MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFOHD, OREGON
THURSDAY. MAY S. 1983
Adenauer Fails in Stubborn Fight to Name Successor
By WELLINGTON LONG
United Prm International
Bonn IL'PD Alone as al
ways, proudly erect as ever,
the old man walked stiffly
from the caucus room.
But the usual barbed wise
cracks for the press were
missing, and even the brash
est reporters fell back from
the stern countenance.
It is embarrassing to look
too closely at a champion just
defeated, and this man was
West German Chancellor Kon
rad Adenauer, finally and for
ever whipped - at age 87 -in
his fight of many years to
name his own successor.
Economics Minister Ludwig
Erhard. the architect of West
Germany's post-war prosperi
ty, the man whose name Ade
nauer personally painted on
his party's banners, would no
longer be denied his political
inheritance.
The day was April 23, 1963,
the time of defeat 5:20 In the
afternoon.
Travel Long Way
The two had come a long
way since the afternoon of
Feb. 21, 1940, when Adenauer
rammed Erhard's new-fangled
economic theories down his
party's throat.
On that afternoon 14 years
earlier, Adenauer introduced
Erhard to a meeting in Ko-
enigswinter of the top leaders
of the Christian Democratic
union.
Erhard was then advisor to
the economic council for the
British and American zones of
occupation. He was preaching
something called "social mar
ket economy," saying that if
controls were ended, produc
tion would rise and prices
find a reasonable level.
The state, Erhard argued,
could prevent inflation
through proper tariff, finance
and tax policies.
His policies had been fol
lowed in part by the economic
council and were being suc
cessful. The British and Amer
ican zones, at least, already
were rising out of the ashes
of the devastating second
world war.
Teacher in 1949
Erhard in 1949 was a little
known Bavarian teacher of
economics who so far had
shown no interest in any po
litical party.
Adenauer set out to get him
into national politics, and on
his side. By silencing discus
sion, he overruled those at
Koenlgswinter who complain
ed that Erhard's ideas ran
counter to the party's official
platform, and he said if the
party adopted Erhard's ideas,
it was bound to reap millions
of votes from a people sick
of years of rationing.
Most Christian Democratic
party workers approved with
enthusiasm. Adenauer won
the day - and won Erhard,
who became a member of the
party which had adopted him
and went to work for it in
the election campaign, first
since the war.
Preaching Erhard s econom
ic ideas at every crossroads,
the Christian Democrats baf
fled all the experts and, in
that first election since Hitler,
on Aug. 15, 1949, defeated the
Socialists.
Set Records
Together, Adenauer and
Erhard won three more elec
tions for their party. In 1953,
the Christian Democrats be
came the first political party
in German history to win
more than one-half the votes
in a free election.
The two made a good team.
Adenauer's one aim was to
unite Germany with the West
ern powers, and in return re
gain Germany's sovereignty.
He handled all the difficult
political problems - ending
the foreign occupation, reach
ing a settlement with world
Jewry, starting rearmament,
gaining partnership in NATO,
and so on - while Erhard
watched over the economy.
Neither man could have
achieved the success he did
without the other.
Their fame spread abroad
as West Germany boomed eco
nomically and regained an
ever stronger position in the
Western world.
By I960, their policies had
made the nation so wealthy
that the United States was
asking Bonn for help. The
German mark was revalued
a move Adenauer said, and
other experts agreed, actually
was German devaluation of
the dollar.
Relations Strained
Even before they reached
that high-water mark, rela
tions between the two men
were showing strain.
Erhard, 20 years Adenau
er's junior, was not willing
always to remain in the shad
ows. He made it plain that
as long as Adenauer wanted
to be chancellor, he would
make no effort to unseat him.
But he also made it clear he
intended to succeed Adenauer
when the old gentleman final
ly did step down. A majority
Device Gives Assist
In Throat Treatment
New York-flJPD - An x-ray
and sound-recording device
that enables surgeons to "see"
and "hear" the inner function
ing of the human mouth and
throat has been installed at
at New York university's col
lege of dentistry as a guide
in treatment of cleft-palate
victims.
The system makes fluoro
scopic "movies" of the throat
and mouth while the patient
talks, chews and swallows
and at the same time records
the patient's speech on tape.
More than 5,000 babies with
cleft lips or palates are born
in the United States each
year and the new system de
veloped by the Picker A-ray
Corporation of White Plains,
N.Y., will be part of the
lengthy program of plastic
surgery, . dental care and
speech training needed to
help such children.
Handicapped Compete
In National Games
New York 4UPD More than
200 handicapped men and
women athletes will compete
in the seventh annual Nation
al Wheelchair games sched
uled here June 14-16.
The meet will be sponsored
by the Joseph Bulova School
of Watchmaking, in coopera
tion with the Paralyzed Vet
erans of America and the Na
tional Paraplegia foundation.
The University of Illinois
student rehabilitation center
will be defending the team
title it has won the last three
years. Individual athletes will
enmnete for places on the
U.S. team In England's annual
International Stoke Mande-
ville games in July-
'Clickety-Clack' of
Trains Soon May Go
New York-IOT-You'll have
to walk a quarter-mile along
some railroad track before
finding the first bolted joint,
reports Chemctron corpora
tion's NCG division, which
has welded standard 39-foot
rail sections into continuous
quarter mile "strings" for
more than 2.000 miles of
trarV
Welded rail saves about
$1,000 per mile per year due
to longer wear and reduced
damage to cars and ireigni
IVa i-nmnsnv rlntmc. and Ciim-
inates the old "clickety-clack,"
too.
of Christian Democrats agreed
that then it was Erhard's turn.
But Adenauer always eni
grated Erhard as chancellor
material. He felt - and still
does - that Erhard was a
specialist, a fine economist
but lacking in the all-around
talents, toughness and finesse
needed to lead the govern
ment. Move Recognised
In February, 1959, Adenau
er moved suddenly to elim
inate Erhard from the succes
sion by having the economic
minister nominated for the
figurehead office of the fed
eral president.
Erhard saw through the
move, and declined.
His friends then urged Ade
nauer to accept the presiden
cy - a post more honorary
than effective in the West
German scheme of things
and let Erhard move up to
the chancellory. Thus, it was
contended, Adenauer could
supervise an orderly transi
tion.
Surprisingly, the chancellor
agreed and in April, 1959, ac
cepted the nomination for
president. But it turned out
to be only an Adenauer ma
neuver. He intended to use
the situation to bring Finance
Minister Franz. Etzel into the
chancellory. Etzel would do
just what Adenauer told him.
But Etzel was unknown be
yond Bonn's city limits and
Christian Democratic back
benchers wanted a chancellor
who would get them reelect
ed. The man, they said, had
to be Erhard.
Adenauer Acts
On June 5 that year, while
Erhard was in Washington
and so unable to mobilze his
forces rapidly. Adenauer with
drew from the presidential
race, and announced he in
tended to remain chancellor.
Erhard was furious. But,
whether for reasons of loyalty
or caution, he refused to make
a fight except to demand, and
get, an Adenauer declaration
that he was not disqualified
to be chancellor some day.
So the feud simmered, and
came to a head again after the
1961 election. The Christian
Democrats, skidding at t h e
polls, won just less than a
majority, and so needed the
few votes of the liberal Free
Democrats to form a government.
Several young ministers at
tempted to use this situation
to get Adenauer out. But at
the critical moment Erhard
again refused to help. Under
the party pressures Adenauer
gave a vague promise to re
tire in time to give his suc
cessor opportunity to prepare
for the 1965 election.
Oldest Chief
The grumbling within Ade
nauer's parly ""ks contin
ued, grew louder. He was
now the oldest chief of gov
ernment in the world. His an
nual bouts with grippe were
lasting longer. His leadership
was under question, his firm
hold of national affairs loos
ening. Washington seemed
more and more to be marking
time on matters involving
Germany or western Euro
pean unity, appearing to be
awaiting the inevitable trans
fer of power.
In late 1962, Adenauers
gradual yielding of power was
given a shove by a political
storm that ensued when De
fense Minister Franz Josef
Strauss sparked a government
charge of treason against the
"Spiegel," the republic's most
popular news magazine, for
an attack it made on the
country's military leadership.
Several of the magazine's edi
tors were arrested for alleged
treason. As the weeks went
by, the case appeared flimsier
and flimsier. The Free Demo
crats walked out of the gov
ernment until Strauss him
self was forced to quit.
Throne Shaken
Now Adenauer, his throne
still more rudely shaken,
seemed almost possessed of
the need to deny the ever
more popular Erhard the
chancellorship. During the
"Spiegel" crisis he even au
thorized a negotiation with
the Socialists, though he had
argued for years they were
little better than Communists.
The attempt failed. But it
did give new fuel to those
Christian Democrats who
thought the time had now
come to settle the matter of
the succession.
All this past winter the
pressure grew. Adenauer gave
ground only slowly. He told a
foreign press association din
ner he would definitely step
down this autumn, but gave
no date.
To all visitors, Adenauer
gave the same assurance - his
successor would be named in
the Fall, and under no circum
stances would it be Erhard
But now the forces in the
party who refused to give
Adenauer the last say would
wait no longer. On April 22
last the fight was joined for
the final time.
Asks for Delay
The Christian Democratic
party executives met. Ade
nauer proposed it discuss the
French-German friend ship
treaty that he regards as one
of his ;rowning achievements,
The executive decided instead
to consider the succession. Ad
enauer proposed the designa
tion of a successor be formal
ly postponed till till: tail. The
executive insisted on imme
diate consideration.
Adenauer, still fighting
said Erhard was a great eco
nomics minister but unsuit
able to be Chancellor. There
were others, he said, better
suited. Let their names be put
in nomination. He called on
them one by one, including
Foreign Minister Gerhard
Schroedcr, and each declined
to oppose Erhard.
The sense of the executive
was that the parliamentary
party meeting the next day
should immediately name Er
hard Chancellor-Designate.
Interior Minister Hermann
Hoecherl suggested Adenauer
ought to personally put Er
hard's name in nomination.
But the old man stuck to his
guns.
"Do you think anyone out
there would believe me?" he
said caustically: "The people
don't think I'm that decent."
On Last Try
Tile next afternoon Adan
auer made one last try, fore
doomed though it was. He re
peated his objections to Er
hard. Provincial leaders stood
one by one to dispute him.
When the vote came, Aden
auer lost by a nearly three to
one margin.
At 5:30 p.m. on that black
Tuesday when his party de
serted him, the 14-year "Aden
auer era" in Germany was for
all intents and purposes over.
Even after retirement from
the Chancellorship Adenauer
will keep his seat in Parlia
ment and his term as National
Chairman of the Christian
Democratic party runs until
July, 1964.
But in Bonn, now, there is
a well-used political joke for
sale or - as some wits have
wryly suggested - for lend
lease to the France of Gen
eral Charles de Gaulle:
Adenauer, dangling a great-
grandson on his knee, asks the ( replies. "Well, that's impos-
little boy, "what do you want
to be when you grow up?"
"Chancellor, great - grandpa,
just like you," the youngster
sible, my boy," is Adenauer's
response, "because I'M Chan
cellor! What else do you want
to be?"
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