Hiatus at Bonn?
BONN B.y SARAH GAINHAM p begins to look as if Chancellor Adenauer's 'personal interpreter of the law, State Secretary Globke, has for once made a mistake. A long and detailed commentary on the Basic Law of the Federal Republic with which he armed his chief much impressed the Chancellor with the possibili- ties the President could carve out for his own ends. It was thought to contain every possible qualifica- tion of the Presidential power in a constitution which is still not finally shaped in action.
At least partly on its advice as to his chances of continuing to guide, influence and secretly to make policy, Adenauer was persuaded to agree to his candidature for the Presidency. Not only by its means, naturally. The disastrous loss, at least for the present, of two of his closest colleagues in foreign affairs must have reduced the Chancellor's confidence; for Blanken horn and Hallstein, whether rightly or wrongly, have lost _much of their personal prestige in the still undecided slander case against them by a civil servant. Then, the illness of Secretary Dulles, with its undertones of uncertain policy from across the Atlantic, and still more the loss of that 'personal ear the Chan- BONN cellor always felt he had, has reduced Adenauer-s power. The Chancellor always ran public affairs in a very personal way.,And his personal contacts have broken down just as his only policy in foreign affairs is showing the great cracks of a building put up without foundations. He might well have thought it was time to move up and leave the immediate responsibility to 'another: while retain- ing power behind the scenes at least in foreign and inner-party affairs.
But it now appears that the incoming President must lay down all other appointments and all party allegiance from the moment of his election. So Adenauer, for no one seems to believe that any other candidate could have a chance against him. ceases to be Chancellor on July 1. He becomes President on September 15.
So he will be neither Chancellor nor President during the summit conference, as things look now. And he cannot directly suggest his successor to the Chancellory. No doubt as a private person he will make a suggestion to President Heuss. Per- haps President Heuss will accept the suggestion. But perhaps he will not. On a former occasion Adenauer insisted that the President did not have the right to suggest a Minister of Justice; a point which is still slightly unclear in the constitution may thus be decided because the President's will be the only voice high enough to decide betwe:n party rivals. Adenauer has also made one or INN,o remarks in the last weeks on the subject of the Presidency and its present holder which may in- cline the dignified and high-minded old gentleman in the President's chair to assert the dignity of his office against a Chancellor who may be a first- class politician but shows as yet little sign of ever learning the higher art of statesmanship.
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