Chancellor Ludwig Erhard declined to take any stand on a statement by former West German Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss that West Germany should guarantee the existence of Israel. Strauss made that proposal during a discussion in France with former Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Shimon Peres.
The Chancellor, speaking at a press conference, said that Strauss was a private citizen and had not “asked me about this before and I don’t want to take any attitude on this question.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.