Publishers: The Oak Attracts the Lightning

West Berlin is the focal point of more than one cold war. Outside the towering glass-and-metal headquarters of Publisher Axel Springer, burly guards are posted at every door. Loudspeakers have been installed that emit such a high-pitched whine that it will pain the eardrums of would-be invaders. From the East, over the Wall that runs alongside the building? Not at all. From the West. Militant West Berlin students have threatened to break into the plant and smash the printing presses—not to mention the faces of any Springer personnel who get in their...

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