Basic HTML Version
PAGE 10
PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, NOVEMBER 30, 1984
The whole affair is deeply embarrassing to Kohl, who could be
forced out of government as a result.... It is self-evident that
the Christian Democrats, as the dominant member of the ruling
coalition, have a special obligation to clean their own house in
stead of indulging in futile attempts at a cover-up. If Kohl and
his Christian Democrats shirk this responsibility, West German
democracy--and the Western alliance of which it is a part--will
be the losers.
The spreading scandal, as noted, encompasses the leadership of the Free
Democratic Party, the junior member of the ruling coalition. Meanwhile,
the senior Christian Democrats are reeling under the downfall of Rainer
Barzel, considered the number two man in the country. Herr Barzel was
president of the Bundestag, a position largely ceremonial, but one which
symbolized the dignity and morality of the parliament itself. Here is a
report from the November 7 INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE:
Chancellor Helmut Kohl's coalition partners, the Free Democrats,
have acknowledged receiving more than 6 million Deutsche marks
(about $2 million) from an unknown source and are making a public
appeal to the benefactor to reveal his identity. The party's em
barrassing move came Monday after the gift was reported by
several newspapers and at � time when � growing number of West
Germans appear ready to believe that many of their politicians
are open to influence peddling•...
Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, the Free Democrats'
party leader, was to be questioned Thursday by the commission.
Free Democratic officials acknowledged that the 6-mi11ion-mark
contribution was received in December and that the source was
listed as "unknown" in the party's records•... The revelation of
the mysterious contribution followed severe losses in a series of
local elections and came as the Free Democrats are being gradual-
1.i
replaced as the country's third party ..QY the Greens, the new
party of anti-nuclear militants and ecologists....
Christian Democratic leaders acknowledged receiving dramatic re
ports of dismay among the party faithful throughout the country
last week when Rainer Barzel, one of the leading figures in the
party was forced to resign as president of the Bundestag. He re
signed after he was unable to convince the commission that there
was no basis to accusations that he had received l.7 million
marks from Flick after he resigned [in 1973] the chairmanship of
the Christian Democrats.••. [His] resignation opened the way for
Mr. Kohl's eventual bid for the chancellorship.
An earlier report in the
credited the discovery of
widening scandal to the news
unofficial watchdog of West
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE (October 23rd)
at least the "Barzel Affair" portion of the
weekly DER SPIEGEL, which has often acted as an
German democracy:
The Barzel affair was first raised by the news weekly DER
SPIEGEL •.•. The magazine hinted that the purpose of the payments
by Flick was to induce Mr. Barzel to give up the position of
Christian Democratic Union party chief in favor of Mr. Kohl, thus