Word: germanic
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...more than one place. In Moscow a Western diplomat remarked, "There are a lot of indications that Gorbachev is losing his grip." In New York City speculation swirled in the corridors of the United Nations. "Is it possible that Gorbachev has reached the crucible?" asked a West German Kremlinologist. "Yes it is." Even a senior Soviet diplomat admitted, "The worst could happen, and it could come soon." Yet for all the jittery expressions of concern, officials in Bonn, Paris and London roundly dismissed any talk of burying Gorbachev prematurely. In Washington officials contended that the rumors had been fanned...
...government spokesman, to the visible discomfort of a dour and silent Chancellor Helmut Kohl. "Once again our history has caught up with us," said Norbert Gansel, arms-control spokesman for the opposition Social Democratic Party, referring to the country's Nazi heritage. "Once again the evil, blinkered German is there in the cartoons and the editorials, and the federal government has made an ugly contribution...
Schauble also disclosed that the government knew of the involvement of West German firms in the construction of the plant last May, three months earlier than previous reports indicated. That statement only deepened the mystery of why Kohl not only failed to act on his knowledge of West Germany's role in the project until prodded by U.S. press leaks, but also angrily denied what he knew to be true...
...Washington alone in conveying its alarm to Bonn over the Libyan project. Israeli intelligence officials also established the complicity of West German firms and in July notified their counterparts in Bonn of their findings. Unlike the U.S., however, Israel did not try to take the story public. One reason might be that West Germany has become the Israeli defense industry's best foreign customer. Bonn buys $300 million worth of ammunition and spare parts for tank guns and electronic equipment annually, helping provide employment for 7,000 Israeli workers...
Many West Germans were less concerned with the substance of the allegations against their country's exporters than with the damage to relations with the U.S. The public feud over the plant that Kohl carried on with Washington for nearly two weeks seemed to gather strength from other issues. These include U.S. pressure to continue low-flying Air Force exercises over West German territory, despite several accidents that have claimed civilian lives. Said Volker Ruhe, deputy parliamentary leader of Kohl's Christian Democratic Party: "These shrill tones show that the ice has become much thinner...