Evening star., 1948-04-09
Red Marshal Reported
To Have Left Berlin:
Believed in Moscow
British Reply to Soviet
Note on Air Traffic
Discloses Absence
BY the Associated Press

BERLIN, April o. British
sources said today Soviet Mar
shall VASTLY Sokolovsky has left
Berlin, possibly for consultations
in Moscow.
Marshal Sokolovsky is commander
OF the Russian occupation zone of
Germany and the central Soviet
figure in the Berlin crisis of Russia
and the western powers.
The British delivered today their
reply to Soviet note which refused
to offer safety guarantees for air
traffic between Berlin and the west
ern zones. Contents of the note
were not disclosed.
The courier who took the note
from the Office of Gen. Sir Brian
Robertson, the British commander,
to Marshal Sokolovsky's headquar-
ters was told the Russian COM
mander was "out Of town"
No Meeting Tomorrow.
Gen. Lucius D. Clay announced
earlier there will be no meeting of
the Allied Control Council for Ger
many tomorrow, the regular meet
ing day.
Gen. Clay, American military
Governor and council chairman for
April. explained that none of the
four occupied powers had asked for
a session.
This development emphasized the
new low to which four-power CO.
operation has fallen since the Rus
slams opened up their recent cam
paign to crowd western Allies out
of Berlin.
The control council Is Germany's
top ruling body. made up of the
American, British, French and Rus
sian military governors. 1t has not
met since the Russians walked out
on the March 20 session.
Clay Making Decision.
Marshal Sokolovsky, March chair
man, failed to call meeting for
March 30, the regular day. Gen.
Clay makes the decisions on April
meetings. His announcement said:
Since there have been no re-
quests for a meeting from any of
the delegations and no subject has
been presented for discussion, there
will be no meeting of the Allied
Control Council April TO-"
The craftsmanship rotates among
the four powers each month.
Soviet authorities were reported
today to have approved finally the
setting up of a Communist-con-
trolled economic commission for
their occupation zone embracing
Eastern Germany.
Top American, British and French
leaders conferred yesterday on the
idea OF merger of the French
zone with the economically COM
bined American and British zones
In the West.
High American officials denied
today reports that final agreement
on a merger had been reached.
U. S. to Follow British Lead.
A British official spokesman said
yesterday his government was con-
sidering fighter escort for trans
port planes into Berlin because of
Soviet threat of measures to
safeguard air traffic over the So
Wet zone" American officials said
they would follow the British lead.
A Frankfurt dispatch said the
first United States Air Force pas
senger plane to fly TO Berlin to-
day left Frankfurt without fighter
escort. There are no indications
in Frankfurt, the dispatch said, that
the United States intends to give
fighter escorts to such planes.
1t was Marshal Sokolovsky who
voiced the threat of Russian inter-
vention in the Allied air corridor
to Berlin through the Soviet zone.
He did so in an exchange of let
tiers with the British having to do
with Mondays collision here be-
tween a British transport plane
and a Russian fighter, which killed
tx perSops