TANKS FALL BACK

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29726, 20 January 1962, Page 8

TANKS FALL BACK

Berlin Check Point

(N.Z.P.A. -Reuter—Copy riff ht) BERLIN (Eastern Sector), January 18.

Soviet tanks—those remaining from 33 moved up to the East-West Berlin border nearly three months ago—disappeared during the night from their parking place in the courtyard of a ruined palace half a mile from the border.

American tanks began withdrawing from the other side of the border two days ago.

The Soviet tanks were stationed in the courtyard of the farmer Crown Prince’s Palace, about half a mile from the Friedrichstrasse bolder crossing point. When a Reuter correspondent went tere this morning, the yard was empty and deserted, and a side road leading from it was churned up by tank tracks into fresh mud.

On October 25 last year. Soviet and United States tanks faced each other at the Friedrichstrasse crossing point during a dispute over the entry into East Berlin of United States civilians in official cars. After 16 hours, the tanks on both sides withdrew to points close to the border, where they had remained ever since. Five United States tanks and two armoured troop carriers were still near the Friedrichstrasse point yesterday, but an Army spokesman announced they would be withdrawn to join other armoured vehicles at Templehof Airport—about a mile and a quarter from the border—in a few days.