Evening star., 1953-06-29
Reds Relaxing Grip
On East Germany;
Troops Withdraw
By the Assoeioted Press

BERLIN, June 29.-Germany's
Communists Eastern ~Zane re-
turAed closer to It's occupation
normal today as many Soviet
troop units moved back to their
barracks, curfeWS were relaxed
and the lifting of martial law
was expected soon.
German police took over pa
trolls in parts. OF. East Berlin and,
units of the two armored diVi-
Sions which quelled the June II
workers revolt there withdrew.
The curfew was cut to four hours
nightly.
Similar action was taken in
many of the other revolt cen
ters.
Throughout the Soviet zone,
Red leaders staged loyalty"
rallies to bolster East German
pVppet Premier Otto Grote-
wohl's shaky regime.
Many Amnesties Reported.
Continuing their policy of de-
communication to placate the
population and restore German
efficiency, the East government
gave back more plants and shops
to former private owners and re-
turned farm lands to dispos-
SGssed owners.
Along with reports of numer-
Gus amnestieS-the release, for
example. of 700 men jailed in
Halle for infractions of economic
laws now virtually abolished
the West heard reports of more
strike leaders arrested.
Underground sources said also
there had been three more exc
cutions by Russian firing squads,
bringing the reported total of
such dead to 80. Scores of
others died in the strike-riots,
most of them at the hands of
the excited and frightened Ger
man Communist police. Allied
officers agreed the Russians had
done most of their firing over
the heads Of the rioters.
Communication Restored.
West German postal officials
in Frankfurt said telephone COM
munication with the Soviet zone
had been restored. They had
been cut off with the outbreak
Of revolt.
The West kept up its trumpet
ing against the East German
regime. In the British zone city
Of Werl yesterday, West Ger
man Chancellor Konrad Ade-
nauer told a crowd of 10000
refugees the Communist govern
ment was "treasonable regime
which would have been swept
away except for the support of
Russian tanks and machine
guns"
"The day OF your return to
your homes and the peaceful re-
unification of Germany will come
sooner than many. believe" Mr..
Adenauer declared.
Western military men, mean
while, after pondering closely
their reports on the outbreak in
East Germany and the Russian
actions which uuelled it, reached
some eye-opening-and chilling
-@eohclusionS about the Red
army across the frontier.
Russian Army Is Ready.
Allied sources said these con-
cluSionS are ineScapable:
!. The 300.000-map Soviet
force is not a soft occupation
army. It is a hard-hitting jug
gernaut that can take off now
and strike in any direction.
2. The combat teams are
trained to the last detail in swift,
forced marches. rapid deploy-
ment and that final evidence of
the real soldier-he doesn't fire
at shadows.
3. The rolling armored equip
ment is kept in top shape and
is good equipment, too. The Rus
sian field uniform is new and
good and SO are his weapons.
The, officers are smartly turned
out and there isn't a ragged
looking one in the lot.
Military men are particularly
amazed at the minimum loss of
life that resulted from the in
herently savage impact of COM
bat troops colliding with a riot
ing population.
Had the Russian army been as
excited as the East police, the
blood bath would have been i'm
possible to assess or to forget,
allied men said.
With two million aroused Ger