Boos for Boess

Dr. Gustav Boess, pinochle-playing Buergermeister of Berlin, returned to his own country last week, received a too loud welcome. Three weeks ago his triumphal tour of the U. S. was rudely interrupted with news of Berlin's noisome Sklarek scandal (TIME, Oct. 21). Brusquely the Berlin City Council ordered Mayor Boess to return immediately, tell whether he had bought Frau Boess a $1,000 fur coat from the Sklarek brothers, city contractors, and only paid $100 for it. Taking his own good time, Buergermeister Boess returned only last week.

His big round face moon-pale, Mayor Boess stood by the rail of the superspeedy S S. Bremen as she was warped into her pier at Bremerhaven. Dock police were struggling with shouting Communists who strove to hold aloft a six-foot banner on which the words BOESS-SKLAREK were accusingly visible. Deep boos, shrill whistles echoed from the dockside.

"Raus mit dem Schieber!" bawled stentorian voices. "Out with the slippery guy!" Mayor Boess blanched even paler. Frau Boess, defiantly wearing her notorious fur coat, squeezed his elbow to hearten him. First up the gangplank to greet them came Berlin's acting Mayor, Buergermeister Scholtz with a fat briefcase full of documents of the latest evidence against the Sklarek brothers and their city clothing contracts. Glumly he presented it to his superior, then ducked away to speed back to Berlin by airplane.

In Berlin an even noisier welcome awaited the Boesses. So ugly was the crowd in front of the great Charlottenburg station that police officials persuaded the Mayor to continue on to the station near the Zoological Gardens. Another crowd, just as loud, waited there, booing industriously. Forming a flying wedge, a cordon of leather-shakoed Schupos* hustled Buergermeister Boess and wife into the station master's office, then spirited them away through a back door to their home.

Even at home Herr & Frau Boess were not allowed to forget the Sklarek fur coat. Communists booed and hooted under the Boess windows until driven away by industrious Schupos, then came back to boo and hoot some more. Most persistent was a stalwart young Red who strode up and down before the house clad with eccentric symbolism in an amorphous, shaggy fur coat dyed flaming yellow.

*Berlin equivalent for "cop." Schupo is short for Schutzpolizci.