Evening star., 1948-09-09
Berlin Soviet Troops Open Fire
AS German Crowd Stones Them
In Demonstration Against Reds
Russians Beaten os
100000 Mass in
British Sector
By the Associated Pres.

and CommuniSt-controlled Ger
man police fired on Berlin anti
Communists tonight after the
crowd of Germans stoned a
jeepload of Russian soldiers just
inside the Soviet sector.
Part of a crowd of 100000 Ger
mans who took part in massive
anti-communist demonstration just
inside the British sector Surged
toward the Soviet area as the mass
meeting ended.
At the Brandenburg Gate, in
side Soviet territory, the crowd at
tackled a jepp bearing five Russian
soldiers, and stoned and beat its
occupants.
British sector police attempted to
keep the crowd from entering the
Soviet zone, fearing incidents might
provoke shooting.
At least one German anti-Com-
muniSt was seen to have been hit
bv the fire of the Russian sector
German police.
Associated Press photographers
on the scene said they believed
Russian military police who rushed
up aimed their fire high in order
to diSperse the demonstrators.
Z. S. Protest Rejected.
The Soviet commandant earlier in
the tense day rejected American
and French protests against the ar
rest and kidnapings of 38 Western
zone police from City Hall The
Russian, Maj. Gen. Alexander koti-
kov told the Americans to mind
their own business.
The German throng, estimated by
City Council President Otto Suhr at
from 10000 to 250,000, jammed Re
public Square before ruins of the
Reichstag Building and protested
Communist attempts to seize power.
The gathering dWarfed all Commu-1
mist manifestations in Berlin.
Only total of about 10000 per-
sors took part in the four Conn.,
munist demonstrations against the
City Hall in the Russian zone.
Republic Square is in the British
zone only 50 yards from the Rus
sian boundary. Strong forces of
Western sector police ringed the
square.
Long before the rally started
trucks came from the American,
British and French sectors filled
with nti-Communists. The British
had issued a permit for the rally,
but ruled that after today political
demonstrations must be at least
half mile from the Soviet zone bor-
der This was a precaution against
incidents"
Red Planes Over u. S. Sector.
Russian fighter planes stunted and
dived high above the American Sec
tor of Berlin, leaving vapor trails
reminiscent of the war days. The
Russians broke no regulations, but
excited the German population, in
this jittery four-poWer city.
The maneuvers, duly ANNOUNCED
In advance, were staged against
somber background of big-power
tension.
Gen. Kotikov had just told the
Americans mot to interfere in
matters which don't concern them"
His letter was the Russian answer
to a protest by the American COM
mandant, Col. Frank Howley, against
an invasion of American Offices in
the City Hall Monday In which 10
Western sector police were carted
off
The Russians also have turned
down a French demand for the re-
lease Of another 10 Western sector
police who we're kidnapped by Soviet
sector police Wednesday morning
while travelling under a Russian
safe-conduct guarantee.
IL Yaks Roar Over City.
About II Russian Yak fighters
roared over Berlin early in the day.
Later there were two more groups,
one of five planes and one of nine.
Tney flew over the Zehlendorf dis
trict, an American residential sec
ton, stunting, diving and leaving
vapor trials but remaining at alti-
tudes Of from $4,000 to 10000 feet.
This, an American spokesman said,
was not a violation of four-power
flight regulations, which apply only
to flights of 10000 feet or less.
Allied officers said nothing un-
usual, thus far, had occurred in the
sir-lift corridors to interfere with
the massive Allied program to sup
ply the blockaded city.
The American spokesman, 1t. Col.
B. E. Steadman of the American
military governments armed forces
division, added:
However, can understand the
Berliners' interest, especially over
the vapor trails. They know those
well from the days of wartime
bombing"
Ger. Kotikov's letter to Col. How
ley was published prominently on
the front page of Taegliche Rund-
schau, official newspaper of the Rus
sian military administration. The
(see BERLIN, Page A-eJ