NOW GRAVE

Grey River Argus, 8 September 1948, Page 5

NOW GRAVE

BERLIN SITUATION RUSSIANS EXERCISING THE WHIP HAND LONDON, September 7.. Following the storming on Monday of Berlin City Hall in the Soviet sector of the city by Communist demonstrators, Soviet sector German police broke into a room at the hall, where they handcuffed nineteen Western Sector policemen, and took them away in chains. The Russians, late on Monday night, placed a cordon around the Berlin City Hall in the Soviet Sector. They prevented all traffic from entering the precincts of the building. This was while the Russians continued io search for the-twenty-seven more Western Sector policemen who still are in the building. Supplies of food, drink and cigarettes sufficient for several days have arrived for the British, French and American liaison officers. An American liaison officer at the Hall, Major Davisson, said: “We are ready now to stay here'as long as the Russians want us to.” The Associated Press correspondent in Berlin says: “It is now clear that nineteen Western Sector policemen were taken from the City Hall building in handcuffs by Soviet Sector police on Monday. The four Allied Military Governors of Germany held their sixth meeting in Berlin on Monday. It was the longest of the series and lasted five and ahalf hours. Generals Clay and Robertson and Marshal Sokolovsky all smiled amicably on leaving the conference room. General Clay said: “The only thing I can say is that there will be a further meeting to-morrow.”

GLOOMY VIEW IN BRITAIN

(Received September 7, at 9.45 p.m.) LONDON, September 7. The leading British commentators take a gloomy view of the prospects , of an East West settlement, in the light of a continuing disturbance in Berlin. “The Times” now'accuses the Russians of playing upon “precisely the same, forces of disorder and of unreason that Hitler once exploited.” The “Manchester Guardian” charges the Russians with pursuing a campaign of open hostility in Berlin, one aimed at making it impossible for the City Government to carry on. “The Russians may have peace on their lips, but it is not in their hearts,” the “Guardian” adds.

Russians Carry 19 West Sector Policemen Away AFTER RAID ON CITY HALL LONDON, Sept. 6 On Monday, after Communist demonstrators * again stormed Benin City Hall to prevent tne City Council meeting, a room in the city was broken into py Russian sector German police. Beiore tms a Russian sector German police omcer ordered ail allied uniformed personnel to leave tne building. Ten Russian soldiers with tommy-guns were men in ttye City Hall and jeep loads of soldier's and hundreds of Russian sector policemen were outside. When the German police oificer asked the Allied personnel to leave an American liaison oflicer, Major j. E. Davisson telephoned Colonel Howley (Acting U.S. Commander, in Berlin), for instructions. Four-Power liaison officers had been maintained in ■ the building since the Berlin Government was formed and two, American, two British .and three French officers were in the building when the Russian order was given. Colonel Howley immediately summoned an urgent staff conference. In rejecting the order to hand over Western policemen, Major Davisson said: “You will have to break down the doors to get them?' Then Russian sector German police broke into a room and took out in chains and handcuffs a number of Geatern sector police who had entered the hall in the morning to protect the City councillors who had attempted to hold a meeting. Despite the refusal of Western Powers’ liaison officers to hand over 46 Western sector police, the Soviet sector police broke into the American liaison offices where Communist action squads had forced the Western police to seek refuge. Later Major Davisson protested. Russian officers replied: “You were shielding criminals and, if you shield any mure criminals, further raids will be made. Russian sector police rifled Major Davisson’s files while they were in his room. It is believed that American buses which the Russians seized, were brought up as part of an attempt to get Western sector policemen out of the building under American escort. Soviet sector police, after seizing the Western sector policemen, drove them away in a Russian lorry followed by a Russian jeep, which played a searchlight on the prisoners.

A senior officer of the Soviet sector police later asked Major Davisson if he was harbouring any sr.nre “criminals.” Major Davisson said that two other rooms were locked and would be kept locked. It is learned that there are 27 policemen still in these' rooms Later Russian sector police accompanied by caretakers, worked their way through the City Hall, opening all the offices with skeleton keys m a search for further Western sector policemen. Meanwhile, a Russian major and three Western liaison officers sat around a table. The Russian accused Major Davisson of harbouring criminals. The French officer broke in and told the Russian: “You have acted as the Nazis behaved when they drove me from my home town years ago.” 1 The Russian then got up and stalked out. First Anglo-U.S. Manoeuvres Since War LONDON, Sept. 6 The War Office announced that a British composite contingent of all arms, numbering about 1200 men, will operate under Unted States command during the September rhanoeuvres in the Nuremberg area. It is believed this will the first joint United States-British manoeuvres in the Nuremberg area. It is believed this will be the first joint United States-British manoeuvres since the end of the war.