Kurt Laqueur

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Kurt Laqueur (born October 22, 1914 in Berlin , † April 12, 1997 in Wiesbaden ) was a German diplomat.

Life

He was the son of August and Ilse Laqueur (née Netto). Due to his Jewish origins, he could neither finish his law studies at the University of Berlin nor an apprenticeship as a bookseller. In 1936 he followed his parents and sister Marianne Laqueur into exile in Turkey . In Istanbul , he initially worked primarily as an assistant to the management in various export-import companies. After diplomatic relations between Turkey and Germany were broken off , he was exiled to the Anatolian city of Kirsehir in 1944 . In the post-war period he worked, among other things, as a lecturer at the University of Istanbul before joining the diplomatic service of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1952. Until his retirement he held the functions of economic officer at the German embassy in Lebanon (1953–1958), press officer at the German embassy in Turkey (1959–1969), consul general in Yugoslavia / Zagreb (1969–1973) and the Deputy Ambassador to Switzerland (1973–1979).

In his tenure as German Consul General in Zagreb the kidnapping fell Lufthansa machine "Kiel" by the Palestinian terrorist organization " Black September " on October 29, 1972. The plane had been abducted with the aim of the three surviving assassins of Munich Massacre force the release . The federal government complied with this requirement. She had the prisoners brought to Munich, from where they were flown to Zagreb in a private plane. After the kidnappers threatened to detonate the Lufthansa plane with all its occupants if it wasn't refueled within an hour, Kurt Laqueur gave his permission to do so. The plane then flew to Tripoli / Libya , where the kidnappers released all hostages. In retrospect, Kurt Laqueur had to justify his decision. However, due to the chaotic overall circumstances - there was, for example, an inadequate international telephone connection to the Zagreb airport - it was completely rehabilitated.

In 1969 he received the Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Federal Republic of Germany

He spent his twilight years in Bodenheim and Wiesbaden .

Kurt Laqueur was married to Aenne Baade, the daughter of Fritz Baade . The marriage resulted in three sons: Klaus, Hans-Peter and Andreas.

literature

  • Active Museum Association (ed.): Haymatloz . Exile in Turkey 1933-1945. Exhibition catalog. Berlin 2000
  • Walter Laqueur : Born in Germany. The exodus of Jewish youth after 1933. Propylaeen, Berlin 2001 ISBN 3549071221

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Laqueur, Kurt
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German diplomat
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH April 12, 1997
Place of death Wiesbaden