Evening star., 1953-07-09
First Visitors
Since Riots LET
Into East Berlin
Is Major Factories
Seriously Affected
By Sitdown Strikes
BY the Assoeioted Press

BY the Assoeiated Press
BERLIN. July 9.-The Com
munists lifted the iron curtain
before riot-torn East Berlin to-
day. permitting free western
travel into the Russian sector of
the divided city for the first
time since open rebellion brought
tank-enforced martial law three
weeks ago.
Border croSsers said Is major
factories in the Soviet-occupied
city still were Seriosuly affected
by sitdown strikes which broke
out yesterday to demand release
OF workers arrested in the June
revolt. Apparently the strikers
put little credence in the Red
zone governments announce
ment last night that the great
majority" Of these had been re-
leased.
Reports from the east zone
outside Berlin indicated dozens
of plants in Jena, Magdeburg,
Leipzig, Halle, Brandenburg and
Dresden were hit by slowdowns
for the same reason. Refugees
said the Russians long since had
lifted martial law outside Berlin
but still maintained a four-hour
nightly curfew in Halle. where
rebellious workers set fire to the
giant Leuna chemical plant on
June II.
Frontier Patrols Doubled.
Though Red German infantry
and police patrols were doubled
along the 27-mile frontier be-
tween East and West Berlin, the
Communists paid scant atten-
tion to the thousands again rid
ing the previously blocked ele-
waited trains and Subways across
the border.
Each automobile and truck at
the dozens of crossing points
was checked, however, and Red
Police Chief Waldemar Schmidt
declared on Radio Berlin that
"every Fascist provocateur and
propagandist will be arrested
and dealt with sternly."
Restoration of the normal in
ter-sector travel had been a
secondary demand of the strik-
ers yesterday. The Reds an
nounced they would accede only
a few hours after the sitdowns
started. West Berlin's three al
lied commandantS also had de-
manded in two notes that the
blockade be ended.
Non-German Westerners' first
peep inside the East since the
June II outbreak revealed the
Communists puppet East Ger
man government had sealed itself
off. Heavily-armed East German
infantrymen ringed the regimes
headquarters building-chief tar
get of the June II marchers-
and stopped all but recognized
Communist officials from ap-
preaching.
No Red Soldiers in Sight.
There were no Russian soldiers
in sight. however, apparently in
token support for the satellite
governments declaration that its
police would maintain law and
order in East Berlin. The Rus
sian army had done this job since
it roared in three weeks ago to
smash the bloody uprising.
Lifting of the border blockade
today Cancelled the last of the
emergency restrictions in East
Berlin, but Maj. Gen. P. T. Di-
brova, the Red army comman-
dant, has not yet formally de-
clared an end to martial law in
the city.
Until today, only persons with
special passes had been permitted
to cross the boundary, and these
went only to Germans working
across the frontier.
GrOtewOhI Regime Fearful.
The police Gordon around the
East governments Berlin head
quarters was a clear sign that
Prime Minister Otto GroteWohl's
badly shaken regime still was
fearful of what the unarmed
public might do.
Refugees brought new reports
showing Russian dissatisfaction
with the government they so far
had kept in nominal power.
One worker from a cable fac
tory said three Russian officers
asked men at his plant why they
were dissatisfied. Before they
could get an answer, he said,
party and union leaders tried to
step in.
1.-The Russians showed them
aside" this refugee said, "and
one of the officers shouted at
them, get out of here, you've
l.