SOVIET WARNING ON BERLIN

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28938, 4 July 1959, Page 13

SOVIET WARNING ON BERLIN

“Force Will Be Met With Force” (N Jt. Prut AuociatUm—CopungM) (Rec. 11 p.m.) NEW YORK, July 3. The Soviet Prime Minister, Mr Nikita Khrushchev, and one of his deputies, Mr Frol Koslov, were trying to use the recess in the Geneva Foreign Ministers’ conference to frighten the West, the “New York Times” said today. Mr Koslov, who is at present visiting the United States, warned yesterday that “force will be met with force” if war comes over Berlin. During the last three days in Washington, Mr Koslov conferred with President Eisenhower and other top officials on Berlin and Germany. He win fly to California today.

At no time was there any hint of Soviet concessions. United States officials said, according to a Reuters correspondent

In his address to the National Press Club yesterday, Mr Kpslov repeated the Soviet position that a summit conference would be “useful,” whatever the outcome He issued his warning on Berlin when asked if the Soviet Union would use force to attain its goal of turning West Berlin into a “free” city At it could not attain this objective by agreement “If we fail to reach agreement on the Berlin issue at the Geneva conference —and we sincerely desire to reach agreement—then our Government will be compelled to

conclude a peace treaty with the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), with all thd consequences that this entails,” he replied. “If a war is unleashed over this question and force resorted to, then force will be met by force.”

The “New York Times,” in a leading article today, said: “Playing separate but undoubtedly coordinated roles. Premier Khrushchev and Deputy Premier Koslov are obviously utilising the interim period before the reopening of the Geneva conference of Foreign Ministers to launch another attempt both to frighten and cajole the West into capitulating to the Soviet ‘peace’ terms. “Thus, Mr Koslov, a possible successor to Mr Khrushchev, undertook yesterday to sell the Soviet terms in a speech keyed to pleas for peace but bristling with threats.

“But while denouncing as ‘slander* any charge that the Soviets would unleash a new war, he served notice that if the West resists and defends its rights, ‘force will be met with force.’

“Meantime, Mr Khrushchev continues to use his roughest and toughest language to tell the West just what Soviet ‘peace’ terms and, the price of Soviet ‘friendship* are,” the “New York Times” added.