[Beginning of September], 1984
The German Dilemma
Like a festering boil, the German dilemma has again erupted. As the Chairman of the German Democratic Republic’s Council of State Erich Honecker cancelled the scheduled state visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, it has brought about an intensified debate over the legal status of both German states. In this regard, there is a fundamental contradiction in the German consciousness. Based on the Preamble of the Grundgesetz (Basic Constitutional Law for the Federal Republic of Germany), the Federal Republic can claim to be the only rightful representation for the German people, including East Germany. The German Democratic Republic or East Germany maintains to the contrary to be a sovereign state of equal legal status as the Federal Republic or West Germany. While on vacation in St. Gilgen on the Wolfgangsee near Salzburg, Chancellor Helmut Kohl said in a television interview with confidence that the Berlin Wall will fall during his lifetime and that the reunification will be achieved. On the other hand, the East German Foreign Minister Fischer declared in a terse, cynical way, as two German states do exist, the German question is solved.
[Middle of September], 1984
Maneuvers in the Fall
This year on both sides of the Iron Curtain, maneuvers are being held in the fall. But in contrast to previous years, these are the biggest military field exercises of NATO and the Warsaw Pact that have ever taken place until now. On the overloaded Autobahn from Munich to Stuttgart, these days one passes endless military convoys of armored vehicles of all categories. While NATO concentrates its actions in areas of Southern Germany, the Warsaw Pact countries deploy their troops in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. As long as these maneuvers remain sand-table games, they don’t stir up much fear. But a real confrontation could not be grasped by any stretch of the imagination. Hopefully, this will never happen.
Innsbruck, September 26, 1984
For the Sake of Freedom
Almost every day, there are reports how people from the Eastern countries risk their lives fleeing to the West. Just eleven days ago, a Czech family of five from Brno tried to flee over Yugoslavia into Austria. When they attempted to cross the Mur River near Radkersburg in Styria, some among them were swept away by the current. While a 15-year old girl with her 3-year old sister reached the Austrian bank of the River, the mother and the 6-year old daughter drowned. No sign of life has been received from the father. Three Polish refugees, who were locked up in a container, could have easily suffocated before reaching Austrian territory. Another Czech family also attempted to cross the Mur River. In doing so, the wife had to turn back. For humanitarian reasons, the Yugoslav authorities allowed her to exit. How immense must be the despair of these people who risk their lives in such a way for the sake of freedom.
September 29, 1984
Contrasts
While in the city of Memmingen the medieval city wall is being reconstructed and the old city as a whole pleasantly redeveloped with a pedestrian zone, interceptor jets of the German Federal Armed Forces streak across the sky of the Allgäu. On the one hand, a medieval idyll is being carefully preserved, and on the other hand, the pace of modern technology is interfering. Many times, the latter is set upon a frame, which it threatens to burst. This contrast can be observed all over Europe: Architectural foundations and various lifestyles that have been received from former centuries must cope with the demands of a sturdy and fast advancing technical renewal.
In Southern Germany, particularly in Bavaria, this contrast is especially striking. Here, next to the Autobahn and industrial plants, an idyllic landscape prevails. Part of it are the picture book villages with their onion-shaped church towers, the green pastures with the Alps as a backdrop, the Bavarian royal castles Neuschwanstein and Linderhof, the unique rococo Wieskirche and the baroque monasteries of Ottobeuren and Ettal as well as the Tegernsee and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. These places have become a refuge from the rush of modern life.