lic. The West German government has rejected German Democratic Republic protests and declared it will hold elections of a pre- sident on March 5 in West Ber- lin, 110 miles inside the fron- tiers of the G.D.R. Both the East German govern- ment and the Soviet Union have called Bonn’s decision a provo- cation. The G.D.R. announced a ban,on travel of the 1,038 mem- bers of the West German elec, toral college, as well as West German military personnel. The ban applies to road, rail and waterway access to West Berlin through G.D.R. territory, and went into effect Feb. 15. Bonn’s decision is regarded as a move to heat up tensions in Europe during the visit of US. President Richard M. Nixon, who is expected to visit West Berlin -12 days after the G.D.R, travel ban goes into effect. The West German move is also re- lated to efforts by the U.S. and Bonn to press the North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries into further military spending. Opposition is rising to the de- cision. Opponents of the provo- cative move are voicing protests in both Germanys. West Berlin students reported- ly denounced President Nixon as a “reactionary” and declared they would demonstrate when he comes to West Berlin on Feb. ' 27. In West Germany opposition was voiced by the directorate of the Peace Union and in press comment. Von Kuhlmann, mem- ber of the directorate, in a press interview described this decision as a deliberate provocation stag~ ed to aggravate the political sit- uation in Europe. Instead of exerting major ef- forts to strengthen European se- curity and ease tension. Von Kuhlmann said, Bonn seeks to oil on the flames. “There is not the slightest need of elect- ing the federal president beyond the boundaries of the territory of the federal republic,” Von Kuhlmann stressed. The Nuremburg “Bayern Trib- une” sharply denounced the plans of the Bonn authorities. The provocative nature of this step, the newspaper said editori- ally, is further aggravated by the fact that deputies of the neo- Nazi National Democratic Party, the “standard-bearer of fascism in the Federal Republic,” will take part in the presidential election in West Berlin. To se- lect West Berlin as venue for a session of the federal assembly, the newspaper goes on to say, is “another link in the fatal policy of the cold war.” The newspaper emphasizes that West Berlin is “an indepen- dent political entity” and recalls the failure of all previous Bonn attempts to use West Berlin as a “cold war’ springboard against the German Democratic Repub- It is noted in the press and in statements by representatives of the G.D.R. public that this new dangerous venture of the F.R.G. government leads to an aggrava- tion of international tensions and is closely connected with its mi- litaristic and revanchist course. “The intended meeting of the West German federal assembly and the elections of the West German president in West Berlin ‘convincingly show the revanch- ist nature of Bonn’s policy and the West German claims to sole representation of the entire Ger- man people,” the newspaper “Neues Deutschland” wrote. All this, especially the parti- cipation in this meeting of 22 deputies from the neo-Nazi Na- tional Democratic Party, is a crying violation of the Potsdam Agreement, the paper stresses. The West German politicians, by tgs go Boapene during the visit of Nixon, are believed try- ing to provide arguments for hawks in both governments. Such incidents, it is believed, would give Pentagon hawks ma- terial for propaganda in favor of the thick anti-missile missile system they want to set up at a cost of $40 billion. New incidents would also pro- vide Bonn with arguments for acquiring nuclear arms, and as a first step, an anti-missile mis- sile system that would open the door for offensive nuclear wea- pons at a later stage. Such deliberate provocations are considered likely. A year ago, when West Berlin Mayor Klaus Schuetz was acting presi- dent of the West German Bun- desrat—the upper house of Par- liament — he decided to drive that no officer of the West Ger- man government could do that. Schuetz was turned back. But his attempt did not even qualify as a propaganda victory, for many West German politi- cians and newspapers and quite a few outside the country, too, accused him of trying to pro- voke a crisis. Shortly after announcing the ban, the East Germans blocked West Berlin city government spokesman Hanns Peter Herz from driving to the West. Herz said he was turned back with- out explanation at the Babelsberg checkpoint in West Berlin when he sought to leave the city by car to go to Helmstedt in West Germany. He flew to West Ger- many later. Paul Wandel, the chairman of the league of G.D.R. societies for friendship with foreign coun- tries, said that the intention of the Bonn authorities to stage the election of the F.R.G. president in West Berlin was a threat to peace and security in Europe. In an ADN agency interview, Wan- del recalled that West Berlin was an independent political en- tity which does not belong to the Federal Republic of Ger- many. . “Bonn should put an end to this policy of aggravating ten- sion and threatening peace,” said Wandel. Meanwhile, the neo-nazi Na- tional Democratic party has tak- en encouragement from Bonn’s decision and is increasing its activities in West Berlin. The chairman of the West Berlin board of NPD made a statement in which he confirmed once more that a general meet- ing of NPD will soon approve a detailed plan of further party ac- tion in the city. ‘ The United States, Britain and France denounced the East Ger- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FEBRUARY 21, 1969—Page 6 WESI BERLIN Tht ULD AND NEW DANGER HUGGUUURORUUUCEROUURO ROA CO CRU EEO RENO EE OREO EOEEEE, man ban and reminded the So- viet Union in a statement that the U.S.S.R. end not the G.D.R. was responsible for assuring free access to the city. “The German decision to hold this year’s federal assembly meeting in Berlin was taken af- ter due consultation with the three powers within the frame- work of their responsibilities for Berlin,” their statement said. The Soviet government news- paper Izvestia hailed the East German action and expressed “bewilderment” about Western support of the West German plans. “Western powers are pander- ing to the brazen claims of Bonn leaders who reject the status of West Berlin as an independent, political unit having nothing in common with West Germany and this can’t help but cause bewilderment,” Izvestia said. These two photos are characteristic of the neo-Nazi develop- ment in West Germany. They were taken in front of a restaurant in Bochum where the National Democratic Party was to hold ° meeting. While a group of policemen beat up a demonstration of trade unionists and young people against the NPD, other police escort a neo-fascist through their protecting lines to the meeting place.