RUSSIAN RESTRICTIONS ENFORCED IN MANY DIRECTIONS

Grey River Argus, 3 April 1948, Page 5

RUSSIAN RESTRICTIONS ENFORCED IN MANY DIRECTIONS

LONDON, April 1. A tense situation exists along the frontier of the Soviet zone of Germany as Russian border guards restrict the road, rail and water traffic from the western zones to Berlin. British military trains to and from Berlin for tonight have been cancelled. On Thursday, Russians imposed restrictions on Allied traffic on the international highway. In addition to establishing road-blocks on the highway linking the western zones and Berlin, and strengthening their zone’s frontier guards, the Russians also 1 posted military police, armed with tommy-guns at check-points on the main road between the Russian sector of Berlin and other parts of the capital itself. Later, Russian troops withdrew from road-blocks on the border of the Russian sector of Berlin with the othei sectors of Berlin, and normal traffic between the sectors was resumed. The Russian-controlled Berlin radio announced that the Russian sector of Berlin would be closed to all traffic between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. nightly. The Russians, probably as a rehearsal for the new order, established roadblocks at various points on their sector of the border in Berlin. Russians at Helmstedt on the international highway, allowed only uniformed American personnel to pass. Russians are erecting watch towers along the zonal frontier in the Harz Mountains, whose woods provide cover for persons illegally crossing the frontier. The Russians stopped on the Mittelland canal barges carrying supplies for the British population in Berlin.

The Russians lold the German skippers they must get new interzonal passes. German newspaners reported that the Russians would not allow the barges to enter Berlin after midnight. unless they had special passes. A British official said he had heard nothing from the Russians, who “usually issue an order and tell us about it a week later”. Russians have reinforced the village of Oebisfelde on the Soviet side- of the border between the Russian and British zones, with 350 soldiers. T’nev have also quartered detachments of between 20 and 30 frontier nolice in small villages. Apart from minor hold-ups last night, traffic on the autobahn between the British bordei’ town of Helmstedt and Berlin was described to-night as normal. Sources close to Russian command circles said that all the Russian frontier guards had been issued with live ammunition. Russian troops near Helmstedt, forcer a British sergeant at the gunpoint to return over the zone border and prevented him from making his routine dailv visit to the Soviet control officials. The Russians also forced German police from the British zone to abandon a border district near Helmsledt occunied bv the Russians. but later taken over by the British. On Thursday, despite the strained atmosphere, there were no serious incidents between the Russians and the Western Allied troops during the day. However, rumours spread fast. The police in. a Lower Saxony town had to issue a calming statement after rumours that Russian shells had fallen in the British zone. RUSSIAN EXPLANATION The Russians claim the restrictions are necessary to halt the “illegal transport” of industrial equipment and products to the Western sectors of Berlin and the Western zones, the Russian-controlled newspapers have been alleging for weeks that Berlin s economy is being plundered by the movement of many private industries and businesses to the Western zones. A HOLD-UP It is learned officially in Dusseldorf that all traffic by Control Commission personnel between North Rhine. Westphalia and Berlin has been banned for at least 24 hours. . , A French train from Paris arrived in Berlin this afternoon after Russians had, removed 67 persons at Marienborn because they did not pos-

sess new travel orders. General Clay, United States commander, announced that two American trains, now halted in Helmstedt, would be returned to Frankfurt and the passengers brought to Berlin by i air. He added that the air services would carry freight, as well as passengers. BRITISH CONTEST SOVIET ORDERS British and Soviet authorities are maintaining a firm stand on the dispute over trains between Berlin and the British zone, and no results came from long talks between the British Chief of Staff, Major-General Neville - Brownjohn, and his Russian counter- - part, Lieutenant-General Luk.vants- > chenko, at Soviet headquarters on - Thursday night.

A British spokesman said after the meeting that the British authorities had ordered a train, which Russian frontier guards had held up at Marienborn for nearly 20 hours, to return to Berlin immediately. The British also suspended all military trains between the British zone and Berlin as a “temporary measure for the next few days”. He says that General Lukyantschenko insisted on the Russians’ right to enter and search British trains. General Brownjohn repeated the British refusal to allow them to do so. The tone of the conversation was “not hostile, but firm”. General Brownjohn spoke solely for the British authorities. He protested to the Russian authorities about the detention of British military trains at the zonal border. The United States joined in this protest. One of the two British trains from Berlin is still at Marienborn. A buffet car was sent this afternoon from Helmstedt to Marienborn to feed the passengers on the train held there. Significantly, it is equipped with short-wave radio. The British established a counter road-block near a check-point on the crossroads which the Russians set up on British territory, just over the boundary near Gatow airfield. The Russians were ordered off. but the Russian officer refused to leave until he received word from Major General Kotikov, the Russian commander’ of Berlin. The British commander, Major General Herbert, sent a note to General Kotikov, demanding the withdrawal of the post.

The Russians detained several British people, but later released them. British troons closed three out of the four roads forming the crossroads.

BRITISH ATTITUDE The Foreign Secretary. Mr Ernest Bevin, will probably decide personally what Britain should do about the Berlin train crisis and the new Soviet control measures. Lord Pakenham, Minister for German Affairs, has arrived at Dusseldorf by air from Britain for a three-day tour to meet British and German officials, and to visit the principal Ruhr cities. The Times correspondent said: The Russian action is seen as a further development of the policy of applying progressive pressure on the Western- Powers. Flow far the Russians will press their present policy cannot be foreseen, but the opinion is widespread that it. will be. pursued or modified in strict relation to the resoluteness of the Western Powers. “The one unrestricted means of getting into' or out of Berlin at the moment, is by air. The Russians made no reference to the air corridor,. although they have from time to time made approaches for exercising some sort of control over it, but these have alwavs been opposed. “The Russian restrictions do not openly indicate a determination to isolate Berlin completely, but full enforcement of the regulations could have a strangulating effect. The new Soviet regulations require that documents certifying that + he holder belongs to ‘agencies of the British Administration in Germany’ must be presented at two check points— Marienborn and Nowawes”. AMERICANS TO USE PLANES United States authorities in Berlin announced that they had cancelled all military trains in and out of Berlin, and were putting on air passages. The United States Air Force in Europe announced that they would provide sufficient planes to carry all the freight and passengers between

the Western zones and Berlin. They would limit the number of planes only by requirements. It is learned that American planes flew 15,0001bs of food from the American zone into Berlin to-day.