RUSSIANS END AIR INQUIRY BEFORE IT STARTS

Chronicle (Levin), 15 April 1948, Page 5

RUSSIANS END AIR INQUIRY BEFORE IT STARTS

Received Wednesdav, 7 p.in. LONDON. April 14. Tlie Times' Berlin correspondent says Uie .jnint Anglo Russian iiiquiry into Ihe (ialovv air disa>ter, broke duwn at its l liird meeting. General Alexandrov, >enior Russian representative, deelared tliat as it was a hvo-l'invcr inquiry, onlv Russian and British evidence i-ould be heanl. Air ( 'oiiiniodure Waite replied that the British intention was to hear itn uitncsscs whatever their nationality. Both Amerb-an and Gennan witnesses uere available and sinee Ameriran lives weri' iost in the disaster, it would Ro impossible to exclude Ameriean uitnesse- merely liecause tliey were Ameriran. lle refused to a>-cept ihe Russian view that Gennan evidence would lie unreliaidi'. A separate British inquiry, he added, would open and he invited the Russians to attend it but The Ti iues • e-jioinlent says ir seenis iinjii'oiiaiile tiiev v. ill do so. It would he niore in keej.in^ with recent Russian poliey i f they e.ere to announee that the Hritisii, Ry !> Mis;uy to eontinue the two-l'nwi"1 iu\es igation in llie niauner pr.'- r;:,,.,; ;,v i;lt. Soviet representative, a:.' -i-y'nnsible for bringing it to an end. The corresjioiidein *. . i A that there never had lieen t lie -d- . .-s? dould that whai the Russians aia.iiey at was not an impa> lial invf .-; ',,n, i.ut an inquiry wliiefo would i a report showing that tlie respou : .! : : v f,,r the disaster lay with the IIAm-'; j . : ! , , t and British air control ofiiri-t;-.