95 miles of concrete, barbed wire and death strips that surround the western half of the city.

This would surely bring bloodshed along the border.

The Communists were also clearly aware of the potential danger. Replacing the regular police and army units that usually patrol the Wall-more than 500 of whom have fled to the West-were two regiments of specially selected toughs from Saxony whom East Berliners bitterly call "the fifth occupying power." In contrast to Vopos, who have been known to look the other way during an escape, the Saxons shoot to kill without a second thought. Even so, an average of ten East Germans a day leap, crawl, dig or swim their way to freedom. One couple even floated its infant across the Havel River in a bathtub. Since the Wall went up a year ago, 12.000 refugees have made it safely out of the Soviet zone; 49 who tried to reach West Berlin have died.

Escape is a risk worth taking, for life in East Germany has become sheer misery. The crippled economy can turn out precious little of the consumer goods that East Germans need so desperately. One reason: imported Soviet managerial experts control the output of such basic industries as mining and steel, give Moscow top priority for East German manufactures. East German food production has fallen sharply in the past twelve months. Potatoes, once a staple, have been imported from the uncollectivized farms of Communist Poland; last week meat and sausage went on the ration list, to join butter, which has been strictly allocated for 18 months. For complainers, there was the ever-present fear of a Communist jail cell or a Communist pistol.

All in all, though West Berlin was surrounded by Red territory, it seemed clear to people on both sides of the barrier on anniversary day that it was the East Germans who were on the inside and the West Berliners who were outside.

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