Foreign Service of the TELEGRAM United States of America 13/1 OUTGOING U
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Foreign Service of the TELEGRAM United States of America 13/1 OUTGOING u. s. lISSION BERLIN rot- CONFIDENrIAL Classification USGOB Charge: Control: 29 1-1--3 POL.....3 Date: October 6, 1964 FA 1900 hrs EGO usrs ACTION: Secstate W PRIORITY 509 ASAG INFO: Am mbassy BONN 456 ro/u Amembassy LONDON 184 F&H Amembassy MOS CO\-I 187 mbassy PARIS 214 USAREUR/POLAD USCINCEUR/POLAD USElMLO USNMR SHAPE FOR IDRNS PARIS .~O FOR USRO SUBJEm': Tunnel Escape from East Berlin Escape of 57 East German refugees October 3 and 4 through t unn I under Bernauerstrass (French Sector) has aroused great public interest here . During operation East German border brigade s rgeant apparently was killed under circumstances still not clear. Escape effort was w ll-organi zed~ professional job. According one s ource~ Free University students did actual work. ~~ anwhile# French have heard that Der Stern provided financing. I n any case# three Ger man press and film representatives wer at scen and r eportedly paid 15~000 DM for rights on escape . Tutmel discovered 0030 October 5 by East German border guards shortly after last r efugee passed through. r~chine pistol fire \-las h ard at Eastern entrana to tunnel. Observers saw man remov d from scene on stretcher and (Esp,n Schultz) East German Def ns Ministry subsequently announced ser ean1( had be n "murdered by armed bandits from W st. It st Berlin police investigation of shooting was suddenly called off Tuesday morning with no serious effort to clarify facts. ~lission officers have l earned that confidential inv stigation has been turned over to security 29/jm CONFIDENl.'IAL REPRODUCTION FROM THIS COpy IS C Iass iIicat i 0 1Z PROHIBITED UNLESS "UNCLASSIFIED" OFFICIAL FILE COPY Foreign Service of the TELEGRAM United States of America OUTGOING CONFIDENl'IAL Charge: Classification Control: 29 2 Date: agency (Lf'v). Manwhil , Senat official (S nberg ) told f\lission offic r that Senat had decided to investigate shooting. S nat concern d that, if hooting done by est Berlin r, d mand in one form or another can now be xpected from East for vlest Berlin to punish off nd r. Spangenberg bel i eves hot d bate might well follow tween those who would cheer action under any circumstance s and those who fe 1 l aw must al ays be upheld. had Ap ntly \1 s t Berlin poli ce i n turmel area~ known of its xis tence for sometime . They in fact loaned organizers several gas masks and other equipment f or refusees to use during flight. T~o of masks cannot now be found and may have be n recover d in East Berlin, to e ther with other equipment. One probably bears name of We st Berlin policeman to whom it was issu d. E st Berlin pr ss has so f ar t reated incident, s cifical ly shooting and death of East German army non-com, in relative l y low key. "Neu D utschland fl Oct. 6 put s story on second pag (with Brezhn v, Ochab, and Lenart arriva l f or 15th GDR anniv rsa:ry cele ~ations on f i r s t). fiND" carri s ... fens i nistry press release on 'brutal, planned , treach rous murder" by \-/est r lin "agents." R 1 as states that "armed bandits" penet rated into GDR through t unne l drill d from I s t Berli n wi t h "approv 1 and active support" of West B-wrlin police, h l ped illegal escapes "under orders of ~.e st Berlin spy or ani zation, n and fir_d "aimed shot s" t hat c us d Schultz d ath. hort "ND" biography of victim stress s that h was mo 1 s oldi r wi th hi polit ical motivation (h was candidate SED m m r) . i ef ditor ial connn nt he de "\ a' d s S I t 'I1ant" att ac r·1ayor. _ r tz' "He lcomi ng infamous provoca ti n, " an asks Ihe thcr of pa s mcnt r cont i nuati on f 10 d J. r vocat ions on " GD border . It 8h ts at (Jehultz, "lID" add , shots a ai n. t pass COt-.IF ill .llTTAL REPRODUCTION FROM THIS COpy IS Classification PROHIBITED UNLESS "UNCLASSIFIED" OFFICIAL FILE COpy Foreign Service of the TELEGRAM United States of America OUTGOING Charge: Classification Control: 29 ) Date: Carom nt: Dr atic. s through tunn 1 an non-com's d t h aI'_ both" mbarr ssi ng to r r cisel y coincident with arrival hi f or i gu s ts fOI' GD 15th anniv rsary. He ' s normal incline.;;.tion to mak< prop da hay about ~!Jt r lin as "divcrsional:'Y col ar c nter/ r rna ther fore te to d i v~r t a t tention from incident. For 1 st rlin" on at r hand, evid c of ac tiv poliCe participation in sca "cou guard, could prov ...mbarrassing de ndi on facts which actually r and public handli of tilem . Withdr wal of inv stigation from polic an s obvious ly done with a i m of t reati matter ing rly . Connection of affair with n wl y inaugurated ass program, hint d at by trND," c rtainly i n minds of Senat lead rs a s l-lell. GP-3. CAIROU POL:JLCarsoq/EA:F han:af 6/1845 CONFTDr·NTTAT. REPRODUCTION FROM THIS COPY IS Classification PROHIBITED UNLESS "UNCLASSIFIED" OFFICIAL FILE COpy 0009 2 -- Foreign Service of the TELEGRAM United States of America 14/2 OUTGOING 4 CONFIDENTIAL Charge: Classification Control: USCOB 092 POL-2 Date: EAS 15 Oct. 1964 ECON 6:30 P.M. ACT IO EC TATE ASH USIS 564 ASAG :,v'I . IO/U .... u . Au 8l'lbassy TIC' T 502 PS AL embassy lJJN T 204 F&R Amembas sy ARIS 240 AmelUbas s:r HCSCO~I; 207 USlJHR SHAPE . BUR JS U AREUR FOR POLAD C CEUR I R POL USELl PAJIS ALSO lOR U no J : Tunnel Killinr and Possessi on of Wea ons Civilians Be l intel 552 to Dept, 492 to Bonn At Deputy Commandants ' ITeeting Octob r l r Cha~man Cu ) reported on his dis llssion Oc ober 14 wi t.l. 2Iayor Alber z concerning t unne_ i lling. Al ber t z said 'udicial pr ocess had not yet reached st a-e where inve~tigating l.iaei strate coul d call f or f ull scal e inquiry but tr..is w ul d be done . Afte such inqliry magistrate co d decide Thether or not t rial 0 cour t r oc e djn~ s were all ed f or. -llien Brit i sh eputy pre s d him on act t hat u se of vreapons cons uituted p1.U1i shab e of fense, I bert z said thi s 'ioula pro abl y .. e ul t . n fine for in i vi duals co eerned . Co "- cerning pol :' __ e par ticipation, Al bert co rrnented tha u Lhis hac. not been greater than in prev:"ous tunnel ca es. Poli ce ha not ctuall y gone bey n s t'!d in~ inst r uct.ions ex ept i n loan 0 gas mask t o t unnel ers, in hich e sai :" hey haa ehaved stupi ' y. eXU ,FTD b:!JTTAI. REPRODUOION FROM THIS COpy IS Classification PROHIBITED UNLESS "UNCLASSIFIED" OFFICIAL FILE COpy Foreign Servi(e of the TELEGRAM United States of Ameri(a OUTGOING Charge: Control: 092 - 2 - Date: Deput y 01fl1a dants a , 'ee ~ to re ue s Pu 1 ° Safet - Commi tee subL..:..t 1 epa!' ' on u e of re pons ::'n connection with t Ii in ident . Al so a .- ced o kee) in c e 'eh i th enat on pr '- res s of legal proceed:i 11gs , t10ugh considere ' AllO ed conce n had b ~de adeq at 1 cl are GP-4 L OUN 092/1 4/2/sc ~-ARDav : r.: i _5/180' CL tJ FI D.!;J II,L REPRODUCTION FROM THIS COpy IS Classification PROHIBITED UNLESS "UNClASSIFIED" OFFICIAL FILE COpy Foreign Service of the TELEGRAM United States of America 14/2 OUTGOING US l1ISSION BE RLIN 00078 POL-3 Ft COl'! FIDENTIAL USCOB Charge: Classification Control: 078 1 ~ S Date: 2 L,-,J3 r:!;CON 13 Oct . 19'64 USIS 5:45 P.M. ASAG SecSta-e 'lAS H DC 552 Io/u PS INFO Amembassy BO H 492 F&R Amemb a s s y La DON 201 Amembassy PARIS 235 Amembassy OSCO vl 204 US NMR SHAPE FOR BURNS USAREUR FO POLAD CI CEUR rOR POLAD USELMLO. PARIS ALSO FOR USRO SUBJ Tunnel Killing and Possession of Weapons by C'ivilians RI:F Berlintel 536 In discussing above subject October 12 Deputy Comma nd ants a greed there was little that Allies could or should do in circumstances since matter b e ing han dled b y Ge rman court, which properly had jurisdiction. Chairman De puty (UK) will reiterate to Senat Allied concern over unauthor ized possess ion of weapons by vest tierlin civilians. latter forcefully has already been mentioned/to GovHayor by new Fre nch Commandant Binoche. We have heard, meanwhile, tha t killing l argely char ge a ble to poor organization a t last minute and inexperience CONF IDENTIAL REPRODUCTION FROM THIS COPY IS Classification PROHIBITED UNLESS "UNCLASSIFIED" OFFICIAL FILE COPY Foreign Service of the TELEGRAM United States of America OUTGOING us CONFIDENTIAL Charge: Classification Control: 078 -2 Date: of lookouts posted a t Ea st Berlin tunnel entr ance.