Bernd Debusmann

Bernd and I first met in Bonn in 1964 when he joined our seven-member reporting team led by David Sells (chief correspondent) and Ian Macdowall (news editor). As a new arrival Bernd urgently needed a place to live in a crowded small town overburdened with the task of accommodating the federal government, parliament, diplomatic corps, press, lobbyists, etc. The Press Club had been allocated some of the government-controlled housing stock for its members. Bernd quickly identified the lady in charge, and in his unassuming way called on her with a bunch of flowers and/or box of chocolates. Shortly afterwards he was assigned a flat. I recall thinking this young man will go far.

Our paths crossed again after the near-fatal attempt on his life in the Middle East in 1980. Bernd returned to London for further medical examinations, especially relating to the problem of removing the awkward bullet. As far as I remember, he was keen to go back his base in Beirut, but we in London thought it would be better to allow him to recover in a quieter place. It did not take long, however, before Bernd asked for a return to his preferred action-filled newsgathering environment. The rest is history.

As a former editor I wish to thank Bernd very much for his enormous contribution to the Reuter newsfile over nearly 50 years and to wish him all the best in his forthcoming “retirement”. ■