The U.S. and Britain last week began to close out the Berlin airlift. But Mayor Ernst Reuter had urgently warned the Western commandants that the battle for the city, won by perseverance during the bleak winter, might be lost by neglect in the pleasant summer. Berlin faced a serious economic crisis.
After the Russians lifted the blockade last May, Operation Vittles continued to fly about 8,000 tons of food and fuel a day into the city. Last week daily shipments were reduced to 4,000 tons. After October, when shipments will cease, only two U.S. Air Force transport groups will be left in...
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