Evening star., 1946-11-30
Extensive Withdraw
OF Russians in Reich
Reported Under Way
Reds Soon Moy Divide
Zone Into 5 Sfutes in
Line With Byrnes PIon
BY n. As.eeius.d Pres.

BERLIN, Nov. 30.-Large-scale
Withdrawals of Soviet troops ap-
parently are under way in Rus
sian-occupied Germany amid
indications that Russian policy
toward Germany was undergoing
a major change placing it more
in line with United States and
British views.
Reports OF the Withdrawals came
from both American and German
sources and Mai. Gen. Frank A
Keating, acting American deputy
military governor. said I'VE believe
the Russians are moving some ol
their troops back to Russia as Mar.
Eshal Sokoloysky tSoviet commando
In chief in Germany informed Gen
McNarney and myself at Allied Con.
troll Council meetings"
sOficial German sources disclosed
that the Russian zone of Germany
soon would be divided into five
states, each with q separate state
legislature and government. The
plan, similar to that In the United
States and British zones, represented
"a reversal of Soviet policy which
called for q strong central govern
ment for Germany.
May Be Following Byrnes' Line.
The new policy may indicate that
the Russians are preparing to follow
Secretary of State Byrnes' call foI
"a federated Germany with power
divided between the states and q
central regime.
No authoritative information was
available on the number of Rus
sian troops involved in the rede-
ployment, but q German CORE
spondent who returned recently
from Thuringia said the movement
there was something terrific"
crhe London Daily Mail said
1t believed 800, 900 Russian troops
were being repatriated)
On October %, the Soviet Union
disclosed that 1t was making re-
duction in Russian armed strength
the fourth since the war. No fig
ures we're given, but q decree said
that "older ages Of soldiers and
noncommissioned officers of land
troops" would be sent home in the
period from November / to jan
uary l.
Thursday, Soviet Foreign Minis
ter Molotov in a statement to the
Political and Security Committee OF
the United Nations General Assem-
bly, in New York accepted the prin-
ciple Of international inspection and
control as applied to proposed meas
ures for disarmament.
McNarney Refuses Comment.
There also was the possibility the
Russians were getting in readiness
for the visits to all four zones oi
four-power teams to check on the
progress of liquidation of German
war industry.
Gen. McNarney, the American
commander in Europe, refused te
comment at Frankfort on the re-
ported Withdrawals. It was recalled
however, that in a recent reply to q
request to permit American CORE
spondents to enter the Soviet zone
Marshal Sokolovsky told Gen. Nc.
Narney that due to the demobiliza.
tion of q large number of Russian
troops transport facilities are clogget
and it really would be dangerous
for the correspondents to be ad-
mitted.
An American intelligence officer
commenting on the reports of ths
Soviet troop Withdrawals, said there
was no evidence of reduction o1
forces in Berlin itself.
IF the Russians are really making
any big-scale withdrawal Of theil
forces well hear about 1t ofdcially
with considerable fanfare" he said
ssThe Russians certainly would capi-
talize on it in the United Nations
Assembly debate on disarmament
No authoritative information was
available here on whether Russian
redeployment or bilization was