Crocker Snow Reports From Germany; 5; A View Of Eastern Europe

The. Rockers no report view of Eastern Europe one of a series of five programs prepared especially for WGBH FM Boston airing a tape recorder. No reason to travel by car through a number of the communist countries of Europe East Germany Czechoslovakia Hungary Romania and Yugoslavia. These reports combine his personal impressions with statements recorded on the scene both Communist Party officials and private citizens in the various countries. In previous programs of this series I have given my initial impressions as a first time visitor to Eastern Europe. I dealt with the great economic experimentation taking place with the growing importance of the consumer with the breakdowns of discipline.

You heard the people themselves officials and private citizens telling about their lives and their concerns. This week a presumptuous attempt at tying all of this together. The countries that I visited Yugoslavia Czechoslovakia Hungary Rumania and East Germany together encompass an area as large as all the New England states and Texas. They should not be lumped together in the mind's eye for it is a varied area of different and oftentimes conflicting nationalities ethnic groups histories traditions and yes even political systems. However over all of this varied area there is some evidence of indoctrination language liberalization and decentralization. How conclusive. There is no doubt that the lands of Eastern Europe are easier for outsiders to visit and for insiders to leave than at any time in the last 20 years. An exception of course is East Germany where the

Berlin Wall is quite a deterrent to those going either way but generally speaking for a Westerner to travel freely into the East on a tourist visa requires only a bit of patience and perseverance to complete the necessary paperwork. Of course for Easterners travelling in the opposite direction quite often more than that is necessary. Czechoslovakia for instance are permitted to travel into Western Europe if they have relatives there or else some sort of official invitation. Theoretically that is practically not. It's impossible to come by more than a drop of Western money and Czechoslovakia legally those going to England can convert only three pounds at a bank for example. At the same time no Western countries want the artificially evaluated Czech crown. So in reality the Czech traveler must live off the charity of his hosts for the duration of his stay and effective enough check on any great exodus of travellers to the west.

But all is not bleak from my point of view I think that people should travel and read because this is beyond what you know how come it was not now the country's advancing how to get to know what's going to happen now I can trace this down would have been so once but that's what he has to do and with the pace I'm the same. But I'm feeling worse and I guess I think it's the only right and the best way to get acquainted with the other countries abroad. Stanislav Yeah a Communist Party official of the Czechoslovakia national travel service. His attitude though surprising is understandable. Many of the countries of communist Europe Czechoslovakia included are making a big effort to build up their own

tourist industry. Tourists mean money and money is a coveted commodity. This has meant an easing up all along the line. Yugoslavia is showing the way in this process. Some 250000 Yugoslavians now live and work in West Germany as part of that country's million or more army of foreign workers. They have retained their Yugoslavian citizenship and are free to return to their native land at any time. The Yugoslavs are proud of their freedoms they can for example buy foreign books of all kinds available Western books are not just of the art or cooking variety of the kind I saw in all of the other countries. But fiction and nonfiction on every conceivable subject. American newspapers. The Paris edition of The New York Times and Herald Tribune can be bought in the kiosks as well as American English French and German news

magazines. Most of the Eastern European nations have a state controlled press of their own. The people know it and many I met seem to take it all with a grain of salt. Several Czechoslovakia NS for example told me that they didn't know what to think about the war in Vietnam because they cannot believe what they read in their papers or hear on the airwaves. But not so in Yugoslavia. The population there generally assumes that their press is object event truthful. I asked a largish former Washington correspondent and now deputy editor in chief of the country's leading daily bore about just why this is so in my opinion freedom of the. But is isn't then made that proclamation or the collaboration of one man and one group of one party or another government and so one I believe in the freedom of the press is a method of

the system in which the press exists. If there is a system which. The needs and the wants to have a free place then the freedom of press exists. I would say that this is the case in Yugoslavia. This is interesting if we if we've established that the. Press here is not controlled. In fact I wonder if it is perhaps that more oppressive conformity that all of the papers adopt more or less the same line. No they do not. The only thing from which all the papers in Yugoslavia start is the platform of socialism. But since we have a very devil old idea mentally life with a lot of confrontations of the different different their ideas and their views. Why do people who all speak from the platform of socialism is a

system. We have the same situation in our papers as well. Different papers and writing in different ways about the same problems or issues which are interesting in one moment in Yugoslavia. One of the country's most popular television programs nowadays is a weekly broadcast devoted to a key domestic issue of the day. The program is timely topical and quite often controversial. Some interesting production techniques are used by the national television company in order to make the show a really free form of expression. For example a program dealing with the deviousness and foot dragging methods of certain industries in adopting the country's latest economic reforms began with a live studio discussion by academics and economists. It then unexpectedly switched to several of the factories in question where the plant managers did their best to rebut what had already been said. The show's

popularity apparently is directly proportional to the heat generated by the confrontations. The Yugoslavian press then seems to act as a kind of catalyst in promoting freedom of expression around the country. But at the same time the country operates under one party rule. This should not be overlooked. A decade ago meatloaf on us was one of the four top ranking men in the country. He wrote a book The New Class criticizing the favored ones of the Communist apparatus. He was jailed for. Later released he was jailed again for an indiscreet book about conversations with Stalin. Just this year Tito pardoned him once more. Mihailo Mihail off is another who has taken too much for granted. He was given a one year sentence late last year for

providing the New York Times with articles critical of his country and for his plans to publish an anti-establishment magazine. The western world has made much of these incidents and their bearing on the issue of freedom of expression. But the Yugoslav people don't seem to. They're perfectly willing to talk about Heil off but they play down their importance. Officials of course tend to discount the incidents entirely brought by editor lightish known cases. I believe that the sentence is pretty clearly had noting to do with the freedom of expression but breaking certain existing rows in Yugoslavia with reach one may disagree abroad. But today you had a roast roast to be observed by the citizens of Yugoslavia. Let me add just one thing. I believe that both cases had.

Been in there way over exaggerated a little. They didn't have anything over that bike to improve or they didn't rise any interest in Yugoslavia because Yugoslavia the people are pretty weak. But if you well it where both the freedom to express themselves in every way starting from they self management organs in the victories to the Central Valley and exaggerated abroad are not. The fact remains that even in the relatively open and free atmosphere of a country like Yugoslavia the population is subject to what at least to an American seems to be merely the vagaries of the system. It's far worse in other countries of Eastern Europe. Freedom of expression the right of dissent.

They can be rare commodities. I tried to explain what about I am not content here. What makes me a little angry. A private contact in Czechoslovakia a man quite famous as a performing artist. A man willing to speak freely as long as he remained nameless. I think psychologically I can explain it. There was a creation of for many incompetent persons suddenly to have a good position two or three other people. It was a possibility how to Ariel X how to not release your sometimes feeling of inferiority and suddenly I can rule and then the last mistake these people could take this position could decide suddenly and they had no abilities for it. There is still the same situation. I think it wouldn't hurt if these

people had more self-criticism. How about criticism in an in a newspaper for example is it possible to write to a newspaper and criticize. Oh yes we can read now such articles such smaller letters from from the readers to the newspapers where they criticize many bad things. For example concerning shopping and so on water stayed off the roads and so on but I am afraid these critiques have no result. It's allowed to die and to liberate one in their attention. But it is not so much. You can't of course criticise the big things the politics of karma. A key question in assessing the countries of Eastern Europe today is their relationship to their large neighbor to the east. The Soviet Union.

For years the countries were isolated by an iron curtain. They were considered merely Russian satellites. Certainly the Iron Curtain is a thing of the past an obsolete phrase and it is a question whether the word satellite is anyone going to appropriate either. The people whom I met in Eastern Europe apparently don't think so. The maverick Yugoslavia is held up in rebuttal. Her experience has not gone unnoticed. Listen now to be care Tat's a Communist Party official of Hungary's radio Budapest. When me on the spending the continent that had. The reviewer flew via Russia to agree to extend the result of the fact that in Iran is the Soviet Union had been conducting a group of brothers who are on the ATA socialist country that. Did not run and they were right in the mouth of the national correct come to the

end of their ride. Would have been and probably 30 and 100 or so had hid out of our committee growth about evolution had really been an anti-market concept and threw only a reply have to have a constant do the bigger granted that reach extend it run on every day about the Kubrick review as an opposition based on color at conception. Should Graham who I want to buy it now. Mention about the new recall endeavor who couldn't have picked. A member of the current to be polluted and whom greed probably needs to be made to pride or would rather they were reviewing. Even if we did all of the Course are correct with me they'd regret about the return of the credit but if you go around it would be more or less from the impound

regard interludes who I would reprogram from proposition. And rule of the general development of the crime committed by whom they were going to include one group of people who can keep you do your gay care tats former member of the political affairs ministry of Hungary his cautious words should not disguise his meaning. The Russian system and schemes have not always proved suitable for the socialist countries of Eastern Europe. The Yugoslav experience has helped to make this clear. The comments are indicative of a change of attitude viz a viz the Soviets which I found some evidence of throughout the area. This change has meant a surge of nationalism in several countries of Eastern Europe. A surge which has brought them father out from under the Russian shadow. Romania is a prime example of this. A German car spawn in Bucharest Klaus

Stabler talks about Romanian nationalism and its effect. It is there. Certainly. The general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party Mr Ceausescu. Always plays up the national feelings and he does it I believe in order to avoid any liberalization within the country. He tries to find and backing was in the all boys who are classes which are still there. Many doctors and lawyers and professional people which he likes to bring into his camp and to have them as loyal citizens of the communist Romania of the Socialist Republic of Romania. And that's the reason he so strongly plays the national jewel in regard for example to the last remaining territories Bessarabia today is a

big issue in Romania. Romanians are nationalistic to quite an extent in this regard. And there's nationalism turns against Russia. The Russians are not liked in Romania you could say that for sure. Russian troops are stationed only in East Germany and Hungary today. It's interesting to note that in the latter country on the 10th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution they were restricted to their barracks. Thus there seems to be a certain accommodation made by the Russians today. Like it or not they must adjust to a new independence on the part of many of their one time satellites. Of course the Russians aren't exactly choreo are bashful in dealing with their communist neighbors. Their influence hasn't vanished. There are no signs of that. One evening in Prague I noticed Soviet flags suddenly blossoming alongside Czech ones on the all the buildings and buses and in public places.

I asked a friend why. It's the so-called day of national industrialization he said with a smirk. Used to be the check day of independence. But since the communist coup in 48 It has a new name. In the entrance of radio Budapest. There was a large plaque commemorating the various soldiers who fell defending the station during the revolution. The names and faces are Russian. Russian soldiers who were of course battling the Hungarian. Patriots. And what is now referred to there as the counter-revolution. All very confusing to want to looking for labels. The good guys and the bad. But if the ironies remain so too does the overriding fact of the nations of Eastern Europe beginning to spin as if by centrifugal force out of the gravitational pull of the Soviet Union. You're. The first party to really break away of course has been Yugoslavia and has been a form of motivation for the others. Some people like the

Hungarian care tat's whom you just heard suggest that the Yugoslav experience has not been of basic significance for present day developments. How about the Yugoslavs themselves. How do they regard their contribution. Do they see themselves as a pacemaker. The most representative answer I got to this question came from an editor of the National Press Service. Then we can see there is a period of Stalinism. Which included. A policy of. Non equality and then just socialist states and peoples then of course to be desired to change. Their vote for the change. The left think. Perhaps that fields of contiguity to some extent does change. But it would be immodest was a part of the US love

to pretend. Their own base make. It is against say the very roots of as it was last time. If you're West live yesterday rebelling. Against one center of the world socialism if you rebelled against a so called leader. And superior of terror and absolute straws. In the cult a dictator and his tools to anybody. They can only do what you deem is useful and necessary and good for us. If anybody else. Examines our. Back to us and if anybody else thinks something is appliable. So let him do that. In truth it seems that many communist nations of Eastern Europe have done just that.

Both they and even the Yugoslavs are circumspect about admitting it. But there has been some imitation at least in so far as a break away from the Soviet Union. This process is variously taking place in such nations as Rumania and Hungary and Poland and even Czechoslovakia. One reason for this as it is by now well-known is economic. The Soviet scheme has not worked well in many of these nations. The grand design of the Communist common market of the Comic Con has been both inequitable and ineffective centralized planning has often been a sea anchor rather than a booster to industrialization. So the trend is towards decentralization price flexibility and they limited amount of free enterprise. You see we have practical in the past exhausted all our methods means and manpower to be enough active in our production.

That means that we have to look for new sources new methods and because the system which we which we applied to did not bring forward any initiative for the enterprise. Yet each scheme an economic analyst from Czechoslovakia was radio Prague on the other hand we must also take into account that there is no experience in any other country. Now a precedent for the appliance of these new methods in the as we call it the second lap of the development of a socialist society. So in constructing. A socialist society and socialist economy we have now to go our own way and we have found that we have enough. Brains enough means. And we also know today the right mettle of this we think

to solve our problems within the framework of a socialist economy. This does not exclude Of course certain search certain mistakes but in general we wouldn't admit that this new system is something of a return to a capitalist system. This is the official line in most of the Eastern European nations from what I could determine. Yes we are revising our original ideas. Sure we're giving more responsibility to the factories and the industries and we're giving the worker more incentive to boot. And yes we are more independent from the Russians but no it's not capitalism it's just bigger and better and more flexible socialism. I heard the same thing from economists in Prague in Budapest and even in Bucharest they readily admit in fact even boast that changes are taking place and that a new system is evolving

and what does the success or failure of this depend very human terms as here are expressed by a mechanical engineer in Prague who asked to remain anonymous. Now I always ask you which regime to give me a greater portion of the freedom of. Better way of life and as far as I am able to judge far more of both possibilities are given to people in the West and democratic and with this in mind what you just said are you anxious for contact of the Western world with other parts of the world do you think this is a valuable thing for the future. I think it is life the important thing because he had all people of very eager to learn much more about Misty about what America is

because they have been starving for that knowledge for that for for one can say and opinion is distorted by the program or at the other hand there are of course people who idea the life in the Western countries and I think both ways are not connected. The people of Eastern Europe have their fingers crossed they have a wait and see attitude. They are skeptical about the new age and their new liberties. Some people even in the West still wonder if it is all for real. A refugee from Czechoslovakia a journalist and musician who lives today in West Germany suggests the answer. I don't think it's only wishful thinking because what you call a

liberalizing is reality says city. In these countries in Czechoslovakia the situation was so stark that nobody was willing to face any responsibility. Production was stagnating and nothing got done. Everybody was scared. So the government had to do something to get things moving. Somehow you interpret the whole the whole social and political atmosphere as slowly alleviating the lightning now. Yes as far as I can see definitely because you no longer are punished for preferring Stravinsky to Shostakovich off for preferring Saddam to kill one of his Soviet socialist realists in literature. So that's positive progress. Optimism then but cautious optimism. The most important

thing to be said when assessing the nations of communist Europe today is that there are legitimate grounds for this. No reports of you have Eastern Europe based on impressions and information gathered during the recent automobile journey through East Germany. The final programme in this special five part series.