Chancellor Ludwig Erhard declined to take any stand on a statement by former West German Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss that West Germany should guarantee the existence of Israel. Strauss made that proposal during a discussion in France with former Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Shimon Peres.
The Chancellor, speaking at a press conference, said that Strauss was a private citizen and had not “asked me about this before and I don’t want to take any attitude on this question.”
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