European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 19, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes 20 years after the Berlin Airlift German Economy gleaming politics by John Bausman Frankfurt a a two engine cargo plane lumbered Down the runway at Wiesbaden air base 20 years ago and his tory s biggest air transport Ope ration was under Way the Ber Lin Airlift. West Berlin the City that air lift pilots saved for the West and West Germany the country they flew from showed every where the signs of wartime ruin and postwar shortage. Only a Pilot of rare vision would have seen in the shattered country below him the seeds of wealth and influence of West Germany today. And none of those who risked their lives in the Airlift would have imagined that the unite states would be condemned in the streets of West Berlin 20years later by angry Young Stu dents because of a War in far off Asia. Even More surprising the same students now clash with police in protest against the political and social system that the Airlift made possible. By the time the 15-Monthairlift was Over american and British planes had carried2,325,509 tons of supplies to West Berlin to break a soviet stranglehold on land routes to the City. The massive air Supply dramatized Allied determination to Block communist designs to squeeze the West out of Berlin. It also set the framework i which the country lives today. As important to the future of Esi Germany As the Airlift was a bold economic decree is sued on june 20, 1948, just six Days before the Airlift  was the currency Reform devised by Ludwig Erhard which created the Deutsche Mark. Erhard swept away the worthless inflated reichsmark and dropped rationing and Price controls to let the new Mark work in a free Economy. In the scramble to earn the new Money German business and Industry revived. An Early inching upward of prices was reversed and in less than 10years people were talking about the German economic Miracle. In contrast to the empty vaults and a postwar barter Economy in which cigarette were a chief item of Exchange West Germany today has accumulated 26 billion Marks $6.5 billion in Gold and foreign cur Rency and had a Gross National product last year of 483.6 Bil lion Marks $120.9 billion. It has in addition refinanced pre War debts of $1.2 billion paid Back . Marshall plan Aid of$3.3 billion and granted 36 Bil lion Marks $9 billion in Aid toothed countries. Outward evidences of Prosperity Are the sleek office build Ings the Busy Industrial Plant Sand factories new and efficient replacements of those destroyed by War. Highways and City streets Are jammed with Pri vate cars. More and More Ger mans own Homes surrounded by immaculate gardens. The Back Yard swimming Pool business i big even though Summers Are not notably hot. While the economic scene has changed dramatically since the Airlift Days political problems the country Echo those of 20 years ago. The occupying allies of 20years ago worried about stamp ing out nazism with de Nazifi cation courts and re Educa Tion for democracy. Today the country s leaders watch with concern the Rise of a new nationalist party calling itself the National democratic party of Germany Ned. In two years of hard campaigning the party has won seats in seven German state Legislatures. Under the Leader ship of chairman Adolf Vonthadden a 46-year-old descendent of a prussian Noble family it scored its biggest gain in a Den Wuerttemberg last month taking nearly 10 per cent of the  Thadden is now aiming for the Federal elections in the fall of 1969, and unless the elec Tion Law is changed the part is Likely to seat members in the bundestag Federal parliament the Ned s Success is based on the proportional representation Factor in West Germany s Complex election Law. No no candidate has Ever won direct election in his own District. The party s seats came from the fact that it piled up More than five per cent of the total vote and was thus entitled to apportioned seats. The Ned is strongly nationalistic opposed to foreign troops and foreign workers in Ger Many. It denies Germany s sole guilt for world War ii an wants to see War crimes trials which Are still being conducted ended. Von Thadden disputes any at tempt to pin a nazi Label on his party and says the party i devoted to a democratic elec toral system upholds no fuehrer principle and does not seek dictatorship control. The Ned hammers away at a theme that arouses some interest in Germany. Twenty years after world War ii West Germany still has 215,000 Amer ican soldiers about 40,000 Brit ish soldiers and some 60,000french soldiers stationed within its Borders while in East Ger Many there Are 20 soviet Divi Slons. The party would like Tosee All foreign troops leave both East and West Germany to Clear the air for the two parts of the country to get together again. Emergence of the Ned has helped stimulate a noisy leftist movement among the country students. The students destructive demonstrations and Stree Battles with police in major cities last easter weekend were blamed by leading politicians for the Ned s subsequent successes in Baden Wuerttemberg. The hard Core Radical ele ment among the students is the socialist German student league ads. It represents Only a Small fraction of the Stu Dent population but draws Many outsiders for its demonstrations. The dramatic easter weekend riots in West Berlin and Munich and to a lesser extent in other cities were a re action to the attempted assassination of leftist student Leader duts like. " amen tary equate they be replaced by i Peoples councils \ another kind of Airlift Doz struggle a standoff so far the Pace or that we would eve suffer so Many  cases entire replacement regi ments have moved into position out because \ too combed to an "establish.? the students found Amito order cause in the West �1 Man state of emergency to protest final passage u aws m the last wee of of they closed Down uni Venil and schools around the co and even persuaded a few Mil ers to pull Wildcat strikes. The emergency Laws i the government s Pom Raj limitations of Power in i emergency and tension. Deb for years they were fms ironed out by the coalition Ern ment of Chancellor Kurtt Lorg Kiesinger. Kiesinger s r 1 Alist partners gave their port after watering Down original Christian  proposals. Ironically impetus for controversial Laws came fro the fact that the wartime All retained emergency rights ill West Germany until the cd try worked out a suitable air argement for handling its in emergencies. Shortly after the til ended in 1949, West Gen Nail staged its first election. The Tal major parties who battled i control of the bundestag to Tell the Christian democrats Oil the social democrats Ait today governing jointly in a Anition. The two party governing gave the country in the past is i years some stability to 7is m Darnstadt Ai Tnp. Are York offic. I Washington new to appearance o by the department of of few or any Nneal Moiety in u hic a a. The United states is Anion i preside to 011to know is cherished Ana