An official of the Ministry of Economics, Dr. Hermann Reinhardt, testified today at the libel and slander suit being pressed by the ministry’s one-time Middle East expert, Dr. Hans Strack, that the latter not only opposed German reparations to Israel but also associated freely with Arab circles hostile to Israel.
The suit is being pressed by Dr. Strack against Prof. Walter Hallstein, president of the European Common Market, and Dr. Herman Blankenhorn, West German Ambassador to France and to NATO. Dr. Strack accuses them of charging him with accepting bribes from Egyptians.
According to Dr. Reinhardt, Dr. Strack “entertained too many personal contacts with circles having interests in Arab countries, which might have caused the Ministry of Economics to become involved in the tension of Arab politics.”
Previously, however, Dr. Ludwig Erhard, Minister of Economy, testified that a special committee in his ministry had cleared Dr. Strack of bribery charges. He said that Dr. Strack had been dismissed at the request of the Foreign Ministry, but that he believed that request had been unjustified.
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