United Germany a Hot Topic, But Many Ask, Why So Fast?
OLDENBURG, West Germany, March 14 — Situated on a broad plain, this city of 142,000 has much in common with other German urban centers: a ducal castle with vestiges of a moat, a university, medium-sized industries, a splendid museum, handsomely restored patrician houses and remarkably clean streets. As in every village, town and city of West Germany, the topic dominating thoughts and conversations in Oldenburg and its environs is the rush toward the unification of East and West Germany. But in interviews with more than a score of West Germans in various walks of life, a visitor encounters a striking contrast from the oratory of Bonn politicians, amplified by the national press. The people assessed the changes not so much in terms of nationalism but of their own lives. Almost all of them thought the idea of unification was right, but many complained that the process was moving too quickly. Farmers worried about competition from fertile lands in the east. Factory workers said it would no
