Augstein behind bars

In the news magazine SPIEGEL, an article headlined »Bedingt abwehrbereit [A limited ability to defend]« comes out at the beginning of October 1962; the authors also make use of internal documents to criticise the West German government’s military strategy. The Federal Prosecutor General’s Office investigates editor Rudolf Augstein and others on »suspicion of treason«. Augstein surrenders to authorities at the end of the month. When a boisterous crowd demands for him to be immediately released from custody, Interior Senator Schmidt attempts to de-escalate the situation with a police car’s megaphone. Only in February of the next year is Augstein freed. In May 1965, the Federal Court of Justice stays proceedings due to a »lack of evidence«.