Mr. Marcel Shutz was educated both in Switzerland and England then joined the diplomatic corps. He was posted in East Berlin before the wall came down and has now been moved over to West Berlin. He hoped to be posted in Latin America next. He speaks no Spanish but says no one cares "if you know the language - although it helps - so long as you are prepared to learn". Having lived under the communist/socialistic system he was able to speak about it. He said things were just not available. They couldn't paint their houses, there was no paint. Everything was left by the Russians as they found it after the war. People were born under the new system without knowing about the west, and a better life so they grew up influenced by the propaganda and supporting it. Every foreigner was watched, it was quite a joke.
Once he picked his visiting mom up from the station, dropped off his mother and sister off at his house and took their passports to the police station, accompanied by his father to register them. As he walked in the door a lady behind the counter said " Ah Mr. Shutz you've come to register your mother and sister who are at your house, and this is your father."They move every move you made. There always seemed to be a little car following you. The Trabank care characteristic of East Germany, you had to order them 13 years in advance and no one could afford one anyway. Things were available but always for a price. Once he bribed a butcher with a bottle of Whiskey for a joint of meat as he was having an Eastern official for dinner. The official asked where he had got the meat, when both of them knew damned well where it had come from or rather how he had come by it. "The butcher" our little Swiss answered innocently. The officials were all East German but all well trained and indoctrinated. The "high brass" were originally shipped in from Moscow.
2 months before the wall came down a man was shot climbing over the wall, what a waste. The East Germans have a very high percentage of working woman so kids aren't looked after well and grow up wayward. But everyone in the family has to work to survive. Rent was very low, 25 marks a month. It was payed to the "society". the landlord is the government so no one can do anything to the property (like paint it) even if anyone could afford it. The responsibility has been taken away from everyone as they don't own the property so everything is left in bad condition.
Our Swiss ride was totally in favor of the free market and didn't enjoy his time in East Germany at all.
We asked him about the EEC and if he thought Switzerland should join. They can't join until at least after 92' as the EEC has said that no new members can join until the present ones are up to par. He sees the main problem as economic as joining the EEC will bring the value of their Franc down and mean no more save haven for tax. A hornet's nest will be opened up if people now protected financially by the independence of Switzerland become open to investigation. Our short but energetically verbal driver was on his way to Liepzig to open a watch exhibition and was most impressed that we would be staying at a hotel of a higher level than his.
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