RUSSIA SERVES NOTICE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 145, 1 April 1948, Page 5

RUSSIA SERVES NOTICE

CONTROL OF CORRIDOR Secretariat By-passed v (N.Z.P A.-Reuter—Copyright). (Rec. 10.50 a.m.) BERLIN, March 31. Marshal Sokolovsky, by-passing the Four-Power Secretariat, served individual notices on ihe Westemu occupation authorities in Berlin, stating that more stringent ? control measures would in future be imposed on traffic using the 100-mile corridor between Berlin and the Western Zones. It is authoritatively stated that Britain answered the Soviet proposal to tighten transit control with a demand for a postponement for discussion of the matter. Britain rejected the Soviet plan for an inspection of freight in transitirt, and the Soviet claim that Allied personnel must have, transit visas. The British authorities would be prepared to agree that the Allied commander of the train should* have a passenger list to show the Soviet control post. It is understood that the Soviet proposed an inspection of freight at two separate points. • General Sir Brian Robertson, in a speech in. Berlin to-day, said that if a Government representing all Ger : many were impossible, a Government should be established for the Western zones—the largest part of Germany, containing two-thirds of the German peoples and by far th? greatest amount of Germany’s resources. Agreement. between the four occupying Powers was still possible, • but would require a radical change in the Soviet’s attitude. The Western Powers had made great concessions, but there was one concession they could not make. Germany must become unified, but not unified in , Communist bondage, which was the only unity the Russians would accept.

RUSSIAN ORDER AMBIGUOUS BRITISH TRAIN.TO RUN (Rec. 11.45 a.m.) BERLIN, Mar. 31. The British military night train from Berlin to the British zone is leaving to-night as usual in spite of the fact that the new Soviet order, aimed at tightening transit control between Berlin, which i<3 ,in the Russian zone, and the British, American and French zones, comes into force at midnight to-night. A military spokesman said: “It is not intended that Russilan border guards will be allowed to' board the military train during the night to examine documents.” The spokesman added that no extra precautions, were being taken. The train guard was not being strengthened beyond the normal complement. The British Chief of Staff, General N. C. Brownjohn, who sent the answer to the Ruesian Note announcing the sudden introduction of “supplementary regulations” told the Russians it was impossible to carry out the new measures at suc)j. short notice. He also said it was not clear exactly what the Soviet proposals meant. A British spokesman said the Russian order was so ambiguous that it would be left to Soviet soldiers at check points along the railway to decide constituted acceptable identifications of passengers. The correspondent of the Associated Press of America cays the Soviet order would make it impossible for 25,000 British, American and French troops and civilians to leave Berlin except by Russian consent. ' The American Military Governor, General Lucius Clay, commented simultaneously with the British reply. He said: “The procedures outlined in the Soviet request are not in accordance with out agreement. We are preparting an answer.”

The nationals of the three Western Powers hitherto have been able to travel freely on military trains of each Power between Berlin and the Western zones without Soviet inspection.

Berlin is entirely, surrounded by Soviet occupied territory. It is linked with the West by one motor road, two railway lines and regular air services. A Russian spokesman stated that air travel from Berlin is lkely to be subjected to closer control. The Germans meanwhile are reported to have been ordered to evacuate villages just within the Russian zone border. It is believed that their homes are to be requisitioned for use by Russian troops, who wjll patrol the road leading to the west from Berlin.

Russians Stop Vehicles

Reuter’s correspondent reports that a number of British military vehicles returned to Berlin to-night after the Soviet authorities halted them at the zonal frontier for alleged irregularities in their movement orders. Russian border officials at Marienborn, which is just inside the Russian zone, refused to permit the passage of vehicles along the motor highway because there was no translation in Russion of the document authorising their movements. Both British and American military night trains left Berlin for their respective zones at the scheduled times. The British train left Charlottenburg station for Helmstedt on the border of the British zone. The military guard on the United States train for Frankfurt, which fa generally 15 men, was doubled. Several guards were armed with sub-machine-guns, and others had carbines. The guards usually carry only truncheons and revolvers. The French authorities announced that they had rejected the Soviet proposals.