Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-10-28
Russia Pulls Back Tanks
At Border, U. S. Follows
Continued From First Page

Continued From First Page
by signing a separate peace
treaty. The East Germans de-
mand that the Western powers
negotiate with them for con-
tinued use of the corridors, but
the West refuses to talk to the
satellite regime or have any
dealing with it.
Although there was a re-
lieved calm at the Friedrich
strasse crossing point, an angry
crowd of West Berliners surged
around a Soviet staff car
carrying two officers and a
uniformed driver-and tried to
turn it over as it cruised on
the Western side Of the border
The Soviet car. making fire.
quent crossings at Checkpoint
Charlie without stopping, ran
into the West Berliners on one
of its westward trips. The
crowd booed and shouted in
suits and several youths in the
crowd seized the car and tried
to heave it over. Others banged
on the side with their fists.
Police Clear Way
West German police came up
on the double and cleared a way
for the car. Five minutes later.
the Soviet car was back on an
other round trip from the East.
but this time it used a side
street and avoided the crowd.
The critical Berlin dispute
over allied rights of entry
into East Berlin was by no
means settled. But it obviously
meant that the road to pos
sible negotiations would be
easier with American and Rus
sion tank guns no longer
trained on each other.
Shortly after the United
States tanks left a crowd of
about 500 West Berliners surged
forward to the checkpoint.
Police pushed them back.
After the United States tanks
withdrew, they took up posi-
tons in a bombed out site 800
yards from the checkpoint at
the south end of the Friedrich
strasse. They we're ranged
around a circular open space,
the Mehringplatz, in a de-
fensive position.
Support Vehicles Withdraw
Across the street on an open
space were six armored per-
sonnet carriers. two antitank
recoilless rifles. many jeeps. in
Guiding two with Red Crosses
on their canvas covers.
Later all support vehicles. in
Guiding the personnel carriers
headed south in a convoy. An
officer said: I'VE are going off
to rest for a while and the
tanks are staying here"
When the tank Withdrawals
was completed the Russians
were 1900 yards from the bor-
der and the American 800
yards.
But the abrupt about-turn
from the front answered the
hottest question in this tense
divided city: Would the Soviet
Union or the United States
tanks be the first to back away
from the explosive border.
Only a painted white line. a
2-foot high barrier. 200 yards
of asphalt had separated the
10 Russian and 4 American
tanks which Zeroed in on each
other at point-blsnk range.
Flowers Decorate Tanks
But at 1927 am. the Soviet
crewmen calmly mounted their
tanks, some decorated with
flowers, closed down the matches
then turned around and
rumbled out Of the Friedrich
strasse checkpoint area and
into side street leading to-
ward the ruins of the palace OF
Kaiser wilhelm.
There we're tense moments
until it became known in which
direction the Soviets we're
going to move.
The American crewme n
jumped into their tanks and
waited, cunning their motors
But when it became apparent
that the Red tanks we're NOV
ing back instead of forward, A
United States captain signaleo
for the engines to be switched
off.
A large United States Army
sedan carrying five uniformed
Americans passed through the
checkpoint into East Berlin
soon after the Russian tanks
departed.
United States Army cars had
been travelling back and forth