Evening star., 1961-08-25
BERLIN
Outbreaks Of Violence t7erenten
Tension on Both Sides of Border
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continued From First Page
people, on whose table once
again rest the dirty boots of
the American soldier"
Three United States Army
sightseeing buses, packed with
about 100 soldiers in uniform,
drove into East Berlin with
out a hitch. Yesterday the
buses were held up for more
than an hour by German bor-
der guards because TIE Amer
leans, needing garrison orders,
refused TO show their identity
cards.
After an American protest
to Russian authorities, the
buses were allowed to proceed.
The tours are organized for
new men in Berlin as part of
their orientation.
In a series Of incidents yes
terday and last night:
A West Berlin mob attacked
a bus loaded with Soviet SOL
diers. Saboteurs halted the
Red-run railway and elevated
system in the Western sector
for 10 minutes. East German
police shot and killed a fleeing
refugee.
With orders to fire if fired
upon, American Gis stood guard
during the night in drenching
rain closeup to the Com
muniStS' fortified line along
with British and French forces
and West Berlin police.
Brig. Gen. Frederick o.
Hartel, commander of the $500
man United. States garrison in
Berlin. toured the border in the
American sector during the
early morning hours. About
500 American troops - some
with rifles slung over their
shoulders, others behind ma
chinegunS pointing to the east
maintained the night watch.
The first known fatality of
the nerve war came yesterday
when Communist police with a
burst of gunfire killed an East
German who plunged into a
waterway near the old Reich
stag Building and tried to swim
to the West. /
Frogmen recovered the body
three hours later. The dead
man was not identified.
Mob Charges Bus
American MPS and West
Berlin police rescued Is Soviet
soldiers travelling to the Red
Army's war memorial near the
Brandenburg Gate from a mob
of West BerlinerS shouting
swine"
With fists raised, the crowd
charged the bus carrying the
guards for the m e mortal,
pounded on the outside of the
bus and tried to ovcrturn a
lead Soviet army jeep. l.
The Communists were ex-
pected to make sharp protest
over the demonstration against
the Soviet troops, who move
daily into the West to rotate
The guard at the Red war me-
mortal in the British sector.
Another Communist protest
appeared likely over two at
temptS to sabotage traffic on
The Red-run railway and ele-
yated lines that still operate
between East and West.
Heavy steel bars were dis
covered blocking railroad tracks
near West End Station last
night only minutes before a
freight train, bound for West
Germany, was due. Police said
a major disaster was averted.
elevated traffic was also held
up by bars across the rails.
Blocks Found on Tracks
Earlier wooden blocks had
been found across the tracks
near the Neukoelin elevated sta
lion, and stones were hurled at
an el train at SiemensStadt.
West Berlin police picked up
three youths after the discov-
cry of the barriers near the
West End railroad station.
Police said they had not ruled
ou. the possibility that the ,
oars were planted by Com
nunist agents but so far lad
uncovered no evidence in that
direction
Earlier this week Otto Arndt,
general manager Of the East
German railroads, charged the
West Berlin Senate and trade
unions with agitating hooligans
to sabotage Berlin's ;ail sys-
tenn and made a veiled threat
to halt rail traffic to West
Germany.
Allied military and German
interZonal pas SSenger and
freight trains run on the Com
munist-controlled tracks con-
Meeting West Berlin with the
West. About q per cent of
West Btrlin's annual freight
shipments are moved by rail
in and out of the city.
Signal Wiring Ripped
The East German radio re-
ported that unknown persons
broke into a locked switch
board box automatically oper-
ating signals at the elevated
Hermannstrasse station. in the !
West Berlin district of Neu-
koelln. The broadcast said wir-
ing was ripped out and signals |
went dead, but the radio did not !
report any stoppage in train
traffic. West Berlin police knew
nothing of the incident. Il
A private Western intelli-
gence agency reported hun
dreds of arrests in East Ger
many of persons for raising
their voices against the sealing
of the border.
The agency, Information Bu-