RUSSIANS CALL OFF BAN ON WEST TRAINS TO BERLIN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22663, 14 June 1948, Page 5

RUSSIANS CALL OFF BAN ON WEST TRAINS TO BERLIN

(10 a.m.) LONDON, June 13. The Russians did an abrupt, unexplained about-face in calling off the rail traffic block, imposed at 7 p.m. on Saturday, on all AlHed and German trains from Western Ger-

many to Berlin. The Soviet authorities earlier told the British transport officials that trains bound for Berlin from the West were “unacceptable because of the congestion of traffic.” The Russians protested that four wagons of the British freight train bound for Berlin carrying British Army stores were not labelled with a detailed list ol their contents. Tho Russians are insisting that freight documents designate the specific destination instead of the general Allied practice if addressing freight shipments to the Allied Kommandatura. An official announcement in Berlin stated that the British authorities would accept no measures increasing the difficulties of legitimate travel in Germany. The announcement added that -although the Russians held up 100 Germans ytsterday they allowed some Germans to cress the border. “Cold War” Unabated

The Russian authorities issued a protest that British authorities stopped a Soviet train carrying exhibits for the International Women’s Federation exhibition in Paris and demanded that the train guards should cross the British zone in mufti and leave their arms behind. The British authorities described the report as completely false and said the train concerned proceeded non-stop across the British zone without incident. The “cold war” in Berlin continues unabated. The British licensed newspaper Die Welt reported that telephones of a number of Soviet officials living in the British sector had been disconnected by order of the British Military Government. The telephones of a number of Western officials living in the Russian sector were recently disconnected by order of the Russian authorities. The Russians announced that the Elbe River bridge on the main road linking Berlin with the British zone would be closed until late July. Ferries would take vehicles across the river. The closing of the bridge will delay British traffic considerably.