Evening star., 1949-04-27
West Berlin Stirred
BY Report Blockade
will Be Lifted Soon

will Be Lifted Soon
1y ths Asse<irssd Press
BERLIN, April 27.-The people
Of Western Berlin seized eagerly
today on reports that the Russian
blockade would be lifted in the
very near future"
The reports. distributed by
Western licensed German news
agencies. were attributed TO Ger
man sources closely connected with
the Soviet military administration.
The informants said the Rus
slams had ordered immediate tech
nical preparations for lifting the
blockade. No official confirmation
of these reports was available.
Trains Can Roll Immediately.
Trains and trucks can start
rolling toward Berlin almost al
the moment the blockade is lifted
West German and Allied Of
ficials in Frankfurt disclosed that
they are ready 10 move fast II
Russia relents.
Plans have been kept constantly
UP to date ever since the block
ade began nearly q year ago. Since
then the supplies which used to
go by road and rail have been
flown to Berlin by the British
American airlift.
But we have never stopped
planning for possible resumption
Of normal traff1c." said DR.. Fritz
Busch. director general Of West
German railways.
AT a moments notice we are
ready to dispatch l8 trains over
the one available rail line through
HelmStedt to Berlin" DR.. Busch
said.
Red Conference Held.
The British-licensed newspaper
Sozialdemokrat said leading Com
munists of the Russian zone were
summoned to Soviet headquarters
at Karlshorst yesterday for a con-
ference in connection with the
lifting of the blockade.
There was a lot of guessing
whether the reported meeting wa.
called to deal with plans to lifi
the blockade or to speed the
formation of q separate Com
munist-dominated East German
state in the Soviet zone to match
the proposed West German re-
public.
The anti Communist press in
West Berlin interpreted the new
Russian overtures for lifting the
blockade as evidence that the
Communists recognize the Allied
airlift has beaten their blockade
and that their zones economy has
suffered more than the west zone
from the blockading.
Meanwhile. the Berlin blockade
continues just as tight as ever on
the ground-with Allied planes
just as active in meeting it by
flying in the supplies the West
Berliners need.
New State Plans to Continue. =,
Gen. Lucius D: Clay said yester-
day that the western Allies intend
to see a West German republic
established regardless Of whether
the Russians lift the Berlin block
ade. 30 3tsi hiSj3anhl ons -
A similar stand swas taken BY
British spokesmen in London and
Lake Success.
The Russians previously. have
insisted on postponenent of, plans
to set up the West German state
as q condition for lifting the
blockade. -
ATass announcement early yes
terday, however, indicated the
Russians had dropped this condi-
tion-after Andrei Vishinsky sue
ceeded v. M. Molotov; as Soviet
Foreign Minister.
Both Gen. Clay and Robert D.
Murphy. former political adviser
to the military governor and now
head Of the State Departments
German Division, took a wary at
titude toward the Soviet offer to
lift the blockade. This was In
contrast to optimism expressed ut
the State Department in WASH
ington.
Mr.. Murphy saw the Russian
move as an effort to swing Ger
man opinion away from the
thought Of forming q West Ger
man republic. He said he was
convinced "the Germans will not
be swayed."
Gen. Clay declared "it viii have
no effect whatsoever on the West
German government. We are
going ahead with our plans"