The chairman of the GDR State Planning Commission, Gerhard Schürer, internally warns of the increasing and unplanned debt of the GDR in the West.
He says additional imports of grain and feed, price hikes for raw materials and imports of consumer goods from the West had led in the past to a trade deficit of almost nine billion West German marks for which Western loans had to be taken out to a corresponding amount. Schürer urges an increase in exports to the non-socialist economic area and at the same time to reduce imports from the West.less
11 October
1976
In order No. 101/76 by the GDR Defence Minister and all subsequent "101 orders", it is no longer mentioned that "border violators" are to be destroyed. The order is made to arrest them. Nonetheless, firearms continue to be used to prevent escapes up until 1989.
