Evening star., 1948-04-02
Berlin
Continued From First Page.)

officers said, and they expressed con-
fldence enough would be furnished
for all. The women of the American
sector, for the most part, were not
alarmed. One of their greatest con-
Germs seemed to be over the receipt
Of mail on time.
Five American PAT Thunderbolt
fighters landed today at the Rhein-
Main Airport in Frankfurt, where
Berlin n-bound planes were taking
off, After staying an hour and a
half, four of the fighters returned
to their base near Munich The
fifth was understood to have en-
gine trouble. Air Forces officers said
the flight was a routine, practice
affair.
Air Corridor 20 Miles Wide.
There is 20-mile wide air cor
ridor between Frankfurt and Ber-
lin. One pilot said he saw Soviet
fighter planes outside the corridor
today, but added, That's normal"
Pilots on the Frankfurt Berlin shut
tie denied a recurring report that
some of the American planes had
been buzzed by Russian fighters.
Late in the day, Air Force head
quarters at Wiesbaden blacked out
all information on the American
air lifeline to Berlin, and in Frank
furt Army headquarters said 1t could
give no information to the press.
Col. David M. Fowler, Army pub
lie relations chief in Europe, said
he had orders to clear all infor-
nation" through Brig. Gen. Charles
K. Galley, chief of staff to Gen.
Lucius D. Clay, the military COVER
nor. in Berlin.
Col Sergei Tulpanov, the Soviet
military administrations informa-
ton chief, asserted that what we
have decided on border and traff1c
controls will remain in force"
These controls, instituted early yes
terday with less than "a hours no
tice, claim for the Russians the
right to inspect passengers and
freight moving by rail and highway
through the established corridors in
the Soviet zone to and from the city
of Berlin.
First Soviet Response.
Col. Tulpanov made his state
ment, the first official Soviet re-
sponse to the western protests, in
q speech to tie Communist-spon-
sored Socialist Unity Party at Halle.
His speech was published prom
inently in all Russian-controlled
newspapers.
The bitterness of Col. Tulpanov's
remarks against what he called the
evil influences of American and
British plunderers and imperialists"
was taken here as an indication the
Russians may be planning even
more forceful measures to get the
westerners out.
leaders in Berlin, who handed the
Communists beating in the city's
only postwar election, urged the
Western Allies not to leave the city.
Defying the Russians openly, they
declared they would resist totalitar-
ianism in Berlin and they begged
the Americans, British and French
to show q firm front against Rus
sian demands.
Refuse to Permit Inspection.
British and Russian troops faced
each other for IL hours yesterday
and last night across a roadblock
the Russians had set up in the Brit
ish sector of Berlin. The small So
Wet detachment finally abandoned
the barrier early today The British
sent their men in after lodging a
vain protest.
The British put on extra plane
flights. They scheduled supple
mental bus service on the interna-
tional highway to their western
zone, which remained open.
The Russians only means of in
terfering with the American planes
apparently would be to shoot or try
to force them down at the risk Of
o serious international incident.
They are not halting any of the
% daily trains carrying food. coal,