As East Germany's Eighth Party Congress got under way one morning last week, the 9 a.m. newscast from East Berlin reported that Walter Ulbricht was at that moment delivering the first address. In fact, Ulbricht was nowhere in sight. In a last-minute turnabout, a stand-in had been called on to read the speech for the man who symbolized East Germany for a quarter century and was replaced only last month as Communist Party chief by Erich Honecker. A half hour later, the East Germans somewhat lamely announced that Ulbricht was ill. Oddly...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
