Evening star., 1961-10-27
BERLIN
BERLIN
Russian onks Add
To Border Tension
Continued From First Page

Continued From First Page
Red tanks left the explosive
FriedrichStraSSe intersection,
five American tanks reappeared
on the scene. They took up
positions right on the frontier.
A United States spokesman
said that five other American
Patton tanks and five armored
personnel carriers were being
held in reserve in the immedi-
ate area of the checkpoint.
A senior British army officer
identified the Red tanks as
Soviet, manned by Soviet crews.
They were presumably from a
group of 20-30 Soviet tanks that
moved into East Berlin last
night from neighboring East
Germany.
The British officer said the
tanks included four new model
T54S and three old T34S.
Party Enters East
The Communist tanks moved
toward the United States sector
within an hour after three
United States Army jeeps bear
ing military police escorted a
small gray car carrying Amer
ican civilians into the East
sector. They were reasserting
the rights of passage that the
United States claims for its
forces. civilian and military.
For today's border test the
United States Army brought up
seven tanks and three jeeps
filled with military police. Only
the jeeps went across the bor-
der but one tank approached
the border at such a speed that
it went 10 feet over the white
line marking the separation of
the two sectors Of the city. 1t
quickly Withdrew.
The jeeps and the gray car
- carrying three American
civilians - drove about 300
wards inside East Berlin to the
first intersection.
AS soon as the convoy passed
through the zig-zag barrier into
Communist territory. a truck
containing eight East German
polio appeared on the scene.
Six Of the military police ais
mounted from their vehicles.
Two Of the soldiers iInmedi-
ately got back into their jeeps.
The remaining four rook up
walking positions by the Amer
ican vehicles.
Convoy Returns Slowly
Then the entire convoy went
back into West Berlin, at walk
ing pace. The fou military po-
lice remained on foot the en-
tire way. but their guns were
at the ready.
The East German police beth
on border duty and in the truck
made no attempt to stop the
Americans.
The purpose Of the thrust,
ike those that took place We'd
nesday and Thursday, was to
show that the United States
refuses to acknowledge East
German control of civilians
moving back and forth between
East and West Berlin.
The Russian tanks moved
into position in East Berlin
overnight.
A few hours later, Premier
Khrushchev served notice the
Soviet Union has no intention
Of guaranteeing indefinitely the
Western powers access to the
city. He told a Moscow audi
ence the West is threStening
war to back up its position
here. He insisted, however
that the Soviet Union has nc
designs on West Berlin.
U. S. Rights at Stake
The main issue in Berlin al
the moment was the right Of
the United States and it's allie!
to pass civilian officials into
East Berlin without identifying
them to the satisfaction Of the
East Berlin police.
United States Ambassador
Llewellyn Thompson filed {
protest on this issue with So
Wet Foreign Minister Andre
Gromyko in Moscow, and go
in turn a protest over UniteC
States actions at the wal
separating the East and Wes
sectors.
People who got first glimpse
of the Soviet tanks after the,
were brought up to within /;
mile of the border last nigh
said they were manned by Rus
slams. This was something new
since the Russians have con
tended that East Berlin is pri
marily the responsibility of tn
East Berlin regime. Postwa