Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-10-14
Reds Renew Firing
Along Berlin Border
.LutestAttuck
Comes After
U.S.Wurninq

German gunfire ratified again
along the border last night only
hours after the United States
command put it sduarely up to
the Russians to halt "the reck-
less" shooting by East German
police across the East-West
Berlin barricade.
In the latest incident two
East Berliners escaped INTO the
French sector. The firing
halted after the refugees els
appeared down a railroad track
well within the Western zone.
An American spokesman said
Gen. Albert Watson II, chief of
United States forces in Berlin.
personally protested yesterday
to the Soviet commandment, Col.
A. I. Solovyev, at the latter's
East Berlin headquarters.
The United States and other
Western allies do not recog-
nize the East German Com
munist regime. regarding it as
a Soviet puppet.
Warns on Consequences
The United States protest
came shortly after East Ger
man border guards peppered
the American sector with ma
chinegun and rifle fire. United
States military and West Ber-
lin police held their fire. There
were no reports of casualties.
Gen. Watson warned against
the consequences of the reck-
less and illegal conduct" of the
East German police, the
spokesman said. Gen. Watson
also protested to the SovietS
about other fragrant incidents
which recently affected the
peace and security Of the
American sector" he added.
The spokesman did not give
any indications of the Soviet,
commanders reaction but
added that a give-and-take
discussion ensued.
Russian military authorities
in East Berlin usually brush
off such protests and suggest
the Western allies deal with
the East Germans in a ma
neuver to gain recognition for
that regime.
Yesterdays early morning
shooting from the Communist
sector came as nine refugees
slammed through a barbed-
wire border fence to the West
in a truck. All scrambled out
and raced to safety in a hail
of bullets, fired by East Ger
man border guards.
Question of Returning Fire
The question of when and
if the West would return fire
if fired upon by East German
guards remained unanswered.
1--WE won't disclose under
what conditions we will start
shooting" the United States
Army spokesman said. Nor
would he state whether the
United States garrison planned
to increase its border patrol
activity.
A West Berlin police spokes-
man was equally vague on re-
turning fire. That depends"
he said.
I'VE are trying our best to
restrain our West Berlin)
population from demonstrating
against the trigger-happy vopos
east German police" he de-
clared.
Police emphasized that the
week ends are fraught with
danger because many workers
are off their jobs. But they
said they planned no extra re-
Inducements as a result of yes
teSday'S gunplay.
Our police reserves have
been on alert ever since Au-
gust 10" when the Communists
slammed shut the border, the
spokesman said.
Stiff Sentences Given
The official East German
news agency Adm reported to-
day that an East German court
in Magdeburg handed down
stiff prison terms to youths
involved in a September II
peterborough attempt at Mar
ienborn, the East German
checkpoint at the western end
of the 110-mile superhighway
connecting West Berlin with
West Germany.