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Democratizing Germany
of Germans from all classes in the
community to organize themselves as
citizens' committees whose chief re-
sponsibility will be to protect citizens'
rights. The need for such committees
is not merely to allow representatives
of various elements of the community
to meet and complain against the trib-
ulations that plague them; the most
important function of such a committee
is to arouse the community to a spe-
cific course of action.
To develop in these communities a
strong and healthy pressure group
will be a very important contribution
in the growth of community democ-
racy, and as such will stimulate the
roots  of  democratic  government
throughout Germany.
A NOTHER    EXPRESSION    of the
democratic spirit in the commu-
nity is the public forum. The town
meeting, so basic in American democ-
racy, is no less important today than
it was in the era of our Pilgrim
fathers, as an integral part of political
democracy. Not only will such town
meetings be a living and healthy ex-
pression of the liberties of the or-
dinary citizen, but they go far towards
democratizing the public servants who
must be obliged to defend themselves
and to answer to those whom  they
serve.
It is quite clear that much must yet
be done to plant the democratic spirit
in postwar Germany. US Military
Government has succeeded in demili-
tarizing and decentralizing western
The Joint Export-Import Agency,
Foreign Trade Division, Bavaria, has
been established to take over the
import export functions of Trade and
Commerce Branch (JEIA US/UK) Office
of Military Government for Bavaria.
The newly-organized division will
be responsible as an integral part of
JEIA, Hoechst, for the foreign trade
of Bavaria.
Paul S. Nevin, formerly chief of the
Trade and Commerce Branch, OMGB,
has been appointed director of Foreign
Trade Division, Bavaria. Other key
Position assignments are Peter H.
Germany. The effective democratiza-
tion in the US Zone, if not in Germany
as a whole, has, on the other hand,
only begun. To date, we have failed
to exterminate the Nazi spirit or re-
place it with democracy in thought
and practice. However perfect the
structure of government may appear
to be, and however the political par-
ties may be organized and directed,
a democratic system will not emerge
unless the people concerned under-
stand and cherish the democratic
spirit, realize their democratic rights,
and assume their responsibilities in
the community.
The Education and Cultural Affairs
Division of OMGUS is particularly
interested in democratizing education.
The Information Control Division is
chiefly concerned with fostering the
democratic expression through the
press, the radio and the theater. The
specific responsibility of the Civil Ad-
ministration Division lies in democ-
ratizing both the spirit and structure
of government from the lowest level
of the community to state administra-
tion. To reeducate the German citi-
zenry in terms of our democratic con-
cepts of government, the Civil Ad-
ministration Division is now engaged
in various programs w1!  re being
developed  in the  st,    of the
US Zone.
Various US experts are being re-
cruited to consult with and aid Ger-
man officials and the leaders of various
elements of the population in order
to foster the rehabilitation of German
political life.
Smith, deputy director for Foreign
Trade; Robert T. Meister, deputy
director of Operations and Control;
William E. Rothfelder, chief of Licens-
ing and Markets Branch; John H.
Backer, chief of Trade Promotion
Branch, and C. M. Hulen, chief of
Accounting and Auditing Branch.
The Foreign Trade Division, which
has been set up in an attempt to
further streamline the export-import
industry, will continue administra-
tively to be affiliated with OMGB and
will operate in close liaison with the
divisions of OMGB.
By means of lectures, radio talks,
public forums and conferences, as well
as by the day-to-day contact with
various groups, these experts and the
Military Government officials working
with them will attempt to emphasize
to the Germans the fact that demo-
cratic government and civil liberties
are indispensable and worth fighting
for; that they are not luxuries to be
enjoyed only in eras of calm and pros-
perity, but that civil liberties are real
and vital only if they are purchased
dearly.
This is a basic political truth that
Germans in all walks of life must
learn. If this lesson is lost, democracy
cannot survive. It is our task to make
certain that the German people under-
stand and exercise their rights as free
men in a free society.
German Economy Aided
The Joint Export-Import Agency
here estimates that 100 Germans,
mostly engineers and technicians, have
gone abroad under export service
arrangements, and their dollar earn-
ings, after the deduction of necessary
living expenses , have been made
available for the whole German eco-
nomy.
In a statement clarifying the foreign
exchange earned from the export of
services, JEIA said these arrange-
ments are similar to those in force in
other countries which maintain ex-
change control.
Germans in the Bizonal Area are
permitted to: make export contracts
for the sale of their specialized
services to foreign buyers. These
services may be rendered while they
remain within the Bizonal Area, but
in some cases travel abroad is in-
volved.
All such contracts for services
require approval of the appropriate
state economic ministry and JEIA.
The individual who goes abroad is
allowed to receive in foreign exchange
sufficient money to cover his travel-
ing and similar expenses while
abroad, and the remander is paid by
the foreign buyer to JEIA, which
reimburses the German in reichsmark
at the rate one mark for 30 US
cents. - ICD News of Germany
INFORMATION BULLETIN
JEIA Division Set Up in Bavaria
APRIL 20, 1948
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