Death in the Soviet Zone
An American officer has been killed by a Soviet soldier in East Germany. But what on earth was an American officer doing in East Germany? And how many people in this country realise that it might equally have been a British officer? The American, British and French military missions in Potsdam are one of the last strange remnants of the war-time alliance. For them, the clock has stopped in 1946. For them, the German Democratic Repub- lic (founded in 1949) does not exist. For them, there is only the Soviet Zone of Occupation, through which they drive in full uniform, quizzing the startled natives and photographing the military beauty spots, just as Soviet officers still drive through the British, French and American Occupation Zones. So if you see a Russian jeep roar past you as you tour West Germany, don't assume that the next world war has broken out; it's just that the last one hasn't quite ended.
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