Sentences of four month’s imprisonment and three years’ probation was demanded yesterday by the prosecution in the trial here, where slander and libel charges have been levelled against two of West Germany’s most prominent diplomats, Prof. Walter Hallstein, chairman of the European Common Market, and Herbert Blankenhorn, this country’s Ambassador to France and to NATO.
The charges have arisen from the discharge from the Ministry of Economy, in 1952, of Dr. Hans Strack, whom the diplomats allegedly accused of having accepted bribes from Egypt in order to fight Germany’s acceptance of the Reparations Agreement with Israel.
The prosecution’s charge and demands for the heavy sentences concluded the session of the court. The court adjourned for the Easter holidays, after which the defense will present its summation.
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.