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Status: Indexed

-3-

Thursday afternoon we went to a refugee camp to observe the living con-
ditions of some of the really unfortunate ones- those who cannot work
(as injured veterans, or old people) or cannot find work, and those not
granted full refugee status in the hearings (who must therefore just
remain in such camps indefinitely). They live in dreary old barracks,
converted to this use from old munitions warehouses etc. They usually
have very little income, have little hope, and the life is pretty de-
pressing- small two room apartments with beds and furniture crowded
(and I mean crammed) into the tiny space- often families of six or more
in this small space. This is just one more hazard of becoming a refugee
The situation has to be pretty unbearable in the east zone for people to
risk such a future.

On Friday morning we were free to do as we wished. So I went into east
Berlin
to walk around. Went to several book stores but had no luck in
buying anything yet. There are controls on speeding the east German
currency and I am still looking for a store that will overlook these.
It is easy to buy propaganda material or history or art of the Communist
countries, but as for general books on art etc it is much harder.
Then we went for a couple of hours to an exhibit in an east Berlin museum
part on "Fifteen Years of Freedom in Hungary" and part on the history of
"The fight of the German communist Party against Nazism and Imperalism".
Very artfully, displayed, large blown-up photographs etc with, of course,
some propaganda slant on the historical events. It is fascinating here
in Berlin to see and hear the competing propaganda efforts of both east
and west. Lots of important issues have been sharpened or clarified in
such an atmosphere, though I think if you stayed here too long you would
gradually be shifted over to a hard pro-western line- most of the official
(even American) we have heard have done so.

Yesterday afternoon we had a rather ordinary reception by an official of
the west German gov't- coffee, speeches, etc. Then last night a social
gathering with the students of the free university of Berlin- lots of talk,
movies etc.

May 1, 1960

Well today was May day in Berlin! So long awaited both by us visitors from
Stanford and by the people of east and west Berlin.

We began by taking a train (an intercity rapid system. There are two, [one?]
underground and with more stops and one above with fewer stops, thus fast
to the Marz-Engels Flats in the east sector, the site of their huge
parade-rally. We arrived just at the 9 AM starting time and couldn't get
within a couple of blocks of the square because of the number of people [and?]
some blocked off streets. The initial feeling when we got off the train [was?]
that of a big football game or parade- huge crowds, band music in the dis-
tance, various groups forming to march, a sense of excitement and carnival-
like activity in the air. In each of the many sidestreets leading toward
the square were a block or two of groups preparing to march in the parade
this accounted for about 3/4's of the people since almost everyone was
marching in almost some group or other. (If not regimented, East Berlin
is certainly well organized!). The first part of the parade was the [astuc?]
military part- marching units of soldiers and sailors carrying tommy guns
or rifles, and even doing the goose step. After the armies came the weapons,
tanks, big cannon, anti-aircraft, troop carrier trucks etc. Unfortunately

Notes and Questions

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Ganne

I'm not sure how to index it so that "east" as used in line 41 refers to "east Berlin" without making it so that "east" anywhere in the text always refers to "east Berlin", which is not the case throughout these documents.