Axel Springer, the West German publisher, said here Friday that his newspapers–five daily and two Sunday–had principles which all of his editors accepted, and one was the goal of “reconciliation between the Jewish and German people.” He spoke at the annual awards dinner of the Overseas Press Club.
Mr. Springer said this goal could be achieved, if it could be reached at all, “only in the generation of our children and grandchildren.” He said he was “so concerned” about Israel because he felt that “the unspeakable things done in Germany’s name” to the Jews by the Nazis “can never be undone, nor can they be overcome.” But, he added, it was essential to “use the historic chance that the Lord of history has manifestly granted my people.” This, he said, was “to stand fast by the State of Israel, the State built by the children and brothers of those whom Germans murdered.” He also voiced opposition to the right-wing National Democratic Party.
Mr. Springer also asserted that a strong stand by the Western powers in the present Mideast deadlock would pay off for the West. He characterized the Russians as seeking to be “chief mediators, while at the same time playing the role of quasi-belligerents” in the Mideast. The publisher, who recently visited Israel, said that the Israelis were not “basically hostile” to the Arabs and that they were ready to negotiate outstanding issues “but only after the Arabs have also shown willingness to negotiate.” Meanwhile, he added, the Israelis “are not prepared to give up a square foot of the soil they hold.” He said he was certain that the Israeli stand “will finally create prosperity and peace in the region for both Arabs and Jews.”
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.
