and agricultural and more urbanised and industrial than the other three zones, and did not produce enough food to feed its population, which was swollen by refugees from the East. Britain could do little to help; by June 1947, most of the Anglo-American loan that had been extended to Britain had been spent, and Britain was nearly bankrupt. In order to avert starvation in Germany, the Lord President of the Council, Herbert Morrison negotiated a deal with the Americans whereby of grain was shipped to Germany in return for a cut of in shipments to Britain. Britain therefore needed Germany to become self-sustaining as soon a possible, a policy that put it at odds with the other three powers. In order to shift more of the burden onto the Americans, an agreement was reached to amalgamate the British and American zones into Bizonia. The down side of this was that it gave the Americans a greater say, making it even more difficult for Robertson to reach compromises with the Soviet Union. Matters came to a head over the introduction of the Deutsche Mark as a new currency in Bizonia. When the Soviets responded with a blockade of Berlin, the American Military Governor, General Lucius D. Clay, wanted to force a convoy through by road. Robertson convinced him to adopt the Berlin Airlift instead. Unlike a force of tanks and trucks, the Soviets could not claim that cargo aircraft were some sort of military threat. In the face of unarmed aircraft refusing to turn around, the only way to enforce the blockade would have been to shoot them down. An airlift would put the Soviet Union in the position of either shooting down unarmed humanitarian aircraft, thus breaking their own agreements, or backing down. Robertson was doubtful that the airlift would provide more than a temporary solution. He went over the tonnage figures repeatedly, arriving at the conclusion that the airlift would not be adequate. Nonetheless, the airlift succeeded, and the blockade was lifted on 12 May 1949. When the three western zones were fused to create West Germany later that month, Robertson was seconded to the foreign office as the High Commissioner at the Allied High Commission for Germany. For his services, he was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in the 1949 Birthday Honours. Middle East On 25 July 1950, Robertson became Commander-in-Chief