Since the Middle Ages, when Austrian robber barons stretched huge iron chains across the Danube, commerce on Europe's oldest highway has been free for only 18 yearsfrom 1921 to 1939 under the provisions of the Versailles Peace Treaty.
First Hitler and then Stalin in effect restored the chains. Last week, signing two agreements with non-Soviet nations, the Communists agreed that the Blue Danube would no longer be exclusively Red.
The first agreement is commercial: Austria and Communist Hungary will exchange passengers, and freight on the Danube. Austrian ships will be permitted to sail...
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