Word: spiegel
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Caught in the riptide of the Der Spiegel scandal, Adenauer did not go down without a fight. When his own coalition was endangered, Adenauer proposed that the potent opposition Social Democrats (S.P.D.) join with him" in a "grand coalition." Unconcerned by the fact that he had described the S.P.D. leaders in the past as godless, irresponsible and crypto-Communist, Adenauer told the Social Democrats that their "sense of responsibility" required that they help maintain a stable German government at this time of crisis. Socialist Chief Erich Ollenhauer listened but made no promises...
...Free Democrats, had triggered the trouble by pulling their five ministers out of the government and demanding that Adenauer fire Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss, the man blamed by the F.D.P. and others for the arrest of Publisher Rudolf Augstein and four top executives of the newsmagazine Der Spiegel. But as it turned out, the barrel-chested Bavarian had no intention of bowing out of the Cabinet gracefully...
...true enough that Der Spiegel continues to publish, and that the German public has for once loudly demanded explanations instead of sheepishly calling itself Kleinleute unable to pronounce on complex matters of state. But even these encouraging signs of political health only mildly temper the government's--especially the Chancellor's--fantastic confidence that ingenious face-saving will clear up the whole Spiegel business. Prove the magazine's guilt beyond doubt, Dr. Adenauer seems to say, apologize for any "mistakes" made in arresting the editors (as the communique on Strauss' resignation did); and so put to public involvement...
Face-saving, to say the least, will be difficult. The government must supply satisfactory answers to questions like: (1) Why was the Spiegel article considered offensive, not to mention treasonous, in the first place? Its careful description of the inadequacy of certain German N.A.T.O. defenses did not plan to inspire confidence in the competence of Herr Franz-Josef Strauss, yet it said nothing not common knowledge among fairly sophisticated Bonn reporters. (2) Why was Wolfgang Stammberger, the Justice Minister, not notified of the arrest carried out under his deputy's orders? This question, which the deputy's dismissal scarcely settles...
Although their motives were chiefly to save the Chancellor from a Bundestag whose non-Bavarians were becoming increasingly fretful at being kept in the dark over Der Spiegel, their advice was sound. What Dr. Adenauer does now will determine the pattern of German politics for years. If he seriously tries to mend the liberal institutions which the last month has shown to be trembling close to ruin, his rescue of democracy in Germany may be conclusive. So sordid has the Government's treatment of the Spiegel case looked this far that a fair settlement will involve its losing face rather...