https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/6d6308009313cbe8d98bea47584db125.pdf 486e88a80555eef8e3b26d1a6a0bfd40 PDF Text Text Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de lo Loi sur l'acces /'information o "ui!; (;,~JS'~ ..~~~"-'' _Ext.A ~·.~ f Desp,och No•••• ;. Date ..... . .Jll ~r------~ JJ·~ . ~--~~-~W" 8 Oct.ob.er. ..)0, .1950.. TAWA JiLt • /.D.'f.:J 1\ .. . . . . SECUR:Y ~LAS-fiflC"XTION UNCLAS S I F I E D /cl FROM: Canadian Mission, /TO: Bonn, Germany. THE SECRETARY OF STATEFOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, CANADA ::t:::~:::: ~;: :;.~;;: ;~~: ~:; ~;:~:: -----A::-::-"-+:----+' -- Somebody, I think General Lucius D. Clay, conceived the idea of having a large bell cast in England to be hung in West Berlin as a bell of freedom to commemorate the struggle of Berlin to maintain its freedom against the Russian attempt to starve the people of the Western sectors of that city into sub• mission to Communist control. The airlift prevented this submission but this would have been futile if it had not been for the determination of the people to defy Russia, come what may. They were led in this by Reuter who is still the Mayor of greater Berlin. --,---_ ..22.., __ Copies Referred To.............. . 2. The purchase of the bell was financed in the United States. The bell was cast and transported to the United States where it went on tour throughout the land. installed Then it was moved to Berlin as planned. and was J. It was dedicated on Tuesday last,October 24, 1950 and pealed its first note in Berlin at a dedication ceremony when General Clay, who had travelled all the way from the United States, pushed an electric button which brought the peal. 4. No. of Enclosures ·,;i· I ..... ........ . The heads of all Missions were invited to attend and I went to Berlin to take part in this most interesting ceremony. The majority of the heads of the other Missions were also present. It was, of course, an American show as they had conceived the idea and carried it out. 5. The purpose of this short despatch is to describe the function and to give you some conclusions which I reached as a result of it. Post File s 6. The physical aspects of the show itself were just like one at home to mark the laying of a cornerstone or some such function. On the city hall steps a large platform had been erected. To the front of this stood a table on which was placed a great array of microphones. Out in front and separate from the platform proper, was another one for press correspondents and press photographers ....,e,... The place was literally alive with them. There~movies and stills, cameras with long telescopic lenses which made them look like trench mortars, flash lights and tripod! and all the paraphefnalia of the world press. The • • • 2 000176 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur l'acces o /'information • event was to be well reported by word and picture and the whole carried over the world by radio. It was described as having resulted in the biggest and most widespread radio transmission in the world. It was an occasion for superlatives and they were there in full force. 7. Directly behind the table sat a row of American dignitaries, including Mr. John J. McCloy, the United States High Commissioner, his Deputy, General George P. Hays, General Clay, the Chiefs of the American armed forces in Germany and the Berlin American Commandants. In the middle of this array sat Mayor Beuter. We of the Missions sat to the left. To the right sat German dignitaries leq by the Chancellor, Dr.Adenauer. He sat throughout with hi~dead pan face, rigid and erect, giving no indication of his reaction to the event. He looked neither to the right nor the left. He just sat looking straight ahead and no one could tell by watching him just what his feelings were. He is an infrequent visitor to Berlin and bears the reputation there of being a Rhinelander whose sole interest is in the Rhine and of having little interest in the rest of Germany and particularly in Berlin. On several sides I heard that he was only there because he simply had to be,having failed to appear on several other occasions when it was felt he should have appeared. His general demeanour gave one the impression that he was there much against his will. However, the main thing is that he was there. e. Mr. McCloy spoke, the Mayor spoke, General Clay spoke, a band played, then at 12.00 noon, Clay said a few more words, pushed a button and the bell pealed forth, and a lovely sound it was. I was told that a British expert had been brought from Britain to ring the bell and I subsequently met him. He was laughing at the thought that there should be so much made of the pushing of the button when all it did was to tell him to set to. 9. Now to a few things which were said and my impressions. F'irst, 1 t was mentioned that the Liberty Bell in lndependence Hall at Philadelphia had been cast in England. Its place in American history was touched upon. Then the present Freedom Bell was related to it and it was said and properly said, that it was fitting and proper that this bell should also be cast in England and there it had been cast• and that- it was particularly fitting and proper that it should be hung in Berlin, the central point in all this world in the fight for the preservation of freedo~. It was hoped that its daily peal would tell a daily story of freedom and the need to preserve it. 10. 11. I learned subsequently that those in charge of the function had approached the church authorities in West Berlin, Protestant and Roman Catholic alike, and had asked that coincident with the pealing of the first note that their church bells be rung. This was flatly refused on the ground that the Communists in East Germany had been attempt~ ing to get the churches to ring their bells on many occasione as a part of a political gesture of support to the regime • • • 3 000177 1 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de lo Loi sur /'occes a /'information • - 3 there. They said that they could not refuse over there and at the same time participate in a function in the West which also had a political significance. Their position may well be logical but I heard a lot of criticism on the ground that as between liberty and slavery the church had to take a stand and could well refuse to have anything to do with the Communist regime in the East and should properly join in with the freedom movement in the West. It is an indication of the attempt of the German churches to get themselves into a position of neutrality as between the regimes of East and West Germany. The fact remains, however, that there was a great deal of logic in the decision of the churches. But to come back. The setting of the ceremony, the physical arrangements for it, the presence of the functionaries taking part, the speeches, the music and everything, was to my mind completely overshadowed by the people who turned.out. 12. 13. I learned from a reliable source that a group of high pressure American publicity men had been imported to whip up the affair, in the belief that it would be necessary in order to secure a proper attendance, to conduct a campaign similar to our Victory Loan campaigns in the war years. 14. Led by the American Commandant in Berlin, a large deputation waited upon the Mayor some time before the day. They had great plans for a tremendous hullabaloo which they were going to turn on. He would have none of it. He said that he would only consent to an ordinary announcement of the event, the time, the place, and purpose and that he would not lift a finger to urge people to attenp nor would he approve 9f anyone else doing so. refused to declare He said; the people will attend. the day or even a few hours of it, 15. This attitude shook our American friends. work at home and how could it work in Berlin. had to accept the Mayor's judgment gracefully, did, but with grave misgivings. He a holiday. It wouldn't However they which they 16. The function was due to open at a quarter to eleven. I drove down at ten o'clock. For a mile or so along the street I traversed, I could seer nothing but a milling mass of people making their way towards the city hall. The police had to open the traffic to let our cars through. The nearer we got to the city hall the greater the crowd. I learned that they had started to congregate before 8.oo a.m. As I sat and looked out I saw before me the greatest mass of humanity I have ever seen in all my life. ~very street was packed for blocks and blocks. The bulk could only listen to the broacast and could see nothing but there they were and there they stood. In front of us were the usual gaunt wrecks of bombed-out buildings. Hanging onto ruins, atop restored buildings and everywhere there was a foothold, there were people. The day was a fearful one, heavily overcast, cold and dreary, but this fact seemed to make no difference whatsoever to the people. There they were and there they stayed hour on hour. 17. This was the thing which struck me.. In the Russian sector a commensurate crowd could have been gathered together but only with the prodding of the police and the authorities. Left to make their own decision, nothing like this was possible in 000178 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de lo Loi sur l'occes a /'information • - 4 the Russian zone. This was the real story of the occasion, i.e., the turn-out en masse of the population, of their own free will and accord. Tools must have been laid down everywhere to produce this mass of people. 1S. They were quiet. There was little response to the speeches in mglish which were subsequently and monotonously translated into German. Clay did evoke a wave of cheers. The people know that he is the one who saved them from Russian domination and slavery. But when the Mayor stepped forward the scene changed. It was as though a giant electric spark had been released. There was a crackling which swept outward from the platform to the outer reaches of the crowdi a surge of approval. He raised his hand for quiet and aunched into a speech in German. One could tell that here was the man the people liked and would follow. I naturally could not follow him but as usual he breathed defiance to the Communists. 19. Masses of people must have come across from the Eastern sector of the city just as they did to cast their ballots on October 15 or before, when at the urge of the West they were asked to send in by mail, the stubs of their used ration books to indicate their opposition to Communism. These stubs are still trickling in and up to Tuesday over four hundred thousand had been received. When one realizes that these had to be mailed in the West sector you can understand just what this really means as an evidence of defiance. This was an occasion when these people could again indicate their abhorrence to the Soviet system imposed upon them. 20. The great moment came a~e all stood as the button was pushed and the bell pealed forth. Everyone on the platform uncovered and simultaneously every hat came off in the whole vast crowd. All one could see was a sea of white round faces, looking exactly like a sea of great white ivory buttons. Everyone stood rigidly at attention. Then without any closing word the crowd started to melt away. No one seemed to speak to anyone else. All faces indicated that they had been touched and moved by the event. One could not help but be affected by the moving nature of this final appeal. 21. I came away with a recognition of the fact that at least in Berlin the people were united in their opposition to Communism. They have sensed freedom and they want it. Within the borders of their own city they can see the operation of the Russian system. Thi8 event gave them the opportunity en mass• and in an orderly way by their sheer presence to indicate their opinions to the world. 22. As I have mentioned before, there is a different spirit in Berlin than that which prevails elsewhere. I think it was the Mayor in the course of his address, who referred to the three Occupying Powers and their military forces as "our allies". Everyone up there is on an equal basis. No longer is it a case of"occupied" and "occupiers" • . • • 5 000179 �• Document disdosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de lo Loi sur l'occes a /'information - 5 ... There is little stress between the political parties. They are linked together in a common defiance against a common foe. If only this same attitude and this same unity could prevail all over West Gennany, the problems of the future would be simplified. As we all left to attend a host of functions running into the late night, the Mayor was heard to remark to the American Commandant, "What did I tell you." T.C. Davis Head of Mission. 000180 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CDBC00326 Title A name given to the resource "Dedication of the Freedom Bell in the City Hall, Berlin," Bonn to SSEA, despatch no. 581 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 30-Oct-50 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "BERLIN. Political Situation. Relations between West and East Berlin," RG25-A-3-c, Volume 4072, File number: 10937-40, File part: 1, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource LAC ATIP A-2024-01457 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Subject The topic of the resource Berlin Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Canada Declassified Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English