HC Deb 16 June 1948 vol 452 c407
13. Mr. Blackburn

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the recent impediments offered by the Soviet authorities to the passage of trains to and from the British sector of Berlin.

Mr. Bevin

I presume that my hon. Friend is referring to the events of last week. The Soviet authorities, on 11th June, on the pretext of inadequate labelling of wagons, began to refuse acceptance of civil and military freight trains from the west bound for Berlin. The matter was taken up with the Soviet transport authorities and on 12th June the trains were able to proceed. This traffic is now proceeding normally except that unjustifiably large numbers of wagons are being refused on the grounds of alleged defective condition.

Mr. Blackburn

Is it not a fact that last night all communications to Berlin were stopped? Has anything been done about that?

Mr. Bevin

I have not heard of that.