West Germany: Under a Cloud

Kohl makes a quick switch

The clocks in Bonn stood at 15 minutes to midnight when Economics Minister Otto Graf Lambsdorff appeared at the office of Chancellor Helmut Kohl last week to tender his resignation. The outspoken Lambsdorff, 57, who had spent nearly seven years in the key Cabinet post, is expected soon to be formally charged by the Bonn public prosecutor's office with accepting $50,000 on behalf of the Free Democratic Party (F.D.P.) from the Flick Holding Co. in exchange for allowing the firm generous tax writeoffs. Lambsdorff, who will retain his seat in the Bundestag, insisted on his innocence. "The charges will not hold up," he declared.

Kohl praised Lambsdorff, then moved quickly to replace him. The Chancellor's choice: Martin Bangemann, 49, a lawyer and maverick F.D.P. leader from Baden-Wurttemberg. Bangemann became available for the Economics portfolio after he lost his seat in the European Parliament in elections two weeks ago.

Kohl's prompt action effectively quieted speculation that a wholesale Cabinet shake-up would follow Lambsdorffs' resignation. The Chancellor also wanted to forestall pressure from Franz Josef Strauss, the leader of the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union (one of the three parties in the governing coalition), who makes no secret of his desire for a major Cabinet post. Strauss, however, played almost no role last week, since he was mourning the sudden death of his wife Marianne, 54, in an automobile accident.

Bangemann's appointment promises to bolster the F.D.P.'s status in the governing coalition. The Free Democrats have slipped badly in public opinion polls, and lost all four of their European Parliament seats in the elections. Unlike his predecessor, however, the new minister knows little about economics and inspires scant confidence among West Germany's business community. -