Wife Visits Eichmann in Prison; Leaves Israel for Europe After Visit

Vera Eichmann left Israel today after visiting her husband Adolf Eichmann, who is in Ramleh prison awaiting the outcome of an appeal from his death sentence for the murder of 6, 000, 000 Jews in Europe during the Second World War.

Mrs. Eichmann, who arrived here incognito last night from Zurich, was immediately taken to Ramleh prison where she met with her husband and spoke with him through a glass partition via earphones for 90 minutes. She met with him again towards midnight for 15 minutes, bidding him “auf wiedersehn” as she left.

Preparations for Mrs. Eichmann’s visit had been conducted with the utmost secrecy and although it was known here that she was due to arrive, the first news of the visit was made known only after her departure this morning. All formalities in connection with the visit, including the issuance of the visa and customs procedures were apparently handled outside routine channels by the Israeli Security Services.

Mrs. Eichmann arrived at Lydda Airport under her maiden name, Vera Loebel and she was accompanied by Else Gruder, secretary to Dr. Robert Servatius, Eichmann’s defense attorney. Both had remained unrecognized in the Swissair airliner in which they had flown from Zurich.

After all other passengers left the plane, the two women were taken out of the airport through a side gate by Israeli security men and hurriedly driven to the prison where the two meetings took place. It is not known where they spent the night. They were brought to the airport in the morning and embarked on a Swissair airliner bound for Europe.

Mrs. Eichmann had first requested permission to visit her husband about two months ago. The matter was then taken up by the Ministerial Committee for Internal Affairs, which, after consulting the Foreign Ministry and the Attorney General’s Office, decided to grant a visa for a single meeting with Eichmann.

For some reason, Mrs. Eichmann did not utilize the visa at that time. Recently, however, she submitted another application and, while some Government officials felt that the visit should take place only after the Supreme Court handed down its verdict on the appeal, it was decided to grant the visa now.