Evening star., 1948-08-23
Russians Free Three Americans
And British Release Red Official
But New Incident Stirs Berlin
American Sector
Invaded Again in
Seizure of German
BY the Associosed Press

BERLIN, Aug. 23.-The Rus
slams today freed Thomas P.
Headen, an American Military
Government official, after over
night detention, and the British
released a captured German ex-
ecutive of the Soviet-controlled
Berlin police.
In Frankfurt, the Russians re-
leased two Americans held pris-
oners in the Soviet zone for l8
days.
But fresh incident stirred tense
Berlin Headquarters of the West
ern sector German police an
nounced Russian soldiers invaded
the American sector of Berlin again
to seize a German photographer.
This was at least the fourth re-
ported violation of the Western
sector police Jurisdiction in Central
Berlin since the State of civil war
between rival East and West forces
began last Thursday with riot in
the no-man'S land of PotSdamer
Platz.
Russian Return Camera
MI Headen, 45-year-old deputy
chief of the American Military
Governments information services
division, was arrested by Russian
soldiers armed with tommyguns in
Potsdamer Platz yesterday. He was
turned over to United States llai-
son officers today.
I'm glad to be back, and I GER
tainly don't want to have any part
of that any more" Mr.. Headen
commented as he was brought back
to American military police head
quarters,
He said the Russians had re-
turned the camera he had with him
when he was picked up, before the
eyes of his wife and two children,
Judith. 10, and Peter. 5.
Mr.. Headen was held 81 hours
He said the Russians did not mis-
handle him. American officials
quoted him as saying he may have
stepped a foot or two into the
Soviet sector in the Potsdamer Platz.
The Russians who seized him refused
him permission to telephone Ameri-
can authorities and took him to a
Soviet headquarters Jail.
The other Americans released to-
day were 1t. Sherman Turner of
Council Bluffs. Iowa, and Roland
Myers of Brooklyn, N. Y.
The two American Military Gov
ernment officers were seized August
S while on A border inspection. They
had crossed into the Russian zone
at MellrichStadt, Is miles from
Frankfurt, apparently by mistake.
The Russians tried without success
to force them to sign a statement
that they entered the Russian zone
of Germany without authority"
and took illegal pictures of the
border.
They were released to American
officers at Hersfeld at midmorning.
United States officers quoted them
as saying they had been well
treated by Russian standards.
Western police headquarters an
nounced that Franz Erdmann. head
of the criminal division OF the
Soviet-controlled police, was re-
leased after his arrest yesterday
by British sector police while he
was watching a boxing match IN
the Olympic Stadium.
Erdmann Charges Stand.
The statement said charges OF
abduction, and presumption OF au-
thority" against Erdmann, lodged
in connection with the arrest OF
about 20 Western zone policemen
bv Eastern forces since the split,
still stand.
Erdmann has been the jailer OF
the arrested policemen. Like his
chief, Paul Markgraf, who was dis
missed by the anti-Communist city
administration, but still claims to be
chief for all Berlin, Erdmann still
,Ta,+;r,,oj op papp A Column 2 }