4 APRIL 1958, Page 10

To the Leipzig Fair

By H. MONTGOMERY HYDE* rr HE easiest way for a traveller from the West to penetrate the Iron Curtain is simply to walk through the Brandenburg Gate. If he should be stopped by a member of the native Volkspolizei, his passport will as a rule carry him safely through any part of East Berlin. put he cannot get very far beyond the city limits without a visa from the Communist East German,Government. Such visas are not readily granted to the Westerner except during two fortnightly periods, in March and September, for the purpose of attending the International Trade Fair in Leipzig. On these occasions they can be obtained by virtually any- one merely for the asking. This month, for the third time, I took advantage of the occasion, rein- forced by a special invitation from Herr Rau, the East German Minister of Foreign Trade, to come to the fair.

This time I flew with a Conservative colleague, Mr. G. B. Drayson, MP, from London to Hanover in Federal Germany and motored from there to Leipzig. We were kept waiting for over half an hour at the frontier post near Helmstedt, whilst our papers were being examined. Our official letters of invitation to the fair saved us from the indignity of a personal search, to which, incidentally, I saw several British exhibitors being subjected on their way to Leipzig at the hands of the East German frontier police and under the seemingly approving gaze of a number of Soviet soldiers who happened to be there. These searches are designed to preVent the illegal intro- duction of East German currency into the country. Since the official rate of exchange is one East mark for one West mark, while the free mar- ket rate obtainable at any bank or foreign ex- change agency in Federal Germany is four East marks for one West mark, the temptation to smuggle in East marks is considerable. Neverthe- less, the East Germans can hardly expect their trade with the United Kingdom to flourish if they allow humiliating examinations of this kind to be carried out at their frontiers. One English businessman, who had been stripped almost naked at Helmstedt, notwithstanding the fact that he had no unauthorised currency in his possession, told me that he would not be exhibiting again at the fair.

* About one hundred British firms were repre- sented or had their products on display. Although tucked away in a remote and incon- spicuous corner of the fair grounds, the British stands attracted many East Germans, who stopped to inspect the Ferguson tractors, the Rolls-Royce diesel engines and the various commercial and touring vehicles manufactured by Rootes and Standard Motors. Our exhibitors made a gallant effort in the circumstances, without much en- couragement from their own Government, let it be said. But they failed to land many orders. The reason for this lack of orders is simple. It is the absence of any trade agreement between the two countries. Most European countries which decline to accord East Germany any political recognition have got round the difficulty by concluding trade agreements at bank or Chamber of Commerce level. They include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Holland, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey, in addition to Federal Germany. Only the United Kingdom, Spain and Eire have no such agreements. France is doing over £5 million of business annually with East Germany, Belgium is doing £7 million, Tur- key nearly £13 million and Holland has reached over £15 million. But trade with the United King- dom stands at around £12 million—a sore point with the British exhibitors at Leipzig. For a short time last autumn it looked as if an arrangement might be reached between the Federation of British Industries and the East German Chamber of Foreign Trade. But the FBI, apparently on instructions from the Board of Trade, broke off the negotiations, and the East German trade delegation, which had been invited to Britain to settle the final details, had its invitation suddenly cancelled.

`We want to trade with you.' These words were addressed to me by the East German Minister of Foreign Trade with a sincerity which I am sure was not feigned. They were reiterated by the Communist Party boss, Walter Ulbricht, who in- vited me and four fellow MPs, who were also visiting the fair, to meet him for an informal discussion on the opening day. At an afternoon repast which 'lasted for two hours and consisted of, coffee, brandy and chocolate cakes, served in a private room in the plush VIP Hotel Astoria, Herr Ulbricht did most of the talking, as was to be expected. After dealing at some length with the merits, from his point of view, of the Rapacki Plan for what he called 'an atom-free zone in Europe,' and the ideal conditions, as he saw them, for a successful Summit Conference, he went on to make it quite clear that he would welcome a comprehensive trade agreement be- tween his country and ourselves. The figure of £10 million was mentioned as a realistic basis on which to exchange lists of goods.

*

Herr Ulbricht—who, with his goatee beard, bears a marked resemblance to Lenin—is the real ruler of East Germany. On his own home ground his desires, I gathered, are not often disregarded with impunity. Indeed, I had an interesting illustration of this as I was leaving his domain by train for Czechoslovakia. Shortly after I had boarded the Berlin-Prague express at Dresden, two East German frontier control officials de- manded to see my passport. After scrutinising it carefully, one of them informed me that my visa only authorised my departure at the same point at which I had entered East Germany, namely Helmstedt, which happened to be about 200 miles distant. He was sorry, he said, but must go back to Leipzig and either have my visa put in order or else leave by Helmstedt. I naturally protested, pointing out that I had been a fair visitor and was now going on to Prague where I had other buSiness. But the official was adamant. In fact, as I subsequently discovered, he had already removed another British traveller from an earlier train that day on the same pretext.

I then remembered that I had in my luggage a copy of the Leipziger Volkszeitung, which con- tained a report splashed across the front page of our meeting with Herr Ulbricht. I produced this, pointing to my name in the headlines and hinting at the same time that Herr Ulbricht, with whom I had recently had such a friendly talk, might be displeased when he learned, as he un- doubtedly would, that I had been put to the inconvenience of retracing my steps.

The effect was electric. The official, who certainly appeared taken aback, gave the impression that he al- ready saw himself sit- ting in a prison cell. At any rate, he could not have been more apologetic. It was a misunderstanding, he explained. I could leave East Germany by any route I liked. He stamped my pass- port, handing it back to me with a deferen- tial salute and a `Gate. Reise,' and looking distinctly relieved to see the last of me.