Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski
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Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski | |
---|---|
Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation | |
In office 1 December 1966 – 2 October 1968 | |
Chancellor | Kurt Georg Kiesinger |
Preceded by | Werner Dollinger |
Succeeded by | Erhard Eppler |
Personal details | |
Born | Allenstein, East Prussia, Weimar Republic | 24 July 1922
Died | 24 February 2005 Cologne, Germany | (aged 82)
Political party | Social Democratic Party of Germany |
Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski (24 July 1922 – 24 February 2005) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Life
Born in
Career
After the war, Wischnewski joined the SPD. He was employed by a metal-working company and from 1952 trained as an IG Metall union secretary. Upon the 1957 federal election, he became a member of the Bundestag parliament and also a SPD board member in the Cologne district. He was elected federal chairman of the party's Young Socialists youth organisation in 1959 and joined the SPD federal committee in 1970, from 1979 as deputy chairman. From 1961 to 1965 he also was an elected member of the European Parliament.
On 1 December 1966, Wischnewski was appointed Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation in the grand coalition cabinet of Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger. He resigned from office on 2 October 1968, to become SPD federal executive director.
Again in May 1974, he again joined the federal government of Chancellor
Political influence
Because of his good relations with Arab politicians since the days of the Algerian War, Wischnewski was nicknamed "Ben Wisch" by Chancellor Willy Brandt (later sometimes spoofed as "Ben Cash" because of his duty as the SPD federal treasurer). His efforts decisively improved the West German diplomatic relations with numerous Arab and African countries. Also, after the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, he played a vital role in rescuing German and European hostages.
Wischnewski is best known outside Germany for his involvement in the "
Wischnewski later travelled to Nicaragua, to intermediate between the Sandinista National Liberation Front and its Contra opponents. In Latin America, he became known as "Commandante Hans".
His commitment to the rights of the
References
- Bilderberg Group. Archived from the originalon 2 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.