Alfred Frauenknecht, the 44-year-old Swiss engineer charged with selling Israel blueprints and documents relating to the Mirage jets made in Switzerland under French license, was found guilty here Friday and sentenced to 4 1/2 years at hard labor. He was also deprived of all civil rights for two years. The court also recommended he be expelled from the Swiss Army. The court, composed of five military judges, stated that Frauenknecht had not been motivated by greed but had nevertheless been interested in becoming rich. He had been paid 860,000 Swiss francs ($200,000) by Israel for material extensively documenting the manufacture of the Mirage 3-C. The court thus found him guilty of economic espionage and treason. Frauenknecht confessed Wednesday to selling the plans, but claimed he had done so simply in sympathy for Israel’s security needs. The prosecution asked for 7 years at hard labor. After court adjourned, defense attorney Manfred Kuhn told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent that he hoped Israel and world Jewry would “come to the assistance of Frauenknecht and his wife,” as the $200,000 paid him had been confiscated. Joseph Frauenknecht, a cousin of the engineer, was found not guilty of similar charges and released.
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.
