RUSSIANS RAID U.S. POST

Chronicle (Levin), 18 September 1946, Page 5

RUSSIANS RAID U.S. POST

Press Assn.

BLOODSHED NARROWLY AVERTED IN UGLY INCIDENT IN GERMANY

By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Wednesday, 12 Noon BERLIN, September 17. A Russian officer and five Russian soldiers, armed with submachine guns, raided a United States military police post near Templehof Station last Saturday night, according to senior American intelligence officers. They said bloodshed was only narrowly averted. Aii American riot squad helped to persuade the Russians to "take a more reasonable line."

The incident began when the Russians demanded "two traitors to the Soviet," a man of Polish origin and his Ukrainian wife, who had been taken to the American station for questioning. They were told that the request should be made through the lisual channels. The Russian officer, Lieutenant Morosov, then ordered his squad to remove the man and woman by force. Captain A. Feldmann, who is in charge of the station, countered by placing seven American tommyguns in a ring outside th Russians, and summoned the riot squad. A platoon of machine-gun-ners and armed military police then cordoned off the building. This and a telephone call from the Central Kommandantive persuaded Lieutenant Morosov to take a quieter line. The matter has since been taken up through the normal channels and the Russian provost marshal in Berlin has apologised to the United States authorities. The woman has been handed over to the Russian police, but the Americans refused to hand over the man, as it is considered that there is a reasonable doubt about his citizenship. The couple were taken to the station following a call by the German police for a combined patrol of United States and Russian military police to assist in the arrest. Lieutenant Morosov insisted that the prisoners at the station should have a strictly Russian guard, and he did not want the Americans near the prisoners. Lieutenant Morosov bangt-d the table and an-

nounced that he was taking the prisoners at the point of tommyguns. Those held at the point of the guns included Lieut.-Colonel R. Cheal, United States commanding officer of the Berlin military police. Captain Feldmann's cordon around the Russians infuriated Lieutenant Morosov, who threatened to call a company of Russian guards and fight it out.