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Guns & Reality. Meanwhile, Firma Fried. Krupp is pushing ahead into new areas, expanding production at home. It is scouting for new ore supplies for the separated Rheinhausen steel plant, building its own fleet of ore boats—examples of confidence that the Krupp empire will soon be united again.
Krupp still hopes never to make guns again, but Alfried Krupp likes to tell friends, with half-concealed amusement, of the irony of his situation. After the war, the Allies were rock-firm in their pronouncement that Krupp would never again be allowed to make munitions; now, the U.S. and Great Britain would like Krupp to resume making war matėriel so that Germany can carry its share in NATO. "Why in the world," says Berthold Beitz, "would we want to produce guns? Look at our orders for peacetime goods. Besides, what war is going to be fought with guns anyway?" Would Krupp produce armaments if pressed to do so by Bonn or NATO? Says Alfried Krupp: "That is difficult. I suppose that under certain conditions we would. We must not forget reality."
*As he is known to outsiders. In Essen it is either Alfried or Herr von Bohlen. * A distant relative of U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines and former Ambassador to Moscow Charles E. ("Chip") Bohlen. whose greatgrandfather and Gustav's grandfather were brothers.