- COLD WAR WARMS UP
THE provocations and counter-provocations in and around Berlin are a miserable business, which might quite easily become dangerous, though the Allies certainly, and Russia apparently, by no means intend that. Pin-pricks are capable of developing into dagger-thrusts. Responsibility rests- squarely on the Russians. The Allies, if for no other reason than the importance of keeping up the morale of West Berlin; \could not possibly remain passive in face of the actions of the Communists. whether Russians or East Berliners. The isolation of the Russian broadcasting- station in West Berlin, a retaliation against the cuttink of prac- tically all communications between East and West Berlin, has at least bad the effect of initiating conversations, in which in their first stage " some progress " was recorded, between the Soviet representative in Berlin and the British commandant, General Coleman. The progress will not amount to much unless it leads to the restoration of normal life in the city. If that happened the guard over the Russian wireless-station would no doubt be withdrawn, in spite of the anomalous position the station occupies in the British Sector. A great deal depends on the spirit of the people of West Berlin themselves. Mr. Eden's visit at the end of last week gave them a valuable assurance of the continuing interest the Western Allies were taking in their fortunes, and the prompt seizure of the wireless- station has made a further favourable impression.
As usual it is impossible to divine the Russians' real inten- tions. The measures taken in Berlin, and still more the creation of a three-mile impassable belt along the East German boundary from the Baltic to the Czech frontier, are completely irrelevant as replies to Dr. Adenauer's signature of the Defence Treaty. They bear all the appearance of steps taken by people who feel it essential to do something, but cannot decide what. But the Russians are not usually so purposeless as that, and it is likely enough that there are other designs still undisclosed. Possibly they aim at absorbing East Germany completely in Communist Eastern Europe. To reconcile the professions of desire for German unity with measures which make the repara- tion of East and West Germany for the time being complete is a task which would baffle even Russian propagandists unless pideed the theory is that to itensify the inconveniences of separ- ation will intensify the desire for union in both sections of the divided country. - If the Russians count on that they are expect- ing a good deal. They will certainly not stimulate cordiality towards themselves in West Germany. But meanwhile an unpleasant and potentially dangerqus situation is created. The Allied reply to the last Soviet Note may do something to relieve it. The latest developments strengthen rather than weaken the case for direct conversations between the Allied and Russian Foreign Ministers.
