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10/10/53 - Reel 2, track 1 - Page 1 MR. ACHESON: We were talking about Berlin, at George's suggestion. As I said, the thing that impressed me was the tremendous courage of the population of West Berlin in the face of all the doubts about the future, the tremendous pressures that were on them. Here they were living in the mi ddle of all this sea of power - Communist power, and a very large part of this, I think, was due to the spirit and TRUMANA leadership of Mayor Reuter. They adored him, he was a man of a RECORDS ADMIN INATIONA) indomitable courage. I remember going Into the Oity Hall. and the outside of it there were a tremendous mob of people, and their idol was Reuter. When Reuter came out everybody cheered and shouted. We had a dicsussion as to whether I should go into the Soviet Zone. Max Taylor and Reuter were there. McCloy thought it was very bad: there might be some incident or other, and he was inclined to think I shouldn't do it. Reuter was clear that I should do it, and Max Taylor hadn't any doubt about it at all. He said, "You've got a right, haven't you? Come on, let's go." So we got into Max's car and the police took us up to the Brandenberg Gate and then they pulled off to one side and Max and I, all alone in the car, into East Berlin we vent. Down about a block, and then there was a red light and we stopped. A truck ahead of us, a truck on one side, and one came uo on the other side, and Max had his three stars and the American flag on the front of this thing, and turned to me in this cheery way and said to me, "Mr. Secretary. if you don' t get it now, I think you are all right." (Laughter) We didn't get it then, and But his spirit - the troops - whatever trouble people had with American troops in West Germany, you lidn't have any in Berlin. There were the smartest outfits you ever saw. I remember the guard