Leipzig, announcing of the action. Weissenfels, helpers organizing exchange. Berlin, exchange and peoples police border control. Only east Berliners were allowed to pass into the sector. A man tried to smuggle 2.000,DM from a west Berlin business man to an exchange office. A young boy was caught with 7.230,-DM while crossing the border. This money belonged to a west Berlin shop owner who tried to get this money exchanged.




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Background: Unexpectedly 20 000 millions of East-Marks lost their value last Sunday morning, when East-zone Prime minister Otto Grotewohl announced by radio that all papermoney had to be exchanged to new banknotes. A sum up to 300 DM could be exchanged to new money for every person. All money over this sum will be transferred to a bank account after it was checked where this money comes from. The whole action came s suddenly that by radio bank clerks, teachers and students were urged by radio to come to schools and other places to help organizing the exchange which should be done within ten hours. West Berlin business man, shop owners, banks and exchange officers were not allowed to change their money. People police units blocked off all traffic between the zone and West Germany as well as West Berlin.