Show United States Asks Russ To Avoid Shooting Sprees By LEWIS GULICK Associated Press WASHINGTON The United States called on the Soviets Thursday to avoid shooting incidents on the East-West Berlin border could seriously jeopardize peace and the public order in The call was in a State Department statement issued in the wake of an outbreak of shooting incidents involving West and East German Communist police fire across Berlin's iron the second such incident in less than 24 added to the trigger tension of the divided city West Berlin police said Communist people's police threw rocks across the wall at Thursday and a Red police officer fired a single shot from his submachine gun at a West Berlin No one was Wednesday West and East Berlin police traded fire across the border at and an East German policeman was The U.S. view was that the West Berlin police acted in self-defense Wednesday in firing back as the Communists shot at refugees fleeing the Soviet section of the divided STATE Department Press Officer Joseph W. Reap is regrettable that action by East Berlin authorities forced West Berlin police to defend We have repeatedly emphasized to Soviet authorities in Berlin the urgent necessity of avoiding incidents on the East-West Berlin sector borders which could seriously jeopardize peace and the public order in REAP said he was directing his remarks to the first shooting not the second two on which he had no official comment He also declined comment on whether the incidents would seriously jeopardize the possibility of East-West for a peaceful settlement of the explosive Berlin Other U.S. authorities took the view that the while need in be the spark that would set off a general They said deliberate intent would be the more likely cause of any and neither side has shown intent to start a President Kennedy is to receive Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko here tomorrow for a final U.S.-Soviet talk on the German question before Gromyko returns to Russia for an extended Kennedy was expected to re-stress western determination not to yield Berlin rights and to search further for the possibilities of an East-West |