RUSSIA TO SEND FOOD TO BERLIN

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25552, 21 July 1948, Page 5

RUSSIA TO SEND FOOD TO BERLIN

“Supplies For The Whole Population” EASTERN ZONE’S CURRENCY REQUIRED IN PAYMENT (N.Z.P.a. —Reuter—Copyright) (Rec. 10 pan.) LONDON, July 20. Russia is to send 1041,000 tons of bread grain and other foodstuffs to Berlin to feed the population. v in U RerHn aI Ih» U "T me r t K PU n iShed *“ the ° fflcial Soviet organ in' Berlin, the ‘Taeghche Rundschau,” says: “Desiring to alleviate the position of Berlin’s population caused by the separate and splitting actions of the Western Powers, the Soviet Government has instructed the Soviet Military Administration m Germany to guarantee the possibility of supplying the whole German population of Berlin with the essentials of life within the existing scales.

“For this Purpose the Soviet Government has decided to make available 100,000,tons of bread grain and other foodstuffs from the stocks of the Soviet Union for the first period of the supply scheme.

, J A l th ® P l .* necessary measures have been taken hy the Soviet Military Administration in Germany to buy food in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and other countries for supplying the whole Berlin population.

“Each Berlin inhabitant, regardless of the district in which he lives, will have unlimited opportunity to buy bread and other foodstuffs within the existing scales in shops in the Soviet sector on production of his ration card and in exchange for currency which is legal tender in the Soviet zone.” Reuter’s Berlin correspondent says it is believed that the Russian announcement is the first of a series of moves designed to make Berlin completely dependent on Russian aid and to remove the force of the Western argument that Russia is using hunger as a political weapon. Western political observers say that it is hard to see how the Western allies can refuse the Russian offer to feed the whole of the population. Acceptance, however, will mean tacit approval of the Soviet claim that Berlin forms part of the Soviet zone and is no longer a quadripartite responsibility.

CONFERENCES IN WASHINGTON

Amid widespread talk of imminent danger of the United States and Russia blundering into a “premature” war, unplanned and unwanted by either side, President Truman yesterday set aside Presidential campaign politics and went into conferences with the Secretary of State (General G. C. Marshall) and high military advisers on the Berlin crisis. When’ the first of the conferences ended, all who attended refused to comment. Diplomatic sources, however, discounted reports from Germany that the American authorities were planning to test “the Soviet bluff” and to seek to break through the Berlin blockade with armed convoys. These sources said that although such drastic measures might be taken as a last resort the pattern of the present crisis provided for a number of stages before that one was reached. These stages included further exchanges of Notes and possibly an appeal to the United Nations. In official circles in Washington everyone seems to agree that the current situation resembles the Munich crisis. Forced to choose between retreat and appeasement on the one hand and a dangerous showdown on the other, Washington has no hesitation in facing

the showdown and all its consequences. This attitude is in no way weakened • by the realisation that the American , rearmament programme is still in the blueprint stage. “The official Washington reaction to • the Berlin situation is that there is no need or justification for hasty or provocative adtion,” says the usually well-informed diplomatic correspona1 ent of the “New York Times.” 1 ‘‘Among the reasons given for ‘a firm but moderate policy’ were: (1) the Western zones are being supplied adequately by air; X2) the Soviet rejection of the Western demand for the lifting of the blockade does not mean that opportunities for further negotiation have been exhausted; (3) before the Western Powers make any bold moves they have treaty obligations to bring the case before the United Nations, and that eventually may be done.” The correspondent adds that the Big Four nations will meet soon in Belgrade at the Danube conference, and “if both sides are interested they will have every chance to raise the Berlin question there.” He says that to refer the Berlin question to the United Nations may be a face-saving move for all.

FOREIGN MINISTERS AT THE HAGUE

The Foreign Ministers of the five Western Union nations discussed the Berlin crisis for more than foiir hours last night, but according to the “Daily Mail’s” correspondent at The Hague no agreement was reached and the discussions will be continued to-day. The correspondent of “The Times” at The Hague says that this is the first time that the Benelux group—Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg—has been concerned directly with France and Britain in considering the Berlin dispute. Dutch opinion, he adds, is that the juridical aspect of the dispute might be submitted to the International Court of Justice, provided the blockade was lifted while the case was before the Court. According to the political correspondent of the “Daily Express,” France is seeking hard-and-fast guarantees of United States military aid should the Berlin crisis lead to a showdown with Russia. The Americans, he adds, are believed to be ready to guarantee supplies of war materials, but a firm military alliance is less certain. The British United Press correspondent at The Hague says that the belief is growing that a meeting of the Foreign Ministers’ Council, which includes Russia, may result from the Western Union conference. The Associated Press correspondent at The Hague quotes a Benelux spokesman to say that the Ministers regar-

i ded the Berlin situation as extremely • grave and advised the utmost caution . in dealing with the Russians. ‘ A conference spokesman said that the Ministers drafted a programme for J tightening economic ties between their ■ countries Within the framework of the European Recovery Programme. A ' sub-committee of economic experts ; presented recommendations on means • of speeding up effective economic and ; financial co-operation. • Reuter’s diplomatic correspondent i says that no reply Will be sent to the Soviet Note rejecting the demand for • lifting the Berlin blockade until after ; the British Foreign Secretary (Mr I Ernest Bevin) returns from The Hague • to-morrow. The American Military Governor in Germany (General Lucius Clay), at the end of the conference of Western Com- ■ manders-in-Chief in Berlin, said that : the Berlin crisis had not been discussed. He added that „he and his two col- , leagues would meet the 11 premiers of the Western German States at Frankfurt to-day to continue discussions on the London six-PoWer proposals on Wbstern Germany. Colonel Stanley Wray, local commander of the 60 United States Superfortresses which recently arrived in Berlin, said that the aircraft were in Britain on a training mission for about 30 days. It was now unlikely that the aeroplanes would fly to Germany, as was earlier suggested.

AMERICAN COMMENT ON BERLIN

The “New York Herald Tribune,” in a leading article on Berlin, says: “With Russia’s rejection of the Western protests against the blockade of Berlin, the international situation took a Very sharp turn for the worse. The Soviet Note to the West, in effect, seemed to put a decided period to normal diplomatic activity and exchanges of Notes, and place a premium <m a diplomacy of action —the diplomacy of roadblocks and armoured columns, of fighter aeroplanes and flymg transports, of accumulating pinpricks and offensive gestures at every point of contact between the former allies. “That this is dangerous no one will dispute. That it leads to ever more aggressive action and makes concessions correspondingly difficult is equally clear. Harsh words can be eaten. Harsh acts are hard to swallow. “The Russians have left a plain inference that they propose to squeeze the West out of Berlin by force, and they have offered Britain, America, and France no alternatives but to reaist or succumb.

“The Kremlin has made great propaganda play with its numerous unofficial suggestions of a conference. It would be well for the West in its turn to explore publicly the bases for the sort of general settlement that the non-Communist nations hope to achieve. This would provide a foundation for new talks If they prove feasible. It might offer the Russians an incentive to present counter-proposals, and it would in any case revive the possibility that reason might yet supplant force as a prime mover in the world’s affairs.” The “New York Times” says that tne situation is one which demands steady nerves and wise statesmanship to avert a catastrophe. It adds: “If Russia is really bent on provoking a clash the Western Powers must exert great care to avoid the risk of being put in the position of aggressor.” The Soviet-licensea Berlin newspaper “Nachtexpress” says that British newspapers are in the grip of a war psychosis. “There are grounds tor believing, however, that the politicians have more sense than the militarists. The sensible way out is to restore the force of the Potsdam Agreement. ’

RUSSIAN FIGHTERS OVER GATOW

. A British spokesman in Berlin said Wat between eight and 10 Yak fighters at 1500 feet across Gatow airport doing rolls. They appeared to have jaken off from the nearby Russian air base at Dallgow. American officers said that two of Jde Yaks swept down to “buzz” the Jjatow field. They then climbed and made a “belly pass” at an American spymaster transport which was passing,over the field. British authorities said that they j ,er s not convinced that either incihX+J as deliberately provocative, but rm? “ a d been renorted to the Soviet *epresentatives at the Berlin Air Sva i. Centre. The Soviet representaes had promised to investigate. Sa f; eu ; er ’ s diplomatic correspondent ish i s toarned in London that Brit-Rw-i- d. American air deliveries to +- n ‘ lln will continue without interrupnlan no matt ®r how many Soviet aeroin tk S a J? n °unce their intention to fly mfh!‘^ ree air corridors. The stateRuriuS!towed a Russian warning in WmriJ 1 • four groups of Yak fighters fly in the air corridors. correspondent of the AsIvsG p ress says that economic paraNeariv S i?££ eading in western Berlin, dnra ♦U IOO 2. businesses have closed Suhr coal ussian blockade cut off

i He adds that British and American s officials have disclosed that the Rust sian zone owes Berlin 75,000 tons of > food and agricultural supplies. Some ? of the debt dates back to 1946. The Western-licensed German News f Agency says that the Military GovernJ ment of the Western sectors of Berlin, 1 to conserve fuel stocks, has ordered i all food manufacturing enterprises, • except bakeries and margarine factories, to close immediately. ’ The agency adds that public and pri- ■ vate railways, river shipping, nursert ies, schools, universities, theatres, t cinemas, political parties, and trades • unions have been barred from using ■ any solid fhel stocks, except for preparing midday meals. Public catering t establishments have not been affected ■ by the order.