People in the East looked toward the West with longing. They would have liked to have the same comforts, the same goods, the same chances. They saw a system that demanded of them sacrifices with nothing but promises for the future.

I was in psychological warfare in World War II, so I know psychological warfare when I see it.

A Western writer came up to me and said, how come nobody at this demonstration spoke of German unity? I told him, because it isn't on the agenda. People were interested in having another, better GDR, another, better socialism.

We certainly hoped perestroika would win out and that there would be changes. We knew all along that socialism could flourish only with a certain amount of freedom and democracy.

I defended myself at the first opportunity I had, which was a meeting of writers in which I proved that Honecker had based his whole attack.

The idea of a socialism with a human face was something that I absolutely could support, because it was my idea from the very first.

In the question of peace, people spoke up and demonstrated for peace and against the threat of war, the threat of atomic war.