Evening star., 1948-07-23
Clay
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NI0y
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nesday night and reported at length
to the President and the National
Security Council in a White House
nleeting yesterday, planned to. hold
a press conference this afternoon
before taking off tonight on the re-
turn flight to Berlin.
Before the Foreign Affairs Com
mittee meeting, Mr.. Eaton told
Reporter that among things to be
talked over with the general was a
report that the Russians have Of
fered to lift their blockade If the
United States would open its zone
freely to the Soviets.
Mr.. Eaton said he had read with
some interest" report quoting
Soviet Marshal VASTLY D. Sokolov-
sky on the proposal to lift the block
ade. Marshal Sokolovsky was repre-
sented as saying the Russians would
act if the Western powers stopped
insisting that Russians must have
special passes for travel in the west
ern zones of Germany. The Soviets
always have required special passes
for travel into their zone.
Significance Doubted.
Other officials here discounted
significance of the report.
From the interview reported by a
press service, one authority here
said, it appeared that Marshal So
kolovsky might have been talking
about personal passes for inter-
zonal movement of military person.
mel rather than the question of the
Soviet blockade of movement of
food and other supplies from the
Western occupation zones into Ber-
lin.
If the Soviet commanders chance
remarks at a reception referred to
the major blockade issue, this au-
thority said, the question of the
Western powers rights to traffic by
way of the established "corridor"
through the Soviet zone to Berlin is
quite a different thing from OPEN
ing up the zonal barriers generally.
In any event, Gen. Clay's depart
IRE, will take place in an atmosphere
of apparently greater hope for a
peaceful solution of the Berlin crisis
than existed when he was ordered
home a few days ago to discuss the
situation.
Truman Voices Optimism.
President Truman sounded the
strongest note of optimism yester-
day when he told news conference
that he thinks the chances for world
peace are just as good as they ever
have been.
Yesterdays National Security
Council meeting brought together
Secretary of State Marshall, Secre-
tary of Defense Forrestal, Secretary
Royal, Secretary of the Navy Sulli-
van, Secretary of Air Force Syming-
ton and their top military and civil
ian subordinates.
White House Press Secretary
Charles G. Ross, asked by report
ers later if the meeting fore
shadowed any change in policy, said
1T foreshadows absolutely nothing
no conclusions can be drawn
from it."
Gen. Clay simply gave talk
about the situation in Berlin-and
that's all I can say about that"
Mr. Ross added.
Mr.. Truman did not disclose ex-
actly what information led to his
expression of confidence that the
chances for peace are excellent in
the face of the critical situation
arising from apparent Soviet eff
forts to drive the Western powers
from Berlin.
He said he was in complete agree
ment with Secretary of State Mar
shall's statement Wednesday that
this Government will invoke every
resource of negotiation to avoid
''the tragedy of war" but will not
be "coerced or intimidated."
Tension Somewhat Eased.
Apparently the Presidents op-
timism was based on the hope that
the Soviet also will strive for a set
tlement short of war. Tension ap-
pears to have been eased somewhat
by the fact that the Russians have