Eye-Witness Account
Of East Germany Given
inside East Germany” might
well have been the topic of a
speech given by Fritz Grobler be
fore the Toastmaster’s Club last
Tuesday evening, when that group
met for their first fall meeting at
the Montmartre Inn.
Grobler has just returned from
a three months trip in Europe.
More than a month was spent in
the Russian East Zone. The speak
er said that what he saw is almost
unbelievable, and that what one
reads about the occupation of this
part of Germany is too true.
Fritz left here by PNA on May
15. Arriving in Seattle, he immed
iately boarded a plane for Van
conver, and left from there on a
TCA plane for Montreal, Canada.
From there he was flown to Lon
don, and thence to Frankfort, Ger
many, where he was met by a
brother. After remaining over
night, he flew to Gutersloh. He
spent two weeks in West Berlin,
where he met his four sisters,
whom he had not seen since 1929.
They came over from East Ger
many to meet him. He received an
inkling of conditions in that sec
tor and so arranged to have pack
ages sent the sisters residing in
the Russian Zone, packages con
taining foodstuffs, and the necessi
ties of life. He had them sent one
a week to each sister, so tjiat they
would arrive during his planned
visit of a month. Difficulty was
encountered in securing the nec
essary permit to travel in the
Zone, but it finally arrived. All set
out in a small car.
At the border, Fritz had the
most difficulty as a foreigner, and
was questioned endlessly, before
being allowed to proceed. He had
to pay a visa tariff of fiiteeu doi
i
SHOE BOX
Si ill waiting for more stock
But come in anyway
THE RENDEZVOUS
MIDDLE BAY
Bar — Eats
Liquor
Gas — Oil
Chevrolet Specialists
Complete motor overhauls
Clutch replacements
Brake jobs
Guaranteed Chevrolet parts
It costs you less to have the job done by
people who know how.
Clark’s Garage
Dodge Plymouth Willy*
lars, and was allowed to take but
little money with him. His four
weeks stay in the Zone brought
home to him the utter'poverty of
the people living there, their hope
lessness and the constant fear
under which they lived. He men
tioned the disregard of the Rus
sians, who he said were stripping
the country of everything it had
and shipping it to Russia. The
Russians found it almost impossi
ble to keep help in the factories
or on the farms. Families are
leaving the area by the thousands,
Grobler stated. Farms were being
allowed to stand idle, and potato
crops, a very vital necessity, were
rotting in the ground. “People
there are faced with a hard win
ter to come,” he said.
Grobler related instance after
instance of harsh treatment at the
hands of the conquering Russians.
According to him the Russian sol
dier went literally berserk, pilfer
ing such items as wrist watches
and jewelry. “Bicycles,” he said,
“which were a common mode of
travel there, were taken away
from the people, as they rode
down the street. The Russian sol
dier would ride them a ways,
smash them up, and let them lay.”
Women and little girls were mis
treated. A father, protesting the
treatment of his 12 year old girl,
was shot down. These incidents,
and many more. Grobler recounted
in an interview later. They illus
trated the brutality of the con
quering Russian Army.
Stories you hear in this country
about conditions there and the
manner of treatment meted out
by the Communists, are not far
from the truth, according to Grob
ler. “A man working for himself
is taxed 28%,” he said. “If he
hires several people to work for
him, he is taxed 50%.” One of
Grobler’s brothers-in-law had pur
chased some lumber, which he
used in manufacturing. The price
in the meantime bad gone up.
Government officials came to him
and said he owed for the differ
ence in the buying price and the
market value. He had to pay, or
the lumber would have been taken
away from him.
Grobler stated in both East and
West Germany, money went a long
way. “Wages were comparable to
the States,” he said. “West Ger
many,” the speaker said, “was
prospering in sharp contrast to
that of the Russian Zone.” Where
as in the East Zone, roads are al
lowed to remain in absolute neg
lect, roads throughout the West
Zone were kept up and constantly
improved. “Houses and buildings
are going up by the millions,”
Grobler stated. There is a shortage
of housing due largely to the
many crossing the border, he said.
Grobler gave some humorous in
cidents of how they had to circum
vent the Russians in the procur
ing of gas. The Russian soldiers,
he said, were very willing 1o help
out, but had to be paid for their
favors. There was a sharp contrast,
he said, between the bearing and
dress of the American soldier and
the Russian. The latter were very
slovenly in appearance and de
portment.
The fear under which the people
in the East Zone live was brought
home to the visiting American at
a party which was held the last
night of his visit. One of his sis
ters stepped to the doorway about
every half hour, peering into the
night. It turned out she was look
ing to see if there were any sol
diers listening in on the cele
brants.
Grobler left Germany in 1929.
He first came to St. Louis, where
he worked as a tool and die maker
for the Western Supply Co. He
remained there 10 years, when in
1940 he moved to Bremerton.
After one-and-a-half years of farm
ing at Port Orchard, he came to
Kodiak, arriving here in 1947. He
has been a machinist on the Naval
Station ever since.
Fritz’ trip to Germany was the
culmination of several years plan
ning, hampered by being unable
to secure a permit to visit his rela
tives. Even this time, this part
of his trip he was unable to ar
range until he reached Berlin. He
said, though, the Russians had re
cently opened up the border for
residents in both sectors. Travel
was freer than formerly for all
but foreigners.
Grobler concluded his remarks
by stating the trip was an eye
cpener to him, and made him re
alize the many benefits of living
under a system other than Com
munism. “We in this country,” he
said, “don’t know how well off
we are.”
v
The balance of the meeting" ol
the Club was taken up with short
speeches by the members, on types
of programs and speeches which
would be mo >t beneficial. There
wrs a good turnout. Visitor? in
cluded Bob Dawson, Jr., Jesc Bal
lard, Walt Pendergast and Capt.
Ken Loveland.
A Nominating Committee was
appointed for selection of a Presi
dent for the ensuing six months
TWO DEER S HOT
Four hunters proved successful
over the weekend, and returned
from Long Island with two buck
deer.
The four, Richard and Bill Hart
man, William Robertson and Clar
ence Selig, Jr., left here Saturday
evening and returned Monday with
a two pointer and a three pointer
Game Night at VFW Club every
Friday night.
Aloha Rice Bowl
Specializing in Sweet & Sours —
Chinese Style Spareribs — Chow
Mein. Phene 4781 for orders to
go. Open 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Soft Drinks - Mixers
and
Speed Bar Flavor Extracts
Kodiak Bottling Works
Milk Is
Health Magic
Kodiak Creamery, Inc.
RHOADES
FURNITURE STORE
WES RHOADES, PROP.
Phone 4151
General Electric Dealer
Slip Covers (For Sofa Beds)
Pin Up Lamps
G.E. Vacuum Cleaners
Ironing Boards
Curtain Rods