Non-Party Line

Thousands of Berliners this week were dialing "23" on their telephones. What they got was not the time, the weather or Long Distance, but a three-minute report of the latest news from radio station RIAS (Rundfunk im Amerikanischen Sektor). Of the 20,000-30,000 daily calls, nearly half come from residents of Berlin's Soviet sector, who apparently want their telephoned news uncluttered by the party line.

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