Adenauer Suggests Berlin Referendum

Press, Volume C, Issue 29565, 14 July 1961, Page 10

Adenauer Suggests Berlin Referendum

< N 2 P.A .-Reuter—Copyright» BERLIN, July 13. The West German Chancellor (Dr. Konrad Adenauer) yesterday proposed a plebiscite to give West and East Berliners a chance to say under which system they "wanted to live.

The West German Minister of All-German Affairs (Mr Ernst Lemmer) told reporters that the Chancellor made the proposal at a session of the West Berlin City Government

During the session the Chancellor also expressed his full confldence in the attitude of the three Western Powers towards the Berlin and German questions, Mr Lemmer added. Dr. Adenauer arrived in West Berlin yesterday for a two-day visit—his first to Berlin for 18 months. The East German news agency, A.DN., commented: “Adenauer displayed the provocative and peace-disturb-ing character of his visit by arriving on that part of Tempelhof airport which is occupied by the American occupation forces." Western Rights

The British United Press reported that Dr. Adenauer said that the Western Powers had unchanged rights in the city. The East German Government - controlled radio claimed yesterday that two full divisions of West German troops—about 20. CM men—had been flown into West Berlin in commercial airliners.

It added that the troons. whom it claimed were disguised as reservists, “are waiting for orders from West Germany to start provocations against the (East) German Democratic Republic and its capital.” The East German radio claim met such comments as “rubbish” by a British spokesman, “sheer humbug" by a United States spokesman, and “complete nonsense” by a West Berlin City Government spokesman. Only Western Allied airliners are permitted to fly the air corridors which link West Germany with the city The claim was seen, therefore, as an East German attempt to build up a new threat against Western Allied air traffic. British United Press said. “Two Divisions” The East German broadcast said: “Officers, n.c.o.’s

and soldiers of the Bonn Wehrmacht, disguised as reservists, are now stationed in West Berlin, with a strength of two divisions.” The broadcast said “the troops were flown in in regular commercial airliners and are waiting for orders from West German Nazi generals to start provocations against the (East) German Democratic Republic and its capital (East Berlin).’’ It said that weapons and equipment for the troops were stored in the West Berlin police barracks.

The broadcast said that West Berlin’s specially trained 3600-man riot police had, been placed under North Atlantic Treaty Organisation command. Police barracks in West Berlin had been put under the administration of the West German Ministry of Defence. The Soviet Government evening newspaper “Izvestia” said that “the aim of Chancellor Adenauer’s visit in West Berlin is to make the situation in this ‘front line city’ even more acute and bring the militarist and revanchisit hysteria to the highest pitch,” Reuter reported. "The timing of this visit makes it a dangerous provocation against peace in Europe.”