The general arrangements were further defined through actions of the Allied control machinery in Germany—the Control Council, the Coordinating Committee, which was the Council's principal subordinate body, and the interested functional committees and directorates. Certain of these specific arrangements were incorporated in approved papers, such as Directorate of Transport paper CONL/P (45) 27 regarding rail access, Minute (110) (a) of the Allied Control Council regarding air corridors to Berlin, the Air Directorate paper on air safety in Berlin, DAIR/P (45) 67 second revision, and the Air Directorate paper on rules of flight in the corridors, DAIR/P (45) 71 second revision.
In addition, a variety of working practices and arrangements developed with respect to the exercise by the Western powers of their rights of access. The arrangements, however, related merely to the orderly exercise of the rights of access.
On March 20, 1948, the Soviet representatives walked out of the Allied Control Council for Germany after the Soviet representative, who was in the chair, arbitrarily declared the meeting closed. On March 30, 1948, the Soviet Deputy Military Governor, General Dratvin, stated in a letter to the United States Military Government that supplementary provisions regarding communications between the Soviet and U.S. Zones of Occupation in Germany would go into effect on April 1, 1948. These provisions, which were contrary to practice established since the quadripartite occupation of Berlin, set forth that:
(1) U.S. personnel traveling through the Soviet Zone by rail and highway must present documentary evidence of identity and affiliation with the U.S. Military Administration of Germany;
(2) Military freight shipments from Berlin to the Western zones must be clear through Soviet check points by means of a Soviet permit; freight shipments into Berlin would be cleared by accompanying documents;
(3) All baggage must be inspected at Soviet check points, with the exception of personal belongings of U.S. personnel carried in a passenger railway car or a passenger automobile.
Similar letters were delivered to the British and French Military Government authorities.
On March 31 the Chief of Staff, U.S. Military Government, replied that the new provisions were not acceptable and that such unilateral changes of policy could not be recognized.
The Soviets then commenced the series of restrictions on traffic to and from Berlin which ultimately culminated in the Berlin blockade. The facts regarding the effort of the Soviet Union to starve the population of Berlin in order to force the Western powers to surrender their rights in the city are too well known to require reiteration.
The airlift mounted by the Western powers defeated this Soviet effort. On May 4, 1949, the Governments of the United States, U.S.S.R., United Kingdom, and France reached an agreement at New York which provided in part as follows:
1. All the restrictions imposed since March 1, 1948, by the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on communications, transportation, and trade between Berlin and the Western zones of Germany and between the Eastern zone and the Western zones will be removed on May 12, 1949.
The Council of Foreign Ministers which convened at Paris subsequent to the New York agreement of May 4, 1949, agreed as follows:
5. The Governments of France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom, and the United States agree that the New York agreement of May 4, 1949, shall be maintained. Moreover, in order to promote further the aims set forth in the preceding paragraphs and in order to improve and supplement this and other arrangements and agreements as regards the movement of persons and goods and communications between the Eastern zone and the Western zones and between the zones and Berlin and also in regard to transit, the occupation authorities, each in his own zone, will have an obligation to take the measures necessary to insure the normal functioning and utilization of rail, water, and road transport for such movement of persons and goods and such communications by post, telephone, and telegraph.
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