European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 10, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse                                April 10, i948 the stars and stripes Page 3 headline Roundup Merlin negotiations highlight week s news in Germany Naun to i Ai my Howard l. Katzander staff correspondent fat Undra Matic announcement of series of quiet meetings in Ber overshadowed and almost of t y the tug of War Between Estern Powers and Russia week pointed like a Broad Arrow to the direction in events in Germany were Farthing be tragedy in the air in which collision of a russian fighter me and a British air transport bought death to 15, and the con Ted controversy Over russian it regulations left Little head line space Lor an unspectacular discussion of the future shape of or fee Western zones.? but the meetings among top  of Britain the u. S. Ind France left Little room for doubt that important decisions were Job the  emphasizing the importance of 3be conversations was the presence if Maurice Couve de Murville and s�6er on German affairs and As Jii Stant to French foreign minister Georges Bidault. He conferred at three separate meetings with Gen. Lucius d. Clay u. S. Military governor Gen. Sir Brian Robertson British military governor and Gen. Pierre Koenig French military governor. Political advisers to the three also were present. Speculation about the meetings included surmises that the final details of full French participation in the existing Biz onal federation were being ironed out. Continued friction accenting the importance of the meetings was the continued Fric Tion Between the Western allies and Russia Over the situation in Berlin. As the week began More temperate discussion of the issues involved in the problem of transit through the soviet zone to Berlin seemed in the making. It. Gen. M. T. Drat in soviet Deputy military governor in similar letters to the three other occupying Powers affected by soviet insistence on checking papers of rail passengers passing through the zone offered to meet for the purpose of clarifying cer stain details of the regulations announced without warning by the russians april 1. Robertson immediately announced his approval of this proposal and suggested a four Power meeting to discuss the question. Such a meeting besides clarifying the atmosphere regarding the specific problem under dispute would have the added effect of re establishing on the record the concept of four Power discussion and joint action abrogated by the russian walkout from the Allied control Council March 20. Air tragedy intervenes before any further move in. That direction could be made tragedy intervened. To Strain further relations. The air collision Over gatow brought an immediate threat by the Western allies to provide fighter cover for Allied aircraft. This threat was withdrawn upon verbal Assurance to Robertson by marshal Vassily Sokolovsky soviet military governor that there was no intention to interfere with British aircraft using the air Cor Klor into Berlin. But this conciliatory tone was not reflected in later developments. Original statements by British spokesmen said the russian fighter plane had buzzed the British air Craft and the planes collided wings of both being torn off. But the russians in an official Story released by the soviet information Bureau blamed the British Pilot for the crash asserting he had failed to notify Russia s Dalgow air Field two Miles from gatow of. His presence. The russian ver Sion said the planes collided when the european airways Viking came out of the  untrue the British labelled this version palpably untrue citing weather conditions which included the fact that visibility was 5,000 feet and the nearest Cloud to the Point at which the  was 1,500 feet away. Week s end brought the customary Date for the meeting of the acc which normally convenes the 10th,20th and 30th of each month but there will be no meeting today. Clay who is chairman of the acc for april announced yesterday no meet no would be held. Question unsettled some observers saw in this indication of the final rupture of four Power cooperation in Berlin but others Felt the.  would be allowed to lie fallow awaiting a More propitious moment perhaps an improvement in general West East relations or the Assumption of the acc chairman ship in june by France which has managed to remain aloof from the existing tension. One Concession in the interests of four Power cooperation was made by the Western allies. They agreed to the merging of six important committees of the Allied Kowtna Datura Berlin s top Allied governing body at Russia s re quest following soviet Boycott of committee meetings. The russians had originally asked that eight committees be merged finny Day at Fontainebleau Berlin if top photo shows u. S. Troops  review at special army y ceremonies held at Fontainebleau in France at the american t stares registration command depot. La Berlin lower photo the co Stab. Saturn out for army Day ceremonies. Mot Poi Low 8s briton sees Russ stifling Berlin revival Berlin april 9 is a Faigh British official said yesterday that inefficient and a Businesslike soviet controls " on traffic Are jeopardizing the remarkable re covery Berlin has made since it was stripped by the russians in 1945." Brig. E. R. Benson Deputy British commander in Berlin told a meet ing of Berlin Deputy commandants that soviet charges that the Western allies were looting Berlin Are apparently designed to justify the inexplicable restrictions now. Being  denied the looting charge Sand cited specific exam pies of the ruthless stripping of the British sector in May and june 1945 by Tine russians before the four Power occupation of Berlin began. He said the russians took 92 per cent of the machines from five Large British sector plants 40 percent of Berlin s wartime electrical generating capacity 52 automatic Telephone exchanges and the greater part of Berlin s Long distance phone exchanges. The soviet Delegate col. Alex Ander Yel Isarow refused to substantiate his looting charges. 8 americans die in dec  april 9 is eight americans died in the dec from april 2-8, the weekly Neucom adjutant general s casualty report revealed today. Death causes were reported As follows vehicle Acci dents 2 plane crash 2 and natural causes train Accident fall and undetermined 1 each. Cooking column scores for Freedom of press Berlin april 9 up editorial support of press Freedom by the nerd see Zeitun provoked open conflict with the mayor of Bremerhaven Accord ing to a military government report. When the mayor ordered City officials not to Issue statements direct to the press and established a Central press Bureau to censor official news releases the. Paper challenged the censorship decree and began carry ing cooking recipes instead of municipal releases. The censorship order was withdrawn a few Days later. Albanian Aid seen in Greece Athens april 9 up a United nations Balkan observation team reported today it witnessed tracer bullets being fired into Greece from inside Albania and saw vehicles move from Albania into the Border area presumably with supplies for greek rebels. The official report was from the in Balkans committee no l observation group. It covered the period March 29-april 2. The team was working in an area 30 Miles Northwest of Yan Nina when they observed tracers fired for an hour from various places inside Albania the vehicles on which they re ported allegedly moved along a Road connecting greek Border Vil Lages the guerrillas used As Supply bases. Guerrillas at the time were pocketed from the rest of Greece. World press urged to give fair reports Geneva april 9 a the United nations conference. On Freedom of information today unanimously condemned distortion and falsification of news and called on newspapermen through out the world to maintain accuracy fairness and responsibility. Passage of the Resolution by the plenary session was regarded As certain. The Resolution declared that the conference condemns solemnly All propaganda designed or Likely to pro Voke or encourage any threat to the peace breach of the peace or act of aggression and All Distor Tion Antt falsification of news through whatever channels Privateer governmental since such activities can Only promote misunderstanding and mistrust Between the Peoples of the world. Urges accuracy fairness the Resolution appeals vigorously to the personnel of. Agencies of information of All the countries of the world and to those responsible for their activities to serve the Aims of Friend ship understanding and peace by accomplishing their task in a spirit of accuracy fairness and  300 finish signal courses Nurnberg april 9 special three Hundred wire and radio specialists who have been training at the Euc pm signal school in ans Oach for 13 weeks will receive their diplomas today and tomorrow. Clay believes conflict now avoidable continued from Page 1 ing the soviets firmly when they overstep Bounds Clay said in my opinion it is not so much a question of firmness on Mere everyday dealings such As these inter local traffic curbs As holding unswervingly to our ultimate of  this he reiterated was to exert . Power so As to make possible the organization of Western european political and economic Security. Clay indicated that a policy of firmness would continue to be his own guiding principle in dealing with the soviets whenever in his opinion they attempted to trans Gress rights of the . As one of the occupying Powers. He said Over a Long period soviet com Manders in Berlin have shown they Are not interested in cooperating with us in forming an All German government. In the course of that time they have repeatedly applied pressure to us. Events of the last week should convince them that pressure tactics applied to us will not pay  Clay said there Are no signs thus far that the russians Are disposed to abandon insistence on boarding and inspecting u. S. Military Pas Senger trains although Supply trains and motor traffic now Are Normal. The russians Are accepting the usual Bills of lading and not insisting upon inspection of cargoes As firs demanded. Clay said that no Date has. Been set for the meeting which thetis sians suggested to clarify the new traffic curbs and added maybe there won t be., any., we told the russians flatly. We would t accept the principle of soviet inspection of our military trains and we Haven t heard any thing More from them. F asked what he would do if the russians attempted to control air traffic through the corridor Suchias. Demanding that american planes land at. Soviet Aird Romes Midway Between Berlin and Frankfurt for inspection Clay said it in will refuse to stand for any thing compromising the principle of Freedom of the air