OBJECTIONS TO BERLIN PLAN

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29802, 19 April 1962, Page 13

OBJECTIONS TO BERLIN PLAN

Reported Concern In West Germany

(A’.Z. Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON, April 17. Officials had disclosed today in Washington that West German objections had delayed the submission to Russia of new United States proposals for easing the Berlin crisis, the British United Press reported. They said the State Department was consulting again this week with representatives of the West German Government in an effort to eliminate differences over some phases of the four-point United States plan.

However, Reuter quoted officials as saying it was ••misleading” to -luggest that the West German objections had actually prevented the submission of the American proposals, particularly that giving East Germany a voice on the international authority to control the Allied access routes to Berlin. State Department sources had emphasised that any objections to this proposal which had come from West Germany had not come from the Bonn Government, Reuter said. Officials had said that the State Department still intended to present to the Soviet Unicn the proposals it has in mind for easing Berlin tensions, Reuter reported. While advance press disclosure ot the Western plans was an embarrassment and a handicap, officials said, it still did not make ! he Western plans any less valid. Washington officials quoted by United Press International said objections by the West German Government were not specific enough as vet to say whether the United States-German difference was insoluble. The British United Press said the West Germans were understood to be objecting most strongly to a part of the United States plan which

would give East Germany a voice on the proposed international body to control Allied access routes to West Berlin. The United States Secretary of State 'Mr Rusk) hoped to ease Bonn's fears of this and other aspects of th plan in time to make a formal approach to Russia within a week. Originally, Mr Rusk had planned to submit the new plan to the Russian Ambassador (Mr Anatoly Dobrynin) at their meeting on Monday at the State Department. But West Germany asked him to delay pending further Allied consultations, said the British United Press. As a result, Mr Rusk and Mr Dobrynin, who met for 65 minutes, were restricted to reviewing past arguments and discussing the procedure to be followed in further talks. They agreed to meet again soon.

Mr Rusk was said to have emphasised again the West’s determination to maintain its position in West Berlin and unhindered access to the city through Communist territory. But he was said to have expressed willingness to try to make tension-easing, arrangements if Allied rights were reaffirmed. Both Mr Rusk and Mr Dobrynin described their in-

itial meeting as useful. However, United States officials said that in substance they proceeded very I'.tle beyond the point at which Mr Rusk and Mr Gromyko, the Russian Foreign Minister, broke off in Geneva last month. At that time they announced no progress on basic disputes but an agreement to keep talking, said the British United Press.

West Germany’s refusal to endorse the new United States plan came to light during a call to the State’ Department last Saturday by its Ambassador (Mr Wilhelm Grewe). said the British United Press. He had been summoned to see Mr Foy Kohler, the Assistant-Secre-tary of State for European Affairs, to receive a United States protest against news leaks from Bonn disclosing details of the new United States plan and German objections. In addition to opposing the inclusion of East Germany on toe proposed international board, the West German Government also is understood to be uneasy over a proposal for creation of East-West German joint committees to facilitate trade, communications and other exchanges The West Germans apparently felt these plans, would give the East German regime more status, bringing it closer to formal diplomatic recognition.

The United States disputed this, contending its plan simply would recognise the “facts of life” in the area, where East Germany is a factor which must be considered, the British United Press reported. The United States plan also calls for an exchange of non-aggression pledges between members of N.A.T.O and the Communist Warsaw Pact, and a Russian-Ameri-can pledge to try to prevent spreading nuclear weapons and knowledge to other countries United States officials are still incensed over the action of some West Germans in “leaking” the United States plan They assumed it was done by elements seeking to sabotage Russian - United States negotiations, said the British United Press Next Meeting In Washington diplomatic sources said today they expected that the new SovietAmerican talks on Berlin would resume when toe Soviet Government requested another meeting. The sources said they could find nothing to confirm a report that the next session would be held back until after the British Prime Minister (Mr Macmillan) had confered with President Kennedy in Washington during the week-end of April 28 and 29 The sources said that Mr Dobrynin had sent a report to his Government about his meeting with Mr Rusk and presumably was waiting for instructions on the next step They added that no decision had been taken by the United States Government to postpone the next meeting until next month.