Not since the 1953 East German uprising had the tide of refugees from Communism reached such flood proportions. In a week, the grey procession of escapees showing up at registration centers in West Berlin and West Germany leaped from the normal 500 a day to almost 1,500. At the big Marienfelde refugee barracks, the registration clerks were swamped, and West Berlin authorities had to charter extra planes to haul the escapees out to the West. One reason was the new food shortage in East Germany, which had brought tighter rationing of potatoes and butter, new crackdowns by Red Boss...
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