A CRISIS AT MOSCOW

Grey River Argus, 14 August 1948, Page 5

A CRISIS AT MOSCOW

PESSMSne VIEW AT LONDON (Received August 13, at 9.30 p.m.) ; LONDON, August 13. Yesterday at the Kremlin a talk of three hours between the Western envoys and M. Molotov was held in an atmosphere of more pessimism than hitherto, according to the “Daily Telegraph’s” diplomatic correspondent. Official secrecy about the progress of negotiations is still being maintained, but, says the correspondent, there seems little doubt that a crisis had been reached at the end of the talks last Monday.

The “Daily Telegraph’s” correspondent adds that the Western envoys were instructed to tell M. Molotov on Thursday that his previous proposals were not acceptable, and that the earlier position outlined by the envoys was maintained. This position is that the Berlin blockade must foe lifted before there can be must be lifted before there can be any more Four Power talks on Germany. " It therefore is difficult to see how negotiations’ can continue, unless the Russians are prepared to make a last-minute change in their policy. The Russian demands are believed to be as cabled on Wednesday, relative to political unification of Germany and as against the Western Powers’ proposals in West Germany. STILL WITHOUT ANY CONCLUSION LONDON, ' August 12. Mr Frank Roberts (Britain), General Bedell Smith (American) and M. Chataigneau (France) saw the Soviet Foreign Minister at the Kremlin for nearly three hours on Thursday afternoon, this being their fourth meeting since the present negotiations opened. Afterwards, the American, General Bedell Smith said “We are still without any conclusion.” He did rot think this v’ould be a lasting meeting. It is believed there may be on Friday, another meeting with M. Molotov, and, on Sunday, one with Ml Stalin. The envoys were more cheerful than after th e previous meetings. The conclusion of the talks cannot long be delayed, according to The Times diplomatic correspondent. The Western Powers have never faltered from their stand that the Berlin blockade must be lifted before the beginning of negotiations and, if a basis of negotiation has been found, an early settlement may be expected., The Russian press has been emphasising concern over the proposed settling up of a' provisional German regime in Western Germany. ■"Keeping step with the Moscovz press, Russian-controlled newspapers in Berlin have resumed the.’r own attack on Allied policy in the West,” says the Berlin correspondent of the Times. “Typical comment is that by the Berliner Zeitung, which reiers to Western Germany as having become' an El Dorado for war criminals.’

Aircraft Sets a New Record (Reuter —N.Z.P.A.) (Rec. 10.55) BERGIN, August 13 United States and Bncisn aircraft, sharing the task equally, have broken the Berlin air-lift record by bringing seven hundred and eighteen piano loads of food and coal in the iast twenty-four hours. The airmail have carried ninety thousand tons of rood fuel to the German population in Berlin since the end of June, besides hundreds of tons of supplies for the British, American and French communities. This amount is suilicient to sustain the German population, but it represents only one-third of the total that was brought by the Western Powers to Berlin by trains and large lorries before the blockade. WHOSE SHELLS? Reuter’s correspondent in Berlin says that the pilot of an American Skymaster saw anti-aircraft shells bursting in the American air corridor at a height of between 8000 and 10,000 feet. '.Che pilot said that the shells burst ‘‘at a comfortable distance from the aeroplane,” but well inside the corridor. There were several Russian aeroplanes towing targets. Russian Paper Alleges Currency Smuggling (Rec. 11.50) LONDON, August 13 Reuter’s correspondent at Berlin says: The Soviet newspaper “laegliche Rundschau” alleged that British and American Air Bridge aircraft were flooding Eastern Germany with “enormous sums” of small denomination coins obtained in Western Germany. These coins retained their worth in the Eastern zone, but have lost value in the Western zones when the new currencies were introduced. The paper said that illegal money smuggling had . assumed proportions likely to lead to a complete disruption of Berlin’s Eastern zone’s economy, unless immediate counter-measures were taken.”

WEST GERMAN WORKERS DEMANDS Three hundred thousand German workers throughout the Un.ted States zone of Germany left shops and factories to attend demonstrations against the United States Military Government and high prices, while mass meetings, called by the trade unions in all the major cit-es throughout Hesse State., demanded that General Clay approve a law to give the worker more rights in the management of factories. A mob in Frankfurt overturned a United States jeep and chased a press photographer. Soviet Military Police Invade West Sectors i Of Berlin LONDON, August 12. American military police forced the withdrawal of a squad of Russian military police and Soviet-controlled German pobce who crossed into the American sector of Berlin to-dry. In the Potsdamer-Platz area ot central Berlin, Soviet-controlled German police, supported by Russian military police, crossed into the British' and American sectors to arrest Germans in the streets. These were forced to withdraw when a squad of Western German policemen rushed to the borders. In both cases thd Russians claimed the raiders were rounding up black marketeers. American roLce officials said there was no violence. Most of the Russian police stopped at the border while German forces crossed into the American sector, but some Russians helped Germans’ to search the American sectc r houses.

Russians Complete Division of Berlin (Rec. 11.20) LONDON, August 13 The Russians have evacuated the Allied Four Power Government building in the American sector of Berlin, and have hauled down their flag, thus completing a division of Berlin as be tween east and west as far as the Russians are concerned. This is reported by the Associated Pres correspondent at Berlin. Russia withdrew on July 1 from the Allied Kommandatura, but she retained a flag sentry at its building until the removal of the archives.