U.S. Protest To Russia Over Berlin Shooting

Press, Volume C, Issue 29638, 7 October 1961, Page 15

U.S. Protest To Russia Over Berlin Shooting

(N .Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, October 6. The United States called on the Soviet Union yesterday to avoid shooting incidents on the East-West Berlin border “which could seriously jeopardise peace and the public order in Berlin.”

The call was in a State Department statement issued after an outbreak of shooting incidents involving West and East German police, the Associated Press said. The United States view was that the West Berlin police acted in self-defence on Wednesday in firing back as the Communists shot at refugees fleeing from the Soviet sector of the divided city. The State Department press officer (Mr Joseph Reap) raid “It is regrettable that actior by East Berlin authorities forced West Berlin police to defend themselves. “We have repeatedlyemphasised to Soviet author! ties in Berlin the urgent necessity of avoiding incidents on the East-West Berlin sector borders which could seriously jeopardise peace and the public order in Berlin.” One East German police man was reported wounded by the West German shots.

A Communist police officer fired across the sector bordeat Bernauer strasse yesterday. West Berlin police reported said the Associated Press. The one shot was aimed at a police officer on the Western side of the Communist wall dividing Berlin. It missed. The incident was caused by Communist police who threw stones across the wall into the West, smashing the wind-

screen of a van on the roadway.

A West German police officer went up to the wall and ordered the Communists to stop. One Communist then aimed his sub-machine gun, shouted “go back.” and then fired. Deported in Chains An East German farmer and his son who resisted being deported from their home near the West German I der, were put in chains and led away. West German frontier police said yesterday Police watched the scene from over the border at the Bavarian village of Rudolohstein. Thirty East German police and a factory fighting group of Communist workers sur rounded the farm and the farmer, Karl Pflug, and ris son, were led away behind a vehicle containing the rest of the family. Police at a border point near five Mecklenburg villages early yesterday heard motor vehicles, and excited voices in the villages. Lorries were heard driving away until dawn. One of the villages, Dutzow

which can normally be easily seen from West Germany has been ringed by camouflage nets since Tuesday. Travellers on the Berlin Hamburg highway yesterday t Id of columns of lorries loaded with furniture moving towards the interior of East Germany. Young people are the latest victims of the crisis in East Germany judging by newspaper and other reports Several reports from usually reliable sources speak of whole groups of young fac tory workers refusing to “volunteer” for the armed forces.

They have been summoned by typewritten letters for individual “conversations’ with local authorities, and told "non-attendance will be considered breaking the law. Other reliable reports say students have been told they will not be allowed to continue their studies unless thev volunteer. There is no conscription tn East Germany, but th’ defence law recently passed describes service in the armed forces as "the honourable national duty of everv citizen."