Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of West Germany told the National Press Club here this weekend that his Government does not intend to seek extradition of Adolf Eichmann from Israel to West Germany because no extradition treaty exists between these two countries. The Chancellor defended Israel’s trial of Eichmann.
Responding to a question on the propriety of the Israeli trial, the Chancellor said he did not want to answer from a legal but from a moral viewpoint. He added that Israel’s reasons for trying Eichmann were “fully understandable. ” He said Eichmann was probably “the greatest of the murderers. ” The German people wanted to see “full truth and justice” emerge from the trial, said Dr. Adenauer. He cited his television statement in West Germany on Eichmann shortly before his departure and said that continued to be West German policy.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
