Gunther von Hase, the West German Government spokesman, denounced today the East German Communist leaders, charging them with seeking to undermine the West German regime by accusations that high West German officials had participated in Nazi war crimes.
In a special statement at a press conference, he cited as an example an effort to discredit President Heinrich Luebke by dissemination of charges that the latter had been responsible for building Nazi concentration camps during the war. He cited an exhibit under Communist auspices in Munich containing documents about Dr. Luebke in that connection, some bearing Mr. Luebke’s signature which the West German Government promptly denounced as forgeries.
Mr. Von Hase noted that such documents had been confiscated by his Government. He also disclosed that Government officials had considered instituting libel proceedings against persons in West Germany who had repeated the “libel.” However, he said, it was decided that the dignity of the President’s office might be harmed by such proceedings, and the idea was dropped. He reiterated that material purporting to “prove” that Dr. Luebke had engaged in such activities was “entirely false” and that there was absolutely “no substance to the charges.”
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.
