July 31, 1961 - Communist East Germany moved today to restrict travel between its territory and West Germany with a contention that West German tourists were spreading polio beyond the Iron Curtain. The West German Government said that there was no polio epidemic in West Germany. Western observers said the Reds might have brought up the charge in an effort to block the steady flow of East German refugees to the West. The move came after a new Communist regulation went into effect last night giving the East Germans control over Western air traffic to Berlin. Western officials do not believe it will be enforced.
