WEST GERMANY SWEET SUCCESS JOVIAL AND POPULAR ECONOMICS MINISTER LUDWIG ERHARD, AFTER 
YEARS OF PATIENTLY AND IMPATIENTLY WAITING, LAST WEEK FINALLY GOT HIS 
PARTY'S PROMISE TO MAKE HIM WEST GERMANY'S NEXT CHANCELLOR . EVEN 
KONRAD ADENAUER HAD TO SAY YES . VICE CHANCELLOR SINCE 1957, 
" UNCLE LUDWIG " WAS THE ARCHITECT OF THE NATION'S POSTWAR 
PROSPERITY AND BY FAR THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION'S BEST VOTE-GETTER . 
BUT CHANCELLOR ADENAUER, WHO HATES TO GIVE WAY AFTER 14 YEARS 
IN POWER, AND HATES EVEN MORE TO GIVE WAY TO ERHARD, 
THOUGHT HE COULD STALL OFF ERHARD'S FORMAL APPOINTMENT . AT A 
PARTY MEETING LAST WEEK, ADENAUER TRIED TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING BUT 
HIS SUCCESSOR . GRUMPILY, ADENAUER DECLARED THAT HE COULD NOT TOLERATE 
A CHANCELLOR-DESIGNATE " LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER " IN THE REMAINING 
MONTHS BEFORE HIS PROMISED FALL RETIREMENT IS A FACT . BESIDES, 
HE ADDED, " I SIMPLY DON'T SEE WHY WE MUST REACH 
A DECISION NOW, " SINCE THERE WERE THREE OTHER CANDIDATES FOR 
THE JOB, AND HE NAMED THEM : C.D.U . BUNDESTAG LEADER 
HEINRICH VON BRENTANO ; ADENAUER'S OLD CRONY, MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO HEINRICH 
KRONE ; FOREIGN MINISTER GERHARD SCHRODER . THE GAMBIT DID NOT 
WORK : ONE AFTER THE OTHER, TO THE OLD MAN'S SURPRISE, 
EACH OF THE THREE PROMINENT LEADERS ROSE TO REFUSE CANDIDACY FOR 
THE NATION'S MOST POWERFUL OFFICE . DER ALTE WAS LICKED, AND 
TO REPORTERS OUTSIDE, WHO COMPLAINED ABOUT BEING KEPT AWAY FROM THE 
MEETING ROOM, HE SNAPPED : " HOW DO YOU THINK I 
FELT INSIDE THAT ROOM ? I WOULD RATHER HAVE BEEN OUTSIDE 
. " NEXT DAY, WHEN THE C.D.U . PARLIAMENTARY CAUCUS MET 
TO FORMALLY RATIFY THE CHOICE OF ERHARD AS SUCCESSOR, THE 87-YEAR-OLD 
ADENAUER WAS STILL BURNING . " I BEAR NO PERSONAL ANIMOSITY 
TOWARD PROFESSOR ERHARD, " HE SAID, " BUT MY OPINION IS 
THAT HE IS NOT A SUITABLE MAN TO BE CHANCELLOR . 
" THE CAUCUS OVERWHELMINGLY DISAGREED, VOTED 159 TO 47 (WITH 19 
ABSTENTIONS) TO NAME ERHARD, 66, THE C.D.U.'S NEXT CHANCELLOR . FOR 
LUDWIG ERHARD, WHO SAT CHEWING ON A CIGAR THROUGHOUT THE PROCEEDINGS, 
SUCCESS WAS TOO SWEET FOR ANY THOUGHT OF REVENGE AGAINST HIS 
OLD FOE . HE PLEDGED " TO FORGIVE AND FORGET " 
ADENAUER'S INSULTS . ALL EYES THEN SWUNG TO DER ALTE, WHO 
SWALLOWED HIS BITTERNESS, PROMISED TO ABIDE BY THE MAJORITY DECISION . 
" I AM WILLING, " HE TOLD ERHARD, " TO PASS 
ALONG TO YOU ALL I KNOW THE INTERESTS OF THE GERMAN 
PEOPLE . " THEN HE ABRUPTLY STOOD UP, SLOWLY AND IMPASSIVELY 
WALKED THROUGH THE CROWD TO HIS WAITING CAR, AND WITH A 
WEARY WAVE OF FAREWELL, DROVE HOME . 