TENSION OVER BERLIN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22696, 22 July 1948, Page 5

TENSION OVER BERLIN

New Moves Possible for

Four-Power Talks

(N.Z P.A. —Reuter—Copyright.) [11.20 a.m.) LONDON, July 21. Tension over Benin has eased considerably and the feeling now is ihat the situation is at least temporarily less explosive.

The mam reasons for this appear fo be :

I —The five Western Union Powers' insistence on diplomatic and not military solutions and the possibility of four-Pov/er talks on the whole of Germany if Russia lifts the Berlin blockade.

2. The United States’ State Department line that provocation will be avoided and a peaceful solution sought.

3. The Russian move to send food to Berlin, thus dissipating the issue that the people in western Berlin are in danger of starving. It is thought that the western Allies are almost certain to send another Note to Russia on the blockade, affirming their right to remain in Berlin, but broadening the basis for a conference.

Air Lift to be Increased The Foreign Office spokesman said today that the Soivet food offer had not led the western Powers to plan for the ending of the air-lift operations or decreasing their scale; in fact, they intend to increase the air lift which, has by no means reached its peak. Speaking in the House of Commons today, the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Ernest Bevin, said the Russians had never raised any objections to the supply by air of British, American and French sectors of Berlin.

Russia had never given any warning that Yak fighters would “saturate" the Berlin air corridors between Hamburg and Berlin.

The agreement on the air corridors was explicit in the Control Council’s minutes. That agreement had not been abrogated. A Royal Air Force officer at Gatow airport also denied as “absolute rubbish” the reports of a Russian warning that Yak activity in the air corridors would be intensified.

The Royal Air Force during the night flew a record number of 80 food carrier planes to Gatow airport, aided by “artificial moonlight’’ formed by a cone of searchlights above the field.

Materials and Power for Berlin Within the next few days Berlin will be supplied with raw materials and electric current, according to Herr Herman Matern. the Berlin leader of the Communist-dominated Socialist Unity Party.

The official Soviet newspaper Teagliche Rundschau quotes Herr Matern as saying: “Help for Berlin, including the western sectors, is under way. No Berliner need be unemployed. The Soviet Government has instructed the Soviet military administration in Germany to take care of the whole of Berlin.”

The Hamburg radio announced that about 10,000 tons of newsprint, worth £370,000, will be imported into western Germany. The Soviet spokesman advised the Berlin City authorities and employees to ignore the American order banning the Communist-dominated free German trades union movement in the American sector of Berlin, says Reuter’s correspondent in Berlin. The spokesman said the movement would continue to have the Soviet. military administration’s full support. *