East German Cabinet And Policy Are Announced by Premier

Grey River Argus, 14 October 1949, Page 5

East German Cabinet And Policy Are Announced by Premier

Alignment With The Soviet

BERLIN, October 12. The 330 members of the Lower House of the new East German Republic assembled to-day in Goering’s former Air Ministry io hear the first Prime Minister, Herr Otto Grotewohl, the Communist leader, announce the Cabinet he had appointed. He said the Cabinet would consist of himself, three Deputy Premiers, and 14 Ministers.

Six portfolios had been allotted tc Communists—planning, industry, education, justice, interior and supply and foreign trade. The Deputy Premiers are: Herr Waiter Ulbricht, Socialist Unity Party; Herr Otto Nuschke, Christian Democratic Union; and Hei’r Herman Kastner, Liberal Democratic Party. The Foreign Affairs Minister is Herr Georg Dertinger (Christian Democratic Union). The Minister of Finance is Herr Hans Loch (Liberal Democratic Party), and the Minister of Supply and Foreign Trade is Herr George Handk e (Socialist Unity Party). Herr Grotewohl sounded the same theme as at last night’s mammoth torchlight parade—“peace and the unification of Germany”. He said: “We know that in our fight for unity—which is simultaneously a fight for peace—we are not alone. We know that the Soviet Union stands at our side”.

Herr Grotewohl laid down a sixpoint programme, as follows:—

(1) Pledging Eastern Germany’s “foreign policy” to that adopted by the Soviet satellite Foreign Ministers at th e Warsaw conference in 1948. (2) Accepting the Oder-Neisse frontier, which ceded former German territory to Poland and Russia, as the final “peace border”. (3) Developing trade with Communist China.

(4) A new economic plan, even more intensive than the current twoyear plan, to get under way in 1950 (5) The abolition of food rationing next year, except meat and sugar. (6) Equal rights for former Nazis who are not convicted of direct crimes and a “fight with the sharpest forces of the law against any revival of Nazism, militarism, or Fascism”. The East German Parliament formally confirmed Herr Grotewohl as Prime Minister, accepted his Cabinet, and approved his programme of Communist ideals.

The delegates sat through a full day’s speeches to reach their one moment of action. When it came they voted for the regime by jumping to attention.

Herr Grotewohl and a scor e of other speakers during the day thanked the Russians for giving their blessing to the East German Government and attacked the Western Powers in terms of “imperialistic, capitalistic warmongers”.

The Parliament’s action was similar to the system used by the Russians. Speakers from each party, Communist trade unions, Communist youth organisations and women’s league extolled Herr Grotewohl and his Cabinet before the members rose as a man to give their legal cancticn. U.S.A. Condemns East German Regime (Rec 9.5) WASHINGTON, Oct 12. Trie United States Government to-day declared the recentlyformed East German Government v,/as without validity. Mr Dean Acheson U.S. Secretary of State,told a press conference “This new Government was created by the Soviet and by a Communist Fiat. It was created by a self-styled ‘People’s Council’ which, itself, has no basis in free popular elections.” Mr Acheson said that according to reports, the elections in East Germany had been postponed until Oc- ■> cber of 1950. He added "This new Government and tis Soviet masters are obviously afraid to risk thi verdict of the people of the Soviet •zone.”

WEST BERLIN IS FOR THE WEST

BERLIN, October 12,

West Berlin city officials have started a new drive for Western Berlin to be included in the West German Government at Bonn. A delegation headed by the chairman of the Assembly, Herr Atto Suhr, called on the three Allied commanders to-day and demanded that West Berlin be named the twelfth .jstate in the Bonn Republic. The spokesman said they wanted Western Berlin completely clear from Grotewohl Government influence. REMOVAL OF RUHR FACTORIES BY ALLIES (Rec. 9.45). LONDON, October 13. A Manchester Guardian correspondent at Dusseldorf said: The Germans have exaggerated their protests against the Allied dismantling of the German industrial plants. Just one per cent, of the Ruhr’s labour force have been put out of work by • the dismantling of the factories. Where the Allies had agreed to spare a plant if an adequate substitute were offered, the Germans often failed to cooperate. Union Jack Still to Fly (Rec. 9.10). LONDON, October 13. Army headquarters has asked the War Graves Commission to resume flying the Union Jack over the twelve British war cemeteries in Germany, says a London Daily*>£ress correspondent. The ‘Graves Commission bad decided to fly, the flag on celebration days only so that the Gormans would not b e annoyed. BERLIN YOUTHS RAID COMMUNIST OFFICES (Rec. 10.55). LONDON, October 13. The British United Press correspondent at Berlin says: Gangs of antiCommunist German youths attacked five of the Communist District Offices in the French sector of Berlin on Wednesday night. They hurled down Party banners and placards. German police seized nin e of the gang, but they later released them.

The attacks were made while the Communists throughout the Russian zone wer e celebrating the formation of the new East German Government.