West Germany: Almost the End

The last time Konrad Adenauer “re tired” was in 1963, when he grudgingly made way for Ludwig Erhard as Chancellor. But politicians who expected him to fade gracefully from the scene at the age of only 87 were soon proved wrong. In last fall’s election campaign, Adenauer sorely embarrassed his successor by electioneering up and down the Rhine, pressing for closer cooperation with Charles de Gaulle, needling Erhard’s favorite ally, the U.S., for its supposed nuclear “sellout,” and hardly disguising his desire for coalition with the Social Democrats, who were determined to oust Erhard from office.

Erhard’s impressive victory was a powerful blow to Adenauer’s fading prestige. Last week Adenauer, now almost 90, told the weekly Christ und Welt that he will retire again—this time as chairman of the Christian Democratic Union, a post which he had continued to occupy after Erhard took over as Chancellor because Economist Erhard has little interest in party politics. “No matter how fresh one can feel at 90,” said der Alte, “one must take into account that today or tomorrow, everything can suddenly stop. Everything has an end.” Or almost. Der Alte will still occupy his seat in the Bundestag and doubtless continue to snipe at Erhard and his policies whenever the chance arises. A good opportunity was not far off: last week Charles de Gaulle invited Adenauer over for a visit in late January—just before the French leader is due to get together with Erhard for another of those regular and so far fruitless meetings provided for by the Franco-German “friendship” treaty.