Israel Beer, the military analyst under arrest here for alleged espionage on behalf of a Communist country, admitted today that he was never a participant in the Spanish Civil War, and that he had never been a member of the Socialist Self Defense Corps under the Dollfuss regime of Austria.
Until now, he had claimed both these connections, giving himself credit for having a personal military background. Some Israelis who were familiar with both the Socialist “Schutzbund” in Vienna and with the Loyalist Spaniards who fought against Franco, had doubted Beer’s claimed “military” background.
Today, Beer’s attorney here said his client admitted to both “exaggerations.” The lawyer quoted Beer as saying he had only “given the impression” of past military activities when he analyzed military history. According to the attorney, Beer still insists he told the truth when he claimed having earned a doctorate of philosophy at the University of Vienna.
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.
