Germany Expels U.S. Envoy Accused Of Economic Spying

A U.S. diplomat is reported to have been expelled from Bonn, after being accused of committing economic espionage against Germany, one of Washington’s staunchest allies.

The newsmagazine Der Spiegel, which released the report in advance of publication today, said the expulsion, two years after a similar incident in France, was the first of its kind in Germany.

In Washington, a State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that German authorities had notified the United States that an American was to be expelled but that the person had not yet left.

Der Spiegel said that the unidentified American, apparently a CIA operative under diplomatic cover, had tried to recruit a high-ranking official in the Economics Ministry with access to “high-tech projects.” The nature of the projects was not disclosed.