Air Lift To Berlin Cannot Go On Indefinitely

Chronicle (Levin), 13 July 1948, Page 5

Air Lift To Berlin Cannot Go On Indefinitely

(N.Z.P.A.—

-Reuter-.

Copyright)

Receiyed Mopday, 7 p.m. ' LONDQN, July 12. Thoug'h there is sgtisf actioh at the efficiency of the "air dift" to Berlin, there is a growing opiniqn ip London that this operatipii cai}-' not be coptiniied iipiefinitely. This view is held by the weel?iy journals including The Bcono'mist, whiph regards the main purpose of the operation as being pro]}a]}ly to increase by three or four the pumber of weeks within which Western diplomacy can wrestle with the Moseqw- pqliey. If there is no yielding 011 the Russian side while the air deliveries eontinue, it says, then as soon as they end Western representations are hound sonner or later to take 011 the forrn of an ultimatum — whetlier that word is used or not. If there is sqme yieldipg hefqrq that stage is reaohec], it ipay we]l hfivq ruerely a tactical purpose for the Soviet (.Tovermnent elearly wishes to discuss the whole German problem in the Couppil of Foreign Ministers. . Before that proposal is made or entei'tained, continues The Economist, the pubjic in Western Bui'ope and America will have to auswer two qiiestions which ean110I any ionger be avoided : — Firstly, are ihe Western Powers prcpared tq consider a settjement of Germany which would take the Western Zones out of the Buropean recovery plan and transfer the eentre qf econom}p and political power from Frapkfurt to Berlin? If not they should sa*y so110 w and explain to the Western eleetoratea how and why Western German recovery is vital tq E.R.P. Secondly, will the Soviet sac.rifice its interests in Eastern Germany for the sake of an understanding with the West? The ovidence is that it cannot, at any j-ate in the immediate future. if, says The Econorniqt, the auswers to hoth qiiestions are negative, what. is - the use qf pretending that a further conference to avert the divisiop of Germany, has any chanee of success % Tlie question underlying the issucs raised in Berlin. it adds, has to lie faeod now while pulilic opinion in Western Eipope is teiiso with tlie •iwareness of tlie oliligations it im}ioses.