Show BLOCKADE berlin russia sf s freight blockade of ber lin while a stark enough action in its own right nevertheless was a secondary manifestation of the same old cold war crisis arising out ot of the soviet bid for power in europe while american and british planes by the hundreds were flying in food to besieged berliners Berl mers the western powers were pondering a question they had had to answer in 1938 when hitler was in power whether or not to appease long range plans of the kremlin of which the berlin blockade is lust just one phase call tor for the forcing of the western allies out of berlin this accord ng to soviet thinking could be done by either of two means either by threats and ter ronza tion involving the risk of war or by a four power negotiation which could be hoped to result in a western appeasement policy such as grew out of the ill starred munich conference of 1933 1938 britain and the US are on a dangerous spot if they pulled out d of berlin under pressure of force applied by russ a the power and in fluence of western democracy would be perilously weakened in europe |