|
|
 |
WHEREVER THEY MAY BE
© 1972, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation
| |
|
| |
 |
Back |
 |
Contents |
Page 148 |
|
Home
Page |
Forward |
 |
| |
| |
[Mer…] cedes but was really to help Eli while
David confronted Lischka face to face and threatened him; Serge was to appear
at his side. Beate was to signal that Lischka was coming by taking off her fur
hat.
There was continual traffic in the street. Men were waiting at the
wheels of their cars for their wives and children to come out. I had left the
engine of the Mercedes running. Suddenly Beate took off her hat. A tall man
whom we immediately recognized turned the corner and walked toward the
Mercedes.
To my surprise, Eli did not budge. Right away I sensed that
the whole plot had failed. Lischka kept going on his way. He reached the
streetcar stop and then turned around. David emerged from the shrubbery and
came toward us. Eli yelled at him to stop. Serge was in a towering rage. It was
a moment of total disappointment, and on top of everything else it began to
rain.
We got back into the car and headed for the center of Cologne. No
one said a word. We couldn't even look at one another. We were despondent that
our commando operation had failed. We were also guilty about having let down
Serge and Beate.
We parked the car in front of the cathedral and had a
big breakfast in the hotel opposite the railway station. Serge tried to raise
our spirits. He explained that even if the kidnapping attempt failed, the main
thing was to focus public attention on Lischka, to make it known that a sword
hung over the head of every Nazi criminal who had dealt ruthlessly with France.
Even if we didn't actually bring Lischka back with us, but stirred up a lot of
excitement over a serious attempt to kidnap him, that would be success enough,
for it would show the world how completely free from retribution his life was.
There was nothing to do, we agreed, but to start all over again. We had
not come all this distance to accomplish nothing. We had devoted two days to
the expedition, and to go back empty-handed would be too bitter a
disappointment.
Beate had observed that Lischka returned home on the
1:25 P.M. trolley. We decided to begin the operation again in the afternoon,
hoping that Lischka had not noticed us that morning or had taken us for
reporters too shy to approach him. Just the same, we were worried. Lischka
might be suspicious and not go back home, or return armed, or with friends or
policemen, and, for all we knew, might shoot us and be cleared for having acted
in self-defense.
Back we went to the streetcar stop at 12:45, our minds
made up
|
|
| |
| |
| |
WHEREVER THEY MAY BE
© 1972, The
Beate Klarsfeld Foundation |
|
Back |
Page 148 |
Forward |
|
|
