Wolfgang Wick, an Austrian industrialist who has been accused of having been a member of the Nazi Party and the SS, has responded to mounting pressures against his nomination as president of Rotary international by withdrawing, the current Rotary president said here Friday.
Ernesto Imbassaby De Mello of Brazil told a news conference that Wick had withdrawn for “personal reasons.” The nomination would have made him president for the 1977-78 term. Describing Wick as “an old Rotarian,” the Brazilian said Wick resigned on “his own initiative.” De Mello conceded that the Rotary had been “relieved” by Wick’s decision.
Despite De Mello’s assurance that Wick resigned voluntarily, Wick initially rejected the nomination after initial protests and was selected again by the nominating committee. He then said he was determined to remain a candidate. De Mello said W. Jack Davis, a Bermuda businessman, had been nominated in Wick’s place. De Mello said that he had received more than 1000 letters and telephone calls over Wick’s candidacy and that most were “not favorable.”
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.
