West Germany: The Flashing Knives

It was a tragic and ironic spectacle. For almost 17 years, Ludwig Erhard had been lionized as the No. 1 vote getter of West Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union. On his prestige, scores of C.D.U. politicians had ridden to election victories. Many of them were seated before him last week in the caucus room of the Bundeshaus in Bonn. They knew that they had been summoned to watch as Erhard's enemies tightened the pressure on him to resign. But no one knew whether the Chancellor would turn with a roar on his...

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