Word: brandts
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...deadly inhuman person," Willy Brandt said of Willi Stoph some years ago. Whether Brandt would like to revise that assessment after his meeting with East Germany's Premier last week at Erfurt remains to be seen. To be sure, the shy, introverted Stoph (rhymes with loaf) is not exactly the cuddly type. In a country where telling jokes about political leaders has long been a favorite pastime, no German-East or West-can readily recall any gags about the steely, erect and correct Stoph. But he does seem to inspire respect...
While Werner Barm cautions that Stoph "is not a man to give up Communism," he concedes that "he is one of the few men in the party leadership who is seeking a reconciliation of Communism and the people." Clearly, Willy Brandt is hoping that the other Willi will some day start seeking the same sort of reconciliation between the people of East and West Germany as well...
...East Germans also tried to camouflage the feelings of their people. To avoid an overly enthusiastic reception for West German Chancellor Willy Brandt, authorities ordered workers to remain at their jobs and students to stay in class. To discourage an influx of visitors, Erfurt-bound trains were canceled and roadblocks were set up on all roads leading to the city...
Nonetheless, as Brandt stepped from his special train in Erfurt one morning last week, 3,000 East Germans had gathered. When Brandt, accompanied by East German Premier Willi Stoph (see box) walked across a square to the Hotel Erfurter Hof, the cheers began: "Willy! Willy! Willy!" When the two men stepped inside, the crowd broke through the police lines and surged across the square. Then, as if to make sure that nobody mistook which Willy they meant, they shouted: "Willy Brandt ans Fenster [Willy Brandt to the window]!" Moved to tears, Brandt briefly appeared at a third-story window...
...Brandt, with a portrait of East German Communist Boss Walter Ulbricht at his back, replied that the two German states could never regard each other as foreign countries. While he did not rule out negotiations on recognition, he stressed that the proper mission of the two German states was to narrow, not to widen, the gap between them. He suggested that Bonn and East Berlin work out plans for improved communications, freer travel and cultural and athletic exchanges. Said Brandt: "Unless we make a start in these areas, contracts about normalization are going to be nothing but an empty nutshell...