Waxing Roth

West Germany's Willy Brandt has two distinct voices: the Chancellor, dignified and statesmanlike; the Social Democratic Party leader, impassioned and hard-hitting. At the S.P.D.'s party congress in Hannover last week, it was clear that Willy No. 1 had stayed home in stately old Bonn. Willy No. 2, the angry table thumper, was in charge. It was the first major test of Brandt's leadership since last November's elections, and Brandt faced a challenge from his party's young Marxist wing, led by Jungsozialisten (Juso) Chief Wolfgang Roth. The Juso faction demanded a number of fundamental changes that would push the S.P.D. far left of Brandt's carefully chosen "new center."

Frustrated by what they saw as the S.P.D.'s caution and compromise in the wake of its impressive win at the polls last fall, Roth and his Jusos began organizing for last week's congress almost as soon as the election results were announced. There were five major issues: how to redistribute the wealth generated by Germany's economic boom, how to allocate national resources in future planning, how to limit land speculation and increase public construction, whether "radicals" could be excluded from civil service jobs and, finally, whether to press for a withdrawal of U.S. forces and a general cut in military spending. The Jusos argued their case in local meetings across Germany, and on the eve of the congress there were estimates that they controlled anywhere from 25% to 40% of the 433 delegates. Foreign observers, particularly the Americans, were watching carefully: any Brandt concessions would have an effect both on the Chancellor's stature in Europe and on his talks with President Nixon in Washington next month.

Dialogue. That concern faded almost as soon as Brandt, in a blue suit and orange tie, marched up to the blue and orange podium in Hannover. "This Congress has to confirm explicitly that what the Social Democrats said before the election is valid for them after the election," he said. "Whoever does not occupy the center cannot hold the majority in a democracy; whoever loses the center cannot govern." Blasting Juso calls for an American troop withdrawal, he said: "Without America's presence, we would not be able to negotiate realistically on European security ... But our American partners have to realize that... Western Europe will continue its dialogue with America as a talk among friends, which endures criticism, differences and even tensions."

During Brandt's 2 1/2-hour oration, which was interrupted 81 times by applause, convention delegates could almost hear the air hissing out of the Juso balloon. Even Roth, who was one of eight leftwingers elected to the party's 36-man executive board, admitted that he was "impressed" by Brandt's words.

"If there were more speeches of this sort," he said, "we could have more discussion on substantive issues, instead of on pseudoissues" -that is, factionalism within the party. When the disputed resolutions came to a vote, Brandt's middle-of-the-road approach won overwhelming approval. As has been the case in previous S.P.D. conventions, Willy No. 2 has a way of prevailing.

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