Consolidation in Berlin
" We have been colossally patient in this matter," said Major- General Bourne, referring to the question of the Berlin currency. He was not over-stating the case. Indeed, our patience has been almost unbelievably great. The instant success of the currency reform in Western Germany showed what enormous dividends could result from determined action and a clear decision not to compromise with Eastern obstruction. Yet we have spent nine months first in an attempt to obtain Russian agreement to a single currency for Berlin, under the joint control of the four occupying Powers ; then in an attempt to run two currencies side by side ; and finally, when this dual standard was already an open failure, in waiting for the " neutral " members of the Security Council to satisfy themselves that the Russians would not agree to any reasonable compromise. Now that every possible evidence of the will to agree has been given, the Western mark has been declared the sole legal currency of Western Berlin, and the Berliners, who have been the main sufferers during the long attempt to get the Russians to behave reasonably, are assured of a stable exchange system. As one last indication that it is the West, and not the East, which seeks a friendly understanding, the unstable Eastern mark is to be tolerated in the Western sectors while the " good money," the Western mark, is banned in the Eastern sector. The practical success of the Western Powers in giving their part of Berlin a stable currency is a sign of the rightness of their decision to hold on despite the blockade, and a refutation of those elements in this country who have conducted a long whispering campaign against the stand made. The winter is
over, the air-lift continues to grow in effectiveness, the attachment of the Berliners to the Western cause grows stronger, and the Russians are hard put to it to produce even a semblance of contentment in their sector. It is not too much to hope that in due course they may be driven to genuine concessions, as distinct from purely verbal protestations of their desire for the unity of Germany.
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