GERMANY’S REFUSAL

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1935, Page 5

GERMANY’S REFUSAL

ARREST OF BERTHOLD JACOB. ANSWER GIVEN SWITZERLAND. ‘ By Telegraph—Press Assn—Copyright. London, April 16. Germany refused Switzerland’s request to release Berthold Jacob, describing him as a traitor of the worst kind. Jacob, a German journalist, living at Strasbourg, was suspected of carrying on antiNazi propaganda and was kidnapped from Switzerland by Nazis, The Times’ Berlin correspondent says that the Government informed Switzerland that German officials are not concerned with Jacob’s kidnapping and did not give orders to Hans Wesemann, a Nazi journalist (who is alleged to have decoyed Jacob to Basle), who had “questionable antecedents, and apparently was engaged in anti-German propaganda.” It was possible he and accomplices intended placing Jacob in the hands of Germany either to improve their own position or for revenge, neither being unusual in certain emigre circles. In any case Jacob came within the bounds of German jurisdiction without German official intervention.” Switzerland is now invoking the SwissGerman Arbitration Treaty. An official statement at Berlin on March 30 said: “In order to correct misleading foreign reports about the detention of Jacob he was arrested for illegally crossing the German-Swiss frontier en route to visit agents in Germany. He could produce only an invalid German passport. The arrest was not revealed before to enable the identity of his accomplices to be established. Jacob is without nationality, as he was expatriated in 1933. He will be prosecuted for a number of serious offences. A message from Berne said: “A smack in the face for the world, which cherishes the truth,” is a Swiss newspaper’s description of the German version of the arrest of Jacob. Other newspapers caustically indicate their disbelief of it. Public opinion is shocked at Germany’s refusal to release Jacob, says a Geneva message. It is expected Switzerland will now refer the case to arbitration under the treaty.