A spokesman for the West German Interior Ministry declared today that the Federal Government could not guarantee the safety of German scientists if they quit their work in Egypt and returned home.
The issue was posed by Dr. Wolfgang Pilz, a leader of the German scientists and technicians working in Egypt on advanced weapons systems. In an interview in a West German newspaper, Dr. Pilz demanded such guarantees. The spokesman said that the German police who would have the responsibility of safeguarding the scientists would be those under control of the individual state governments and not of Bonn.
Dr. Pilz set three conditions for a possible return to West Germany of the scientists. One was an expression of public “regret” from Israel for alleged attacks on German scientists by Israeli “agents.” Another was a life pension for Dr. Pilz’ former secretary who lost her sight when a parcel addressed to Dr, Pilz exploded in Cairo a few years ago. The third was the guarantee for the safety of any returning scientists.
In a related development, a neo-Nazi Munich newspaper, the Deutsche National Und Soldaten Zeitung, violently assailed A. Rosenberg, chairman of the West German Federation of Trade Unions, for his advocacy of legal measures to control the activities of the scientists. The newspaper accused “the German Jew” of playing with fire and asked, in a banner headline: “Is Rosenberg Betraying German Interests?”
The trade union leader has maintained that West Germany has a duty to see to it that Germans did not help other countries prepare for war. He has said that no one has demanded that the government bring back the scientists with “a lasso” and that means could be found to achieve that goal if the will was present to do so.
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.
