SUMMARY. AS COULD BE EXPECTED IN THE MIDDLE OF A
NATIONAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN, THE ESCAPE OF FOUR
ACCUSED TERRORISTS FROM A BERLIN PRISON ON JULY 7
QUICKLY BECAME A DOMESTIC POLITICAL ISSUE. CDU/CSU
CHANCELLOR-CANDIDATE KOHL CALLED THE ESCAPE "AN
UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL" AND A CDU BUNDESTAG DEPUTY HAS
SUBMITTED A PARLIAMENTARY QUESTION IN ORDER TO PUT
THE GOVERNMENT ON THE SPOT.
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WHILE THE GERMAN PRESS IN GENERAL HAS BEEN CRITICAL
OF THE BERLIN AUTHORITIES, THAT PART OF THE MEDIA WHICH
SYMPATHIZES WITH THE OPPOSITION, SUCH AS THE SPRINGER
PRESS, HAS REALLY HAD A HEYDAY. THE FACT THAT THE BREAK-
OUT APPEARS TO BE AN INSIDE JOB HAS LED TO CALLS FOR
INCREASED SUPERVISION OVER MEETINGS BETWEEN ACCUSED
TERRORISTS AND THEIR DEFENSE ATTORNEYS. IT IS TOO
EARLY TO ASSESS THE FULL POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE
ESCAPE BUT IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS INCIDENT
IS A BOON TO THE OPPOSITION PARTIES IN THE ELECTION
CAMPAIGN. END SUMMARY.
1. WITHIN HOURS OF THE BREAKOUT OF FOUR
ACCUSED TERRORISTS FROM MOABIT PRISON IN BERLIN, THE
ESCAPE BECAME A POLITICAL FOOTBALL. CDU/CSU CHANCELLOR-
CANDIDATE KOHL CALLED IT AN UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL AND
SAID IT SHINES A SPOTLIGHT ON THE SECURITY SITUATION
NOT ONLY IN BERLIN BUT IN THE WHOLE FEDERAL REPUBLIC.
THE OPPOSITION PRESS ALSO IS MAKING CONSIDER-
ABLE POLITICAL CAPITAL OUT OF THE AFFAIR.
2. THE UNION PARTIES CLEARLY WANT TO USE THE ESCAPE
TO DISCREDIT THE SOCIAL-LIBERAL COALITION IN BONN,
AS WELL AS IN BERLIN. BERLIN CDU BUNDESTAG DEPUTY
WOHLRABE HAS ALREADY SUBMITTED A TWO-PART PARLIAMENTARY
QUESTION IN THE BUNDESTAG. ALTHOUGH
THE BUNDESTAG IS IN SUMMER RECESS THE GOVERNMENT IS
REQUIRED TO REPLY IN WRITING TO QUESTIONS WITHIN
A REASONABLE TIME. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT YET CERTAIN
WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT WILL DO SO BEFORE THE OCTOBER 3
ELECTION. THE GIST OF WOHLRABE'S QUESTION IS (A)
WHAT MEASURES DID THE GOVERNMENT TAKE TO ENSURE THAT THE
PRISONERS HAD BEEN SECURELY CONFINED IN BERLIN AND (B)
HOW WAS SUCH AN ESCAPE POSSIBLE IN VIEW OF THE
EXPERIENCE GAINED BY THE AUTHORITIES IN HANDLING SUCH
CASES.
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47
ACTION EUR-12
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 EURE-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PM-04 H-02
INR-07 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-05 PA-01 PRS-01 SP-02 SS-15
USIA-06 SCCT-01 SAJ-01 ACDA-07 IO-13 /081 W
--------------------- 058535
P R 081655Z JUL 76
FM AMEMBASSY BONN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0282
INFO USMISSION USBERLIN
AMEMBASSY BERLIN
AMCONSUL BREMEN
AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF
AMCONSUL FRANKFURT
AMCONSUL HAMBURG
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMCONSUL MUNICH
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMCONSUL STUTTGART
USMISSION NATO BRUSSELS
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 BONN 11526
3. PUBLICLY, THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN RESTRAINED
IN ITS COMMENTS. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN BOELLING
SAID SIMPLY THAT THE CHANCELLOR HAD RECEIVED THE NEWS
WITH SORROW. PUBLIC STATEMENTS ASIDE, HOWEVER, THE
POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN BONN IS FURIOUS. BOTH
FRIDERICHS AND MAIHOFER WERE SARCASTIC ABOUT THE
PERFORMANCE OF THEIR FELLOW FDP POLITICIAN, HERMANN
OXFORT, THE SENATOR FOR JUSTICE IN BERLIN. ACCORDING
TO ONE REPORT, OXFORT TOLD FDP CHAIRMAN GENSCHER THAT
HE WAS THINKING ABOUT RESIGNING BUT THAT GENSCHER HAD
DISCOURAGED HIM FROM DOING SO.
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4. THE FACT THAT THE FOUR ESCAPEES HAD
ASSISTANCE HAS LED TO RESURFACING OF THE IDEA THAT ALL
MEETINGS BETWEEN ACCUSED TERRORISTS AND THEIR
ATTORNEYS SHOULD BE SUPERVISED BY A COURT OFFICIAL.
CIVIL LIBERTARIANS AND THE GERMAN LAWYERS' ASSOCIATION
HAVE OPPOSED THESE MEASURES BUT IT WILL BE
INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO DO SO IN LIGHT OF THE POSSIBLE
INVOLVEMENT OF THE DEFENSE LAWYERS WITH THE MOABIT
ESCAPE.
5. IT IS TOO EARLY TO ASSESS THE FULL POLITICAL
IMPLICATIONS OF THE MOABIT BREAKOUT BUT IT IS CLEARLY
A BOON FOR THE UNION PARTIES IN THE BUNDESTAG ELECTION
CAMPAIGN. IN SUCH A HARD-FOUGHT, CLOSE ELECTION SUCH
INCIDENTS TAKE ON INCREASED POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE.
SCHMIDT AND THE GOVERNMENT WERE JUST BEGINNING TO
RELAX FOLLOWING THE ISRAELI ACTION IN ENTEBBE WHEN
THEY ONCE AGAIN FOUND THEMSELVES ON THE DEFENSIVE
AGAINST CHARGES THAT THE GOVERNMENT WASN'T TOUGH
ENOUGH ON TERRORISTS.
HILLENBRAND
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