If appearances can be deceptive, they can also be highly cost efficient, or so the East Germans apparently think. Last week the West German government reported that East Germany has abandoned its attempt to man with armed guards the more than 700 watchtowers along the roughly 850-mile German border. Instead, the East Germans are now using life-size cardboard soldiers to scare off would-be Western invaders--and potential defectors. How many of the tower guards are bogus is anyone's guess. "Sometimes they are placed in the towers for only a few hours," says a spokesman for the West German border police. "The idea...
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