MOVIE MAKER HAS SCENES OF EAST BERLIN

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP75-00149R000800070017-2
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
November 11, 2016
Document Release Date: 
February 4, 1999
Sequence Number: 
17
Case Number: 
Content Type: 
NSPR
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP75-00149R000800070017-2.pdf85.39 KB
Body: 
t:A(13cj, 'CUNE ILSanitized - Approved For Relea se : CIA-RD F OIAb3b I! 8C~, 53 )AY 1,136,625 KilU J 1, 17u :Movie Maker. Has 1S enes of .' East Berlin . mftl, Traveler Recallsr Adventures BY ERWIN BACH Cameras were strictly " ver- ~.....,.. ? In East Berlin theaters During a preliminary I ????9 .. avrt cues, reef a car, tionin Wilson had and pead all that mono by tho he J'as told translator I support," explained Wilson, and museums, .. vu?u e11VU jaw . Frnlain ,If Convinces Police knew Allen Du lea (director at e r s . G rove : the central intelligent* en- movie maker, i eyj and why I was hotograph. found a way. ing the people standing in He smuggled line," he said. his 16 mm. " I told them I thought Dulles camera Inside had something to ddogwith our a by brief hiding it case, e. government security, but, that , I didn't know him personally such as those 1 which was truel and that I carried by all : photographed the people be. 11 cau I d m se wante hu intelrest Recently returned from nhie weeks of filming in West and I scenes of Fast Berlin and didn't East Berlin, Wilson ran into know they were waiting for adventure on nearly every adodded (Which was not true ad Wilson. street. He was arrested and After two hours,. Wilson, who questioned by Fact German po- a[.16 mm. color film for, their 85 minute -movie to be called, )or showing all in Chica- golaad and thruout the coun- try. -? west B rli I if b l b e n s eaut u e- Be was never touched or S?ood imagination ami the peo- se#rched, and, ( s. car was not . pie there have a spirit and way entered. Eventually, Wilaoa ; of life that is hard to equal," convin(*d? them of his back- 'concluded Wilson. "When ue ground as "camera tan-pri- went to Berlin, we hoped to keep politics out of our ict r vale citizen type,, and was turned' free, complete with his camera and all the film he had shot. When Wilson asked why he was arrested, they told him it was because of a prison la r cared up the street on which p u e, but it wim there staripg you in the face and knocking you over the head. In fact, the dif- ference between the two sec-1 tors has been known to drive some visitof?; into hysteria." he. had been filming. He dis- missed this as an excuse, how- ever. J ever. f Another close call for Wilsodl nee on one nearo-sstopping oc- ?"" j< v" vu, uecame came toe stay tie.pdotographed lire o. hungry. He told his iaterro- I the May day parade from a "Police In Tow" gators that be wanted a half dcaert d building roof in Fast " I was photographing long liter of milk, a bratwurst sou-,Bellfn. He was busy shooting lines of people waiting to buy , ,snge, and some bread. Much when two Bast German sal: .to his surprise, they rushed out diers passed nearby food in the East Berlin section and g Nthat. hlm "Several "sad saw called Kopenick," people quizzed um , They allowed him to tlalsh , '~I ~Iled and waved at q ? hi4 lunch b t th " e e about what I was doing, and on y started f them, said Wilson, And theyf I answered in my self-level- ' questioning. again, thus time by! smiled and waved back Then, two Intelligence then of the they left without . disturbing . . olmd German that I was pre- c-..... arin a documentar cult e g y ur `' They rnuldn't Understand i ? Wilsn$, together with his 4 film p "One ian thought the idea Was ' wunderbar,' " continued Wilson. " But one woman didn't like it too well, and when I moved on, I saw she followed me with the police in tow." i Wilson locked his car [he had ` to take his camera along] and followed the police into the lo- cal r alaboose. " I was ushered Into a room, and from that time until my recease 314 hours later, I was never left alone, even to go to a rest room," he said. " In fact, the toilet was even ex- Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75=Q0'IT 49R000800070017-2