Former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion today lauded outgoing West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who, Mr. Ben-Gurion said, “will be remembered in German and European history as one of the great statesmen of our time.”
In a statement issued in connection with the Chancellor’s retirement tomorrow, Mr. Ben-Gurion recalled Dr. Adenauer’s anti-Nazi record and stressed his role in West Germany’s revival making it “one of the strongest powers of Western Europe and the closest ally of De Gaulle.”
Mr. Ben-Gurion said that Dr. Adenauer’s “moral qualities were revealed perhaps most clearly in his attitude to Israel.” Noting the fact that East Germany completely ignored Israel’s reparations claims, Mr. Ben-Gurion stressed Dr. Adenauer’s role in the reparations agreement and its implementation.
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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.