COMPLAINT BY SOVIET

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27096, 20 July 1953, Page 9

COMPLAINT BY SOVIET

“Leaflet Raids” By U.S. Alleged

(Bee. 10 p.m.) LONDON, July 18Reuter’s correspondent at Berlin •ays the Soviet High Commissioner in Germany in a letter to the United States High Commissioner today alleged that American aircraft had dropped leaflets over Soviet-controlled aerodromes in East Germany. ■Die East German News Agency, A.D.N., tonight published the letter from the High Commissioner, Mr Vladimir Semeonov, to Dr.- James B. Conant, declaring that American aircraft had circled low over two Soviet airfields almost daily for the last two weeks dropping leaflets. “The Soviet military authorities naturally cannot stand for this, ’ Mr Semeonov said. . “Almost daily for the la'st two weeks American aircraft of the Dakota type have appeared over the Soviet airfields at Werneuchen and Elstal and circled at an altitude of 50 to 100 metres over them. “Such gross offences by American aircraft against flight safety regulations are a menace to the safety of the Soviet aircraft on these aerodromes as well as of the American, British , and French transport aircraft flying between Berlin and West Germany. The letter accused the American aircraft of dropping leaflets with “hostile invective against the Soviet fighting forces” over the aerodromes. Mr Semeonov asked Dr. Conant to take immediate action to prevent the recurrence of such events, and to inform him of what steps he had taken to ensure this was being done. Werneuchen is about 20 miles northeast of Berlin and Elstal the same distance west. A United States high commission spokesman in Bonn said later that his only official comment was: “It is a lot Of nonsense.” A senior American Air Force officer in Berlin denied any knowledge of American aircraft dropping leaflets over East Germany. “No one has complained to me about it yet,” he said. “Our planes have been doing the same routine stuff since 1945 and there should not have been any trouble.”

No Australian Meat for Russia.— It does not seem that Russia will get any meat from Australia in the present season. Several Brisbane meat firms had received an inquiry from a Soviet organisation for meat supplies, but the chairman of the Australian Meat Board (Mr J. L. Shute) said that all the meat Australia was allowed to sell outride the United Kingdom meat agreement this season had already been •llocated.—Brisbane, July 17.