E. German Apparently Fails in Escape Attempt

Police in West Berlin said Sunday they believed an East Berliner had tried to escape to the West by trying to swim a canal that marks the boundary between the two halves of the city.

They said watchmen at the former German Parliament building on the western side of the city had seen a man jump into the nearby Spree Canal from an East Berlin bridge Saturday night despite freezing temperatures. A launch manned by East German border guards started a search for the man, who apparently failed to reach the western bank, they said.