World: Ulbricht's Prisoners

East Germany's Communist rulers suffer the pangs of isolation. Despite the country's impressive economic performance, it is denied diplomatic recognition by most Western nations; and even among its Communist neighbors. East Germany's hard-line views are sometimes ignored. But Party Boss Walter Ulbricht and his lieutenants have some effective ways of getting a response from other countries. One of them: using prisoners as bait.

The East Germans began handing out prison sentences to American and other Western students in September. That was shortly after the Soviets signed the Treaty of Moscow, which angered Ulbricht...