Evening star., 1948-10-27
Russians Claim Riqht
To Hold Gun Practice
In AirIift Corridor
BY the Associated Press

| BY the Associated Press
BERLIN, Oct. 27.-Soviet mill
tary authorities took the stand
today that they can hold gun
merry practice in the airlift cor
ridor of Berlin whenever they
please.
According to the Soviet licensed
German news agency Adm, the
Russians denied the existence Of
any Four-Power agreement on air
safety rules for occupied Germany.
American air officials who re-
ceived the Russian reply refused
comment until q translation Is COM
pleted today.
Charges Rejected.
The Russians rejected long
series of charges filed over a period
of many weeks. Among the protests: ::
Russian Yak fighter planes flew
dangerously near American cargo
planes in mock attacks, ''buzzing'
them.
Russian troops held antiaircraft
practice and Russian pilots practiced
aerial gunnery in the air corridor
used by British and American
planes flying food and fuel to Ber-
lin.
The American protest had termed
these repeated acts as menace to
airlift planes ana demanded "im-
mediate and direct action" before
serious incidents occur.
! ADN's version of the Soviet reply
said the Russians contended air
safety rules. cited by the Western
powers had never been confirmed
by the Allied Control Council and
therefore were not valid.
Again Ask Flight Notice.
To Improve air safety" the Rus
slams asked the British and Ameri-
cans to give advance notice of every
flight over the Soviet zone of Ber-
lin. Previous requests for such ad-
vance notice has been rejected by
the British and Americans, who fly
more than 600 planes into Berlin
daily.
Other Developments in Berlin in
cluded:
l. The Socialist newspaper Tele-
graf said high German Army OFF,
GERS of Moscow's Free Germany
Committee" repatriated to take po-
lice posts in the Soviet occupation
zone, have begun deserting to the
west. The British-licensed news
paper said the "deserters" included
a former general and two other
high-ranking officers.
2. Air headquarters had no COM
ment on report in the American
licensed Die Neue Zeitung quoting
American pilots as saying they had
observed a number of Russian tanks
and mobile guns in the Soviet zone
area. A headquarters spokesman
discounted rumors that Soviets were
massing crack Mongol troops on
the American zone borders.
See Winter Hardship.
8. German anti Communist lead
ers told Western Berliners to resign
themselves to hardships of a winter
blockade and urged them to remain
defiant under Russian pressures. 1t
was the leaders reaction to Russia's
veto of the Berlin compromise reso-
luton in the UaN. Security Council.
Berlin's Communists today blamed
sabotage by reactionary elements"
for temporarily knocking out a big
power plant and shutting off elec-
tricity in the Russian sector of the
city.
Anti-Communists were quick to
brand the charge a "phony." They
claimed it was a political maneu-
yer to provoke new attacks on anti
Communist trade unionists and an
alibi for technical inefficiency.
At the same time, the Russians
and Soviet-controlled German police
increased their blockade pressure
against Western Berliners. They
began stopping pedestrians at the
occupation sector borders, search
ing them and confiscating any food
stuf1s or Western currency they
carried. Heretofore, these intra-
city blockade controls had been
confined chiefly to vehicular traffic.
Soviet Sector in Darkness.
The Communist sabotage" cry.
was raised over the failure of the
big Klingenberg power plant in
Eastern Berlin. This plant broke
down Monday night, plunging the
Soviet sector into darkness.
The Russian controlled press
claimed that unidentified saboteurs
tampered with machinery in boiler
plant.
Western Berlin sources also as
serted the Russians were seeking to
cover up the pinch of the Allied
counter-blockade, which has cut off
machine parts previously obtained
from Western Germany. These are
especially vital to utilities plants.
For more than a week now the
Russian sector has been without gas;
because of plant breakdowns. These
are due in part to lack of machin-
cry requirements and Ruhr coal, for
merly obtained from the west.