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EDITORS NOTE—The author of this article is one of the hundreds of East Germans who have escap ed to the West despite the Berlin wall, barbed wire, mine fields and trigger-happy guards. On the eve of the second anniversary of the wall she recalls her life behind it and the reasons people risk their lives to escape. She uses a pseu donym to protect her family and friends still in East Germany. By KATERINA THOMAS FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)- 1 lived for 16 months behind the Berlin wall. Except for the year my husband spent in jail during the height of Stalinist frenzy back in 1952-53, they were my worst months under communism. Eight months ago my husband and I managed to escape. It meant leaving a large family home and garden where we had spent 24 happy married years. It meant leaving behind almost ev erything we owned, including the worthless sentimental things a woman treasures. It meant leav ing friends with whom we shared hard and unforgettable years. It was a sacrifice and a great risk. Other people might still es cape by the route we took so I won't go into details. But we read every few days of the dangers people run to escape. They scale the Berlin wall in a hail of bullets. They swim the icy Havel River in freezing weather. They crawl through tunnels that might cave at any moment or run across mine fields that could blow them up at any step. Some are killed by Communist border guards. What drives people to gamble their lives in order to leave their homes? It might sound strange to Amer ican ears, but I'm sure the chief reason is the longing for freedom to think and do what one wants. The simple freedoms that Ameri cans take for granted are worth a life to many East Germans. It is simply that after a while you can’t breathe any more. You are too restricted. Your ideas count for nothing if they do not agree with those of the Commun ists. Your individual wishes are ignored. A person's individuality and freedom count for nothing. This is what people learn to hate. This is why they leave. What did I personally dislike most? I think it was the way chil dren were treated. Probably more parents leave East Germany for the sake of their children than for any other reason. I clearly remember Aug. 13, 1961. For years my husband and I felt we should stay in East Germany. One has a responsibil ity to one’s home and people, and pr we oe not solved by run ning an But = has finally decided to flee and our two children had al ready gone to the West. We planned to follow after a short vacation in a health resort. There we heard the news of Aug. 13. Our hearts sank. Our escape route was blocked. It took nearly two years to find a way out. The one good the wall did was to wake people to the horror of Communism.
Newspaper Details
Biddeford Saco Journal
Biddeford, Maine, US
Mon, Aug 12, 1963
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Jackson O.
