PATROLS RETURN

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29909, 24 August 1962, Page 11

PATROLS RETURN

No Border Hindrance

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) BERLIN. August 23,

Two American Army cars returned to Checkpoint Charlie at dawn today after a series of all-night test runs through East Berlin. It was believed the patrols were designed to test whether any new obstacles to Western access to East Berlin would result from yesterday’s abolition of the office of the Soviet commandant in East Berlin.

The cars passed the barrier gates into East Berlin without delay. It was not immediately known why one of the cars, containing an officer and two men, spent four hours in the Eastern sector None of the other patrols lasted longer than 90 minutes. A Soviet military vehicle also crossed into West Berlin two hours before midnight and returned to East Berlin soon afterwards without incident About 300 West Berlin police, standing by in case of demonstrations at Checkpoint Charlie, the Friedrichstrasse crossing point for foreigners, were dismissed an hour before midnight. There was no repetition there of the angry scenes earlier this week after the shooting by East German border guards last Friday of an 18-year-old East Berlin refugee, Peter Fechter who was left dying in a pool of blood for an hour.

Churchill At Home.— Sir Winston Churchill had a good night’s rest at home last night after nearly eight weeks in hospital.—London, Aug. 22.