Union Station by David Downing

Author:David Downing [Downing, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Quonset Hut

June 11 was a difficult day for Gerhard Ströhm. That morning the SED’s “New Course” was brought to the attention of the East German public via the pages of the Party paper Neues Deutschland. The abandonment of the much-lauded collectivisation programme, a halt to the anti-religious campaigns, less pressure on private businesses, and a rise in the production of consumer goods—so many U-turns at once came as a real shock, to both the lower reaches of the Party and the people as a whole. Knowing that the main beneficiaries of these changes would be farmers and business owners was deeply upsetting to those who believed they were building a worker’s state; the fact that the increased work norms remained in place merely added insult to injury.

Could anything good come out of this? Could it really be a new beginning? Ströhm wanted to think so, but the voice in his head kept saying that it was too little, too late.

At Party HQ almost everyone seemed confused. Were they pausing for breath, changing their minds, just giving up? What in God’s name did those at the top think they were doing? Ulbricht’s vision of the future might have been too ambitious, but at least it had been clear. They had known where they were supposed to be going.

Now everything seemed up in the air. Which of course was dangerous, because no one knew what might now be permissible. And because the Party looked weak.

It wasn’t Ströhm’s job to reassure the faithful or show a confident face to the masses, and for that he was grateful, fearing that his performance would be less than convincing. His job was to assess how well the New Course was being received, and Mironov would not be expecting his provisional judgement until at least a week had passed.

Visiting the canteen for lunch and idly roaming the building thereafter, Ströhm didn’t like what he found. Rather than the sense of excitement a new beginning might evoke, there was irritation, anger, and an undercurrent of fear. Here, in its own HQ, it felt like the SED was under siege.

Back in his office, Ströhm spent much of the afternoon wondering what he should say to Annaliese. She and the children were leaving next morning for a long weekend in the Western sector, staying three days in Spandau with her late first husband’s parents and then two at the Schade house in Dahlem, where Effi and John Russell were about to arrive.

He reached home just before her and the children. “How about a trip to the park?” he suggested.

“I really need to pack,” was her tired response.

He got paper and pencil, wrote down we really need to talk, and showed it to her.

“But you’re right,” she said. “It’s a lovely evening, and the packing can wait.”

Once outside, she asked him what he needed to tell her.

“Wait till we’re in the park,” he cautioned.

She gave him a look but said no more. Crossing Leninallee opposite her place of work, they made

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