College Senior Invades Red's Festival at Berlin

Posing as a fellow-traveller, a College senior crashed the Communist youth convention behind the Iron Curtain and escaped in August with the inside story of the American delegation.

G. Jerome Goodman '52, an editor of the CRIMSON, spent one week in Red Berlin at the much-ballyhooed World Peace Festival. He worked his way into the closely-guarded American delegation of 65 students.

The most interesting news that Goodman uncovered was: "There are 10 (in the American delegation) who had violated State Department regulations by coming through Czecho-Slovakia. They got to Vienna on their American passports and then came by train through Prague to East Berlin." All American passports are stamped. "Not valid for travel in Czecho-Slovakia."

Before leaving Free Berlin he wrote the CRIMSON, "Tomorrow I pad over to the Weltjugendfestspiel and see what I can see. Maybe I'll get shot. There are more Folk Police per square foot of ground than I've ever seen in my life."

Goodman's fears were right he was routed from bed at 1 a.m. and brought before German officials. He was expelled from the delegation and, hearing that more drastic steps were planned, escaped by subway to the American sector.

With him he brought notes on the American delegation which he will use in an article next month in Collier's.

At the time of the Festival, reports were circulating around Berlin that the Russians were asking some of the Americans to do spy work for them.

Isolated Delegation

Goodman said the American delegation was practically isolated from the others. "We could meet them only on special occasions. Then we all went together in a bus. We went by bus from our quarters to our meals and then were brought back again in the bus."

There was a lot of food, he said, but it was mostly cold cuts, potatoes, and cheese. When he made remarks about it, one of his fellow delegates said. "We can't complain, you know."

Goodman got into the Festival after a half-hour interview with the titular chief of the American delegation, Joy Silver. Goodman told Miss Silver he was not a Communist but was in favor of peace.

"What have you done for peace?" she asked him.

"Nothing," said Goodman, "but I'm still young." After the talk he was accepted as a full-fledged member, and was put in a room with 13 other American boys.

Goodman started out his activities with a visit to the "House of Youth" on the Alexander Platz, where he was questioned by officials of the F. D. J. (Free German Youth). He was told he would be screened and could come back the next day.

Goodman sent the CRIMSON a postal from East Berlin during the festival. On one side was a picture of a group of girls posing before a photograph of Stalin and on the other side was the following message:

"Well, here we are at the big youth festival and jiminy crickets, is it something. Holy cow, you should see it. Gee whiz, yesterday there was a big peace demonstration and a million Free German youth marched, and then released doves--the birds of peace. You could even say this whole magnificent demonstration is for the birds..."

He was given his participation card the following day and reported to the American delegation which is housed at Schoeneweide, a suburb of the south eastern part of Berlin. He was told that he had to be screened some more and could return in the morning. He told them he had no place to go and was put in a small room with an F. D. J. boy who was apparently supposed to guard him.

Goodman's interest in photography and an escapade around town he made on the pretext of going to the dentist's caused suspicion and ended his stay with the delegation.

At 1 o'clock one morning he was awakened and told he would have to go to the "House of World Youth," where he was expelled from the delegation.

Goodman found a hotel where he slept for an hour and a half. He returned to the American delegation, found everyone still asleep, took his bag and made his way to the nearest elevated railway station.