Lift of Blockade Is Official; 65,000 Men Strike at Ford

Representatives of ten western European nations signed the charter for a Council of Europe yesterday in London. Agreeing to the charter, which provides for a joint cabinet and parliament, were Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and Ireland. London sources reported that Winston Churchill may become the British delegate.

Chinese communists claimed the capture of a string of towns 105 to 125 miles south of the Yangtze River yesterday as part of their southward drive. In quiet Shanghai, meanwhile, the government reported that the Reds had signed a mutual defense pact with the Russian-sponsored North Korean regime and had pledged aid to Burmese Communists.

President Truman Indicated yesterday he will bide his time with Congress before deciding whether to take issues to the people. He told a news conference he still believes a labor bill can be worked out without concessions to the opposition, and also expressed happiness over the Big Four agreement on the Berlin blockade lifting.