BRITAIN CONSIDERING REPLY TO SOVIET

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25549, 17 July 1948, Page 7

BRITAIN CONSIDERING REPLY TO SOVIET

More Talks On Berlin With U.S. And France “SERIOUS VIEW TAKEN BY MINISTERS” (N-Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, July 10. The British Cabinet at a three-hour meeting yesterday decided to have more talks with the French and American Governments before replying to the Russian Note on Berlin. According to the diplomatic correspondent of the “Daily Express,” no reply is likely to be sent to Moscow before the middle of next week at the earliest, and it may be much later. “The British Ministers take a serious view of the situation, as there is no obvious way out of the deadlock,” says the correspondent. “One proposal being considered is a compromise plan which might provide for limited supplies to be allowed by rail and road into Berlin while the four Governments confer. If such a proposal were made and rejected, then it is felt in London that there would be no alternative but to renew the demand for the lifting of the blockade with a time limit for compliance. The three Western Governments are anxious to avoid this situation, and talks are now going on to find a way of preventing the sending of any form of ‘ultimatum-’ ” Unless the tension over Berlin decreases, it is understood that the British Government will adjourn Parliament instead of proroguing it at the end of July for the summer recess- The reason is that if it is adjourned members can be recalled in a crisis within 24 hours, whereas if Parliament stands prorogued it can be recalled only by Royal proclamation, and it would take at least three days before members could meet. The diplomatic correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says: “The Soviet reply to the Western Powers is. interpreted in London as meaning that the Russians are determined to continue their blockade of Berlin indefinitely unless the Western Powers suspend their plans for the unification of Western Germany and reopen the German peace treaty negotiations, which would cover the German problem as a whole. There is no evidence that the Western Powers would agree to such a reversal of policy.”

BRITAIN AND U.S. EXPAND AIR LIFT

Ignoring Russian complaints that th©’• air lift into Berlin is endangering air • traffic, the British and American autff- ! ’ orities are stepping up the flow of sup- j : plies into the Western sectors of the ; i city. The runway at the Gatow airport was last night lengthened and is in use tq-day with a 20 per cent, increase in loads. York aircraft .are landing every 10 minutes, witn Dakotas in between, and it is expected that the former will now be able to make three flights daily instead of two. Giving details of how the Russians are already trying to hamper the air iift into Berlin, Group Captain H. M. S. Wright, second in c nmand of the Royal Air Force in Berlin, told the Berlin correspondent of the “Daily Mail” last night: “They issue 'omnibus' warnings that their aeroplanes will be flying in any number at all times and heights. They have hoisted a barrage balloon on at least one occasion, and ' a Dakota has reported tracer bullets up to a height of 1000 feet east ot Helmstedt. _he Russians later said that this was 'fireworks’ from a Russian leave camp. “There has also been a large increase in Russian flying in the air corridors.” said Group Captain Wright. The correspondent add? that the Rus- '. sians last night gave notice that x\us- ' sian fighters from five airnelds would I be on manoeuvres in the air corridors. ' Possible Threat to Air Corridors Group Captain Wright said that it ' the Russians tried to change the flying t rules into Berlin the Western Allies ’ would disregard the change end Keen on flying down the three air corridors j which the four-Power agreement established. He saw no way in which ’ the Russians could olcse the corridors unless they resorted to armed action. ! General Alexandrov, head of the I Soviet air branch in xserlin, is re- I ported to be seeking Moscow's approval bf a plan for closing two ot the three air corridors into Berlin and I for reducing the width of the third corridor from 20 miles to 10. “A high-ranking Russian political officer told' leading Berlin Common- i ists at a private meeting that the Western Powers would be forced to leave Berlin in eight weeks ’if cer- I tain gaps in the blockade can be effectively closed,’ ” says Reuter’s correspondent in Berlin.

“The officey said that whatever action the Western Allies took after receipt of the Russian Note, there could be no change in Russian policy on Berlin. He added that the Military Governor (Marshal Sokolovsky) had just returned from Moscow .with new instructions from Mr Stalin.” The correspondent adds that German political circles in close touch with Russian headquarters indicated that the '’certain gaps’* to which th© officer referred were the three air corridors leading into Berlin from the Western zones. More U.S. Planes May be Used At Frankfurt yesterday th© United States Military Governor (General Lucius Clay) said that the Berlin <ir bridge would be continued indefinitely as long as Berliners wished to mainlain their freedom and other peoples wanted to help them. He planned to ' ; have more large aeroplanes brought I to Germany to assist the air lift. “We have not yet requested equipment for an all-out air lift,” he said. “At present, we are holding Qur own regarding food and we are not doing too badly regarding coal ” General Qay said that discussions between the Allied military governors and the West German minister-pf esi- | dents aboui the >fqture of Western I Germany would definitely begin ' week. . ; The British Secretary of State far I Air (Mr Arthur Henderson) said in London that Royal Air Force aircraft had flown 2461 sorties to Berlin teetween June 39 and midday yesterday. I The new airport being opened at > Fassburg ana th© enlarged and i j strengthened runways at Gatow would be in full operation by Saturday The ! use of bomber# far flying extra supplies 'would be considered. I The Royal Air Forae announced in Berlin to-da.v that it would begin flying coal into the city on Monday i from Fassburg, near Lunebprg. 1 .u T ? e . British authorities announced that electricity cuts and raw material shortages resulting from the Russian I blockade had brought halt of Western : Berlin's industry to a standstill. Essential food factories would remain [ open and supplies of bread, margarine, and other processed food would net i be held up. ! The British have protested at the I Soviet introduction of new regula- | tions for interzonal passes between Berlin and the Western zones. They alaim ed that the orders contravened 1 the Allied Control Council directive.

U.S. INSISTS ON END TO BLOCKADE

The United States would stand on ; its demand for the lifting cf the Berlin blockade, in spite of the stubborn Russian refusal, said American officials in Washington yesterday. These authorities conceded that the strategy now being worked out in Washington. London, and Paris carried dangerous implications, but drastic action might be necessary ultimately, they said, if the Western Powers were to remain in Berlin.

; A French Government spokesman said m Pans that the Western AHUs had already prepared their next move in the Berlin blockade. He declined to disclose it. The French spokesman said that the Russian reply was about what had been expected, and it had neither damaged nor improved the situation. In Moscow the newspapers printed fully the texts of the Western Powers* protests about Berlin as well as the Russian reply.