Originally Posted by
Loren Pechtel
No--the West Berlin officials waved us through. They could see the East German officials scrutinize our documents, the fact that the East let us out made it obvious our passports were ours.
I can see how you might have thought you were waved through for the reasons you stated - but, in fact, there was no passport control entering West Berlin from East Ber!in. The allies did not recognize the establishment of the border preventing free travel between the various sectors , and checking passports would have been a recognition of that border. You could even take a subway from Friederichstrasse in East Berlin to the West and the West Berlin police would not even know you were entering.
The East German airline, Interflug, made money flying in Sri Lankans to East Berlin and then taking them on a bus to West Berlin. They could then stay illegally in West Berlin or take a domestic flight to West Germany.