The Israel Government has informed Switzerland that it considered charges against its military attache in Berne, Col. Zvi Allon, to be “unwarranted” and expressed regret that the Swiss Government has seen fit to declare him persona non grata.
The Israeli statement was contained in a note handed to the Swiss Ambassador, Hans Hess, by Gideon Rafael, director general of the Foreign Ministry. It was in reply to a Swiss note of Oct. 6 which accused Col. Allon of alleged involvement in the theft of the jet engine plans from the Sulzer works in Winterthur by a Swiss national, Alfred Frauenknecht. According to a Ministry spokesman, the Israeli reply denied any knowledge of activities on the part of Embassy personnel in Bern which could be construed as injurious to Swiss security or national interests. It emphasized that Israeli Embassy personnel are required to respect the national security of Switzerland at all times.
Col. Allon was expelled from Switzerland on charges that implicated him in the theft of Mirage III-S jet engines which Sulzer manufactures for the Swiss Air force on license from the French firm of Marcel. Dassault. Mr. Frauenknecht, a Sulzer employee, was arrested last month for allegedly smuggling plans, models and tooling instructions for the engines to Israeli agents in West Germany.
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