DEPORTATIONS IN EAST EUROPE

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26514, 31 August 1951, Page 9

DEPORTATIONS IN EAST EUROPE

“Major Moves Of Population”

(Rec. 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 30. As a result of a secret agreement between the Polish President (Mr I'oleslaw Bierut) and the head of the Fast German State (Mr Wilhsim Pieck) a major move of population from the Soviet Zone to Poland has begun, says the Bonn correspondent of the “Manchester Guardian,” He reports that 45C0 German workers left early in July for Poland in two parties and says that it is understood that they are being followed by larger parties, and that up to 100,000 German workers in all will be transferred from the Soviet Zone to Poland and other satellite states. ‘The first two parties consisted entirely of male workers who left without their families. Thev have been Sromised that their families will fol>w them as soon as can be arranged. "The operation in fact has nothing to do with satisfying the temporary seasonal demand for labour. Indeed, according to reliable reports whole villages in Poland have already been evacuated and left ready for occupation by German families. "Allied observers believe that there are two main reasons for the shift of population, which when families are allowed to join the deported workers may eventually include more than 250.000 East Germans. “The first is the alarming growth of unemployment in the Soviet Z<me which has already reached 1,700.000. This large proportion of unemployed, roughly 16 per cent, of the population, Is caused by a shortage of raw materials, obsolete machinery, and bad economic planning by the East German Government “Second, there is a serious shortage of labour in Poland particularly and in other satellite countries generally. “The original cause was undoubtedly the mass expulsion of Germans from their homes in all these countries and the satellite countries have now found their long term plans for the reclamation, step bv step, of land which is going to waste, and for the mobilisation of inactive industries, are impossible to fulfil. “The arrival of German labour forces has required a complete reversal of the satellite countries’ previous policy of mass expulsion which was dictated by the fear that the presence of German inhabitants would justify future German territorial claims.” East Germany Threatened The "Daily Express” says that thousands of East German workers threatened with deportation to work in Hungary and other Russian satel’ites. are rn’v preparing to flee into West .Germany.

Allied intelligence officers say that a mass exodus of East Zone miners and other workers can start any moment. „ . ' . „ Panic is rereading through the Saxon cities of LeinZig, Dresden and Zwickau ?s thousands of Germany are shanghaied eastwards every week. More ’hah 20,000 have already diserreeared mostly into the Silesian coalm’ti's of “New Poland.’* 4 nother 80 000 Germans will be chitted into these mines in the tiext f'w months and further deportations tn Czechoslovakia and Hungary — vnf’un- night and day on Russian war <' n n’rrcts—mav brine the total of disGermans to 25,000. West Zone families are at present floods of letters from East ’one relatives, begging for refuge.