Soviet Levels New Accusations Against British Forces

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14653, 23 April 1948, Page 3

Soviet Levels New Accusations Against British Forces

Wreckage Of Russian Fighter

Allegation Of Tampering

Denied

London, April 22. In Berlin tonight, the ■ British Deputy Military Governor in Germany, Mayor-General Brown John, denied that the British had tampered with the wreckage of the Soviet fighter which fell in the British sector after being in collision with the British Viking airliner over Berlin a fortnight ago. Allegations that the wreckage of the Soviet fighter had been tampered with, were made in the Russian report on the disaster which was put out by the Russian-control-led Berlin radio today. The report pointed out that after the disaster, the Russian fighter was guarded only by British soldiers, and until wreckage was visited by the joint British-Soviet Commission five days later. The report proposes restrictions on flights by British, American and French aircraft, from Western Germany to Berlin. It said that until new" regulations were introduced, any night flights over the Russian zone as well as a flight of any aircraft which could not be seen from the ground were to. be prohibited. It also proposed that the authorities in the Western Zone should in future give the Russians full details the night before of every plane they propose to send over the Russian zone next day, with particulars of the passengers. A Berlin correspondent points out that the Four-Power agreement signed in November, 1945, gave the powers using the corridor full freedom of action.