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United States. Office of the US High Commissioner for Germany. Information Services Division / RIAS, Berlin
([195-])
Sample commentary by Egon Bahr, pp. 35-36
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Page 36
- A.; 35: - . -5 this heinous crime. Nobody w~,ould believe'the first answer, whil1e the .second-would confirm that such a crime can be committed with Sovie t approval. In that case, one really can not expect anybody to believe the Soviet assurances that the Soviet Union wishes the reunif icat~ion of Ger-~ many on the basis of democratic freedom. ttl is difficult to understand anyhow ,how Germans are expected to-sit down with such individuals for'discussions before the abducte'd are set free- or are at least submitted to incontestable 'legal -procedure~s. T~his obviously does not include trials in which so-called judges attempt to fill their quota of convictions prior to the deadline. These staged trials, not based on genuine espionage or sabotaLge evidence,.but only- on monotonously recur- ring cruelty designed to break the spirit of resistance in the popul~ation-, will be discussed at a later date'. '?Even the mechanized uniformity of the trials has a purpose,- that of-,spreading the poison of habit in the Soviet Zone population,.-But 'it 'is up to every individual in thme Sovzone as wvell as in the Federal SRepublic and. -Berlin to fight and inocculate himself against this poison).. After-this pro&- test, however,, which has become more than a US-Soviet affair, because the British and French High Comm11issionershave also brought it up, the Soviets. will have to realize thlat the ',4J,-est is determined to protect and to defend t-he princi-ple of freedom of the individual, no matter-how small and insig- hificant he may be.. "tThe ri ghts of all a--,bd-ucted persons are inalienal and they will always remain the first point on the ag~enda when The "Soviets do want to discuss things with us. - 36 -
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