European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 26, 1950, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Actors in one of the most popular programs on Bias a radio political cabaret who by their microphone performances have made a living Symbol of the word fre Eit West Berlin takes ithe offensive t he Only place in the soviet Sec Tor of Berlin which has a Welcome sign out for americans is the i tourist restaurant a hard currency establishment turning out the Best that russian culinary Art can produce. Elser where All one sees is the familiar sign Ami go  but despite this Lack of hospitality the americans and american theories of democracy Are steadily being insinuated into the communist controlled areas that lie behind Brandenburg Gate through anew and dynamic propaganda Campaign being waged by the germans in Westerlin with Strong assistance from the Western occupying Powers. The Campaign for democracy in Berli has reversed the propaganda trend in Germany. Until two years ago. Democracy was always on the defensive. Communist propaganda guns would Boom and the democrats would run for their ideological Foxholes where they would snipe Brackat the reds. West Berlin s mayor Ernst Reuter was one of the first to recognize that a propaganda War can no More be won by defensive tactics than a shooting War. Setter was in a better position than most to recognize that democracy must be sold to East Germany by aggressive propaganda methods. First he had been mayor of Berlin during the air lift an had seen How positive action by the Western Powers had captured the imagination of All germans. He was among the first to suggest that the same positive action which was used to break the rus Sian blockade of Berlin be used in propaganda so that the West would no Longe be in the position of Mere defensive snip dynamic anti communist propaganda program is giving its free people a new taste for positive action by a staff writer ing at its powerful propaganda enemy Reuter s second advantage in knowing How to Deal with communist propaganda lies in the fact that he was once a communist an experience which he justifies today Only to the extent that he no knows and hates communists because he Learned about them by being one reentered the communist party in 1917, after he had been captured by the rus sians on the Eastern front. On his Way to the internment Camp he mastered the russian alphabet by. Studying Railroad signs and in the Camp he mastered the russian language. He found himself in sympathy with the russian revolution arid gained an interview with Lenin. Lenin named Reuter the first soviet commissar of the Volga an Are which was inhabited by Many Ger mans who had migrated there during the Days of Catherine the great in that Capa City he came to know Joseph Stalin who was then minister for minorities. He retained his admiration for Lenin but said Stalin had the mentality of a  late 1918, Reuter was in Berlin As Secretary of the German communist party and soon began to detect signs that the russian communists who dictate party policy in Germany even then were instituting an Iron Clad dictatorship in Stead of the free socialism they had promised. When the German communist party voted to join the third International Reuter dropped out. Going Overto the social democrats. He edited the newspaper Vorwart. When Hitler came to Power a Suter was. Tossed into a concentration Camp. Reuter did not have to look far for backers for a positive. Anti communist propaganda Campaign. His political opponents from the Christian demo cratic party and the rightist free democrats while opposed to Reuter s socialist views were Quick to support a positive program to counteract communist propaganda. The Western allies in Berlin were pleased to see the democratic parties unite in the anti communist Campaign and offered advice and help wherever possible. The  radio in the Amer ican sector Rias cooperated with Heberlin democrats and so did information sections of tie . French and British Berlin elements. Another supporter of the Berlin Campaign for democracy has been the West German Federal Republic and its Chancellor. Konrad  has no love for Reuter whom he consider the strongest social demo crat and thus his strongest political opponent but he has authorized the expenditure o t special funds to Aid in the propaganda drive and has appeared Iberlin on such occasions As the recent dedication of the Freedom Bell in the Tower of the West Berlin City Hall. In Berlin Adenauer is about As Popularas sen. Robert a. Taf t in Cio Headquarters but the West German chancello made the trip and placed himself in the unenviable position of playing a poor Sec Ond to Reuter because he Felt political Unity in the anti communist campaigns More important than his own differences with Berlin s  methods used by Berlin democrats to overcome the communist propaganda drive would win favor in any american advertising Agency dedicated to the sell ing of soap automobiles or Bourbon the Berlin Campaign for democracy is carried out by radio newspapers and posters but so for that  the communist propaganda Campaign the difference be tween the two is that the Berlin democrats like an american advertising Agency place a great part of their emphasis on pure entertainment or comedy with the democratic message merely apart of the whole. They have found this method is More successful than the dul Hammer blow tactics of the communists. A Good example of the Success of this advertising technique is  years ago the station recognized that for better or worse a great number of German Young people like american jazz. Accordingly the radio scheduled american jazz and its rather Sticky German counterpart at frequent intervals through out the Day communists Are greatly interested in winning the minds of German continued on Pae Ivy feature Section