Original subtitles

Congressmen, we're now flying over the heart of Berlin.

Berlin.

Over 75,000 tons of explosives were dropped here.

British Lancasters by night, American Fortresses by day.

I heard Russian artillery had a little part in it too, if you don't mind.

Sure they did and I wish they'd pay us for all those cannons.

Hey, quit juggling. Film like this is good stuff around election time.

The incumbent overseas.

Pennecot, don't you want to see it? Look at it.

Like pack rats been gnawing at a hunk of old mouldy Roquefort cheese.

You got quite a sight coming. Looks like chicken innards at frying time.

Considering the taxpayers' money poured on it,

I don't expect it to look like a lace Valentine.

Golly.

Well, that's rough doing. That sure is rough doing.

You can't keep a country eating scraps out of garbage pails.

I'm all for sending food, only let 'em know where it's from.

I object to dollar diplomacy.

- But you don't mind sending food. - There's a difference.

If you give a hungry man bread, that's democracy.

If you leave the wrapper on, it's imperialism.

Men, once more it is our honour and privilege to welcome a visiting committee.

Lately they seem to be coming as regularly as the electric bill.

This time it's not just VIPs.

This time we're getting VIPIs.

Very Important Persons Indeed.

Some Congressional committee to investigate our morale.

Seems back home, they've got an idea this here is one great big picnic,

that all we do is swing in hammocks with blonde Fräuleins,

swap cigarettes for castles on the Rhine

and soak our feet in sparkling Mosel.

Well, let's not kid ourselves.

Some of you do go overboard once in a while.

Maybe some of you are working too hard to enlighten the civilian population

and maybe some of you PX millionaires have found out

you can parlay a pack of cigarettes into something more than 20 smokes.

After all, this isn't a Boy Scout camp.

We've got a tough job on our hands

and, by and large, I think we're handling it darn well.

For my dough, we're on the ball.

Most of us, anyway... most of the time.

What they've got to realise is you can't pin sergeant's stripes on an archangel.

Now, this committee is going to be here for five days.

Let's give them as good an impression as possible.

Not pussyfooting around with a phoney attitude.

That's not fair to them or us.

I'm counting on you men to behave, period.

Morale. Maybe some day we can send a little committee of our own

to investigate morale in Washington, DC.

We're here, Congressman. Ready to unload?

Present... arms!

Ask her how much.

800 cigarettes, or coffee.

No. This watch gold. Gold for teeth.

- A watch from steel. - How's this?

No, this silver. Want steel.

You want steel.

No, want round watch, very big, nice face.

You're tough. All right, let's look in the other drawer.

Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse!

- How much? - $700.

- You got three like this watch, maybe? - We'll see.

On your left is the Russian war memorial,

built in honour of their soldiers killed in the battle of Berlin.

Those tanks on the side were the first to enter Berlin.

Beyond it, the Reichstag, the German house of representatives.

That's the building set on fire in 1933 and blamed on a poor Dutchman.

The word got out it was Hitler who threw the match.

They used to say it's the first time in history a man gave himself the hotfoot.

The Brandenburg Gate, an arch of triumph until they got out of the habit.

That rubble heap over there was the American embassy.

You can't tell now but this spot was once the heart of Europe.

The street is the famous Unter den Linden,

named after the linden trees, which they've replanted now.

That pile of stone over there was the Adlon Hotel,

just after the 8th Air Force checked in for the weekend.

Now, let's look at the Wilhelmstraße.

Here's the Reich Chancellery where the Führer fixed himself up a duplex.

As it turned out, one part got to be a big padded cell and the other a mortuary.

Underneath is a concrete basement,

where he married Eva Braun and where they killed themselves.

A lot of people say it was the perfect honeymoon.

Over there is the balcony where he bet his Reich would last a thousand years.

That's the one that broke the bookies' hearts.

This is the Tiergarten, used to be the Central Park of Berlin.

Those two big cement things are the zoo bunkers, enormous pillboxes.

They were the last two buildings in Berlin to surrender.

Fräulein, Fräulein, willst du ein candy bar

Schön, fein Fräulein, you like Gls, nicht wahr?

At home though you won't believe us

The girls could take or leave us

But here we squares is millionaires, ach, du wunderbar candy bar

Don't give her that candy bar yet. Are you crazy?

- I ain't giving. I'm just showing. - Say, was ist your name?

- Er, Gretchen. - Gretchen what?

- Gesundheit. Gretchen Gesundheit. - Gesundheit!

How do you like that? We're fraternising with a sneeze.

Gretchen, Gretchen...

Black market

Sneak around the corner, Budapesterstraße

Black market

Peek around the corner

Come, I'll show you things you cannot get elsewhere

Come, make with the offers and you'll get your share

Black market

Eggs for statuettes

Smiles for cigarettes

Got some broken-down ideals?

Like wedding rings?

Shh.

Tiptoe

Trade your things

I'll trade you for your candy

Some gorgeous merchandise

My camera, it's a dandy

Six by nine

Just your size

You want my porcelain figure?

A watch? A submarine?

A Rembrandt? Salami? Black lingerie from Wien?

I sell my goods behind the screen

No ceiling, no feeling

A very smooth routine

You buy these goods

And, boy, these goods are keen

Black market

Laces for the missus, chewing gum for kisses

Black market

Cuckoo clocks and bangles

Thousand little angles

Come and see my little music box today

Price?

Only six cartons

Want to hear it play?

Black market

Mink and microscope for liverwurst and soap

Browse around

I've got so many toys

Don't be bashful

Step up, boys

You'll like my first edition

It's yours

That's how I am

A simple definition

You take art

I take Spam

To you for your K ration

Compassion

And maybe an inkling

A twinkling of real sympathy

I'm selling out

Take all I've got

Ambitions, conviction, the works

Why not?

Enjoy these goods

For, boy, these goods... are hot

I want you to remember that when we moved into Germany,

we found a country of open graves and closed hearts.

We've tried to turn it into a civilised state.

We had to eliminate things that breed unrest and aggression.

We've tried to make them free men and give them some dignity.

We had to return four million displaced persons to their homes.

That's hard if you don't have a home to start with.

We had to repair hospitals and public utilities.

I remember the first day the gasworks started operating again.

There were 160 suicides in Berlin alone.

That was ten months ago.

Today, they take a match and light the gas and boil some potatoes.

Not many potatoes, mind you. There is still a lot of hunger.

But there is a new will to live.

We had to build schools and find teachers and then teach the teachers.

We helped them start a free press and institute a parliamentary government.

They had their first free election in 14 years.

It had been so long they didn't know what to do.

It was like handing the village drunk a glass of water.