Evening star., 1948-08-31
Biq 4 Governors in Berlin Meet
For Hour Seeking Settlement Of
Blockade and Rival Money Issue
Further Sessions
Are Planned on
Eost-West Split
By the Associofed Press

BERLIN, Aug. 31.-Russian and
Western military governors of
Germany met for an hour today
on East-West problems in block
AIDED Berlin.
I'VE will meet again. said Gen
Sir Brian Robertson Of Britain.
The date, however, still is not
fixed"
1t was the first top-level meeting
in Berlin in five months and re-
suited from diplomatic discussions in
the Kremlin for the past month.
Meeting Tomorrow Set.
Gen. LuciuS D. Clay, American
military governor, said there will be
a top-level meeting tomorrow" This
did not necessarily mean a meeting
of the governors themselves.
Asked if the conference was
amicable, an American official re-
sponded:
1T depends on what you call
amicable"
Meeting with Gen. Robertson and
Gen. Clay were Gen. Pierre Koenig,
the French occupation commander,
and Marshal VASTLY D. Sokolovsky,
the Russian military chief.
Gen. Robertson said there will be
no official statement today. Amer
lean officials said financial experts
of the four powers will continue to
confer on technical financial prob
lens.
Blocade, Currency Discussed.
The State Department in Wash
ington said the governors discussed
measures to lift the blockade
and to solve the dispute over rival
Russian and Western marks circu-
lating in the German capital.
michael J. McDermott, State
Department press officer, told
reporters there will be further
four-poWer talks in Moscow and
sin connection with these fur
ther discussions certain technical
questions involved in the restora-
ton of communications and the
currency problem will require
consideration and recommended
tions from the military COVER
nors in Berlin"
The American Government con-
siders the blockade and currency
questions inter-related.
The four military Governors
in Berlin are expected to report
through their governments data
which will enable the four-poWer
conferees in Moscow to get on win
further talks rather than to reach
final settlement of the problems
in Berlin.
Diplomatic officials empha-
sized that holding the currency
discussions means the Berlin
talks were set up under condi-
tions satisfactory to the western
powers. If no they said, there
would be no discussions in Berlin.
The western powers have in
sisted that before they would
even talk over the currency sit
uation the Russians must lift the
blockade of the former German
capital
Many Advisers Present.
A host of close military, political
and financial advisers accompanied
the four military governors. When
they last met. Marshal Sokolovsky
denounced the Western powers as
"splitters of Germany" and abrupt
ly left the chamber.
The plethora of advisers gave
backing to reports that the COVER
nors will seek a practical solution
to Berlin'S involved dual currency
situation anG the lifting of the
blockade itself The Western pow
erS have insisted in the past that
they would not even talk over the
currency matter until the Russians
lift the blockade. Diplomatic sources
make it plain the Berlin talks were
started under conditions favorable
to the Western powers, otherwise
they would not have been held.
The conversations here may last
week. If all goes we'll, the nego-
tiations then are likely to shift to
Moscow where an announcement
may be forthcoming. Moscow dis
patches said there probably would
he no more Kremlin talks while the
governors are sitting in Berlin.
Gen. Clay and his political ad-
wiser. Ambassador Robert Murphy
(See BERLIN, Page A-3D