Tarasov, Nikolai

The demonstrations in Berlin and several other cities had been stopped. Grechko and Tarasow came to the conclusion that "the provocation was prepared in advance, organized, and directed from Western sectors of Berlin." The losses of the strikers in the whole territory of the GDR had been: 84 people killed and wounded, 700 men arrested.

Grechko and Tarasov describe how Soviet forces took back control over the situation in East Berlin and several other GDR cities in the afternoon of 17 June 1953.

The authors state that Berlin was calm, but there were a few demonstrations in some smaller GDR cities. The authors referred to military intelligence information according to which the US 7th Army and the 12th Air Force Army were put on alert in the US zone at 5.30 a.m. on June 18. But the alert state for the 7th Army was canceled after three hours.

Soviet General, Tarasov, reports on the situation in the GDR and in the city of Berlin on the morning of 18 June, 1953. He primarily discusses the location and movements of sectors of the Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany.

In the Soviets' view the situation in Berlin was improving as the principal gorvernment buildings were safe and were guarded by Soviet forces. Martial law has been declared in Magdeburg, Leipzig, Dresden, Halle, Goerlitz, and Brandenburg.