But thanks to his parents' middle-class standing, he and his brother and sister suffered few of the economic deprivations that most Austrians endured during the 1920s. as zadnje spremembe strani: 14:46, 24. februar 2023. Eventually, though, he was forced to acknowledge that he continued in the military as an intelligence officer, stationed from 1942 to 1945 in Greece and Yugoslavia -- sites of some of the most horrendous massacres of the war. The United States and United Kingdom initially supported him in the second round of voting. Kurt Josef Waldheim (German: [kt valtham] (listen); 21 December 1918 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. Office of Special Investigations, United States Department of Justice Criminal Division internal investigative report: Eli M. Rosenbaum, "The Kurt Waldheim Affair," in Ronald S. Lauder (Foreword) and Menachem Z. Rosensaft (Editor). His intelligence regarding work in Greece during World War II raised more questions than answers. I was happy to see him turned him down and he will never get to see the shores of the United States again. He did lie about his military service. [9] Shortly thereafter he became a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the Nazi Party's original paramilitary wing. Escola Roncagli; Waldheim; German Col. Hans Herbert Macholtz and General of the 7th SS-Division, General Artur Phelps. Austrian President Kurt Waldheim, accused by Jewish groups of participating in Nazi war crimes, today was barred from entering the United States because of evidence that he persecuted people . And, it was later discovered, he had served with the Abwehr, which was the German military counter-intelligence, and was probably co-responsible for war crimes. He apparently gained the sympathy of the Austrian electorate and won the presidency with 54% of the vote. [3] Watzlawick (original Czech spelling Vclavk) changed his name to "Waldheim" that year as the Habsburg monarchy collapsed and eventually rose to become superintendent of schools for the Tulln District, attaining the rank of Regierungsrat (government councillor). He was 88. Kurt Waldheim. And so, apparently in the clear, Waldheim entered the Austrian foreign service at wars end. Declassified documents from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency show that the CIA had been aware of some details of his wartime past since 1945. Waldheim admitted that he had not been candid about his past but disclaimed all knowledge of or participation in wartime atrocities. In 1939, Waldheim was drafted into the German Wehrmacht. Obituary: Kurt Waldheim. 463. He was there when Hitlers forces invaded and annexed Austria in the 1938 Anschluss. Notes. 8/13/86 Rafael Pineda, S.Berkley, Kurt Waldheim, Lesb. In the meantime, Congress passed a law, the Holtzman Act, named after a Congresswoman who introduced it. To deduce that knowledge constitutes some kind of crime is simply not correct, he told an Austrian television interviewer. Waldheim may have been able to hide his past for so long because of the web of intrigue between intelligence services in the Cold War era. Janks go on a date with John DeBella's wife (which Howard predicted would happen in his battle with DeBella in Philadelphia), the "Gross Video Contest" winners, Boy-Gary dressed as an ape and . Waldheim ran for an unprecedented third full term as Secretary-General in the 1981 selection. 4 Min Read. His service from 1942 to 1945 was the subject of international review in 1985 and 1986. There was no comment or statement from the governors office Thursday on the death of Waldheim.). Theres no doubt about that. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, What time is it on the moon? [17] According to Eli Rosenbaum, in 1944, Waldheim reviewed and approved a packet of antisemitic propaganda leaflets to be dropped behind Soviet lines, one of which ended: "Enough of the Jewish war, kill the Jews, come over. [40], Part of the reason for the controversy was Austria's refusal to address its national role in the Holocaust (many leading Nazis, including Adolf Hitler, had been born Austrians, and Austria became part of the Third Reich). [16], Waldheim denied that he knew war crimes were taking place in Bosnia at the height of the battles between the Nazis and Tito's partisans in 1943. He refused to resign, but, finally acknowledging years of trials, difficulties and disappointments, he chose not to run for reelection to a second six-year term. [36][37][38] The 23 March 1986 public disclosure by the World Jewish Congress that the organization had unearthed the fact that the United Nations War Crimes Commission concluded after the war that Waldheim was implicated in Nazi mass murder and should be arrested arguably transformed the Waldheim affair into the most sensational of all post-war Nazi scandals. China was determined to unseat him this time and lined up a strong candidate in Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Despite his humble beginnings, Waldheim was able to pursue . [45] Although Waldheim had stated that he was unaware of any crimes taking place, the committee cited evidence that Waldheim must have known about war crimes. 450. In 1985, he launched his bid for the presidency of Austria, a largely ceremonial post that he nevertheless wanted to take from the hands of the Socialist Party, which had held it 16 years. "Waldheim was clearly not a psychopath like Dr. Josef Mengele nor a hate-filled racist like Adolf Hitler," Herzstein wrote. To make matters worse, the Justice Department would cut corners. La yaro 1918 (MCMXVIII per Romala algarismi) esis ordinara yaro komencinta ye mardio segun Gregoriala kalendario, ed ordinara yaro komencinta ye lundio segun Juliala kalendario.Ol esis la 918ma yaro di la duesma yarmilo, la 18ma yaro di la 20ma yarcento, e la 9ma yaro di la yari 1910a.Kande 1918 komencis, Gregoriala kalendario esis 13 dii avan Juliala kalendario, qua duris uzesar en kelka loki . Yet no government pressed to bring Waldheim to account or even to reveal his unsavory history. "Our family was under constant surveillance," Waldheim wrote. Kurt Waldheim, the former UN secretary general and president of Austria whose hidden complicity in Nazi war crimes was exposed late in his career, died Thursday in Vienna, Austrian media reported. As is now known, he fought on the Eastern Front until he was wounded in December 1941. [25] Amidst international protest, "the UN spokesman said [in his daily press conference] it was not the secretary-general's practice to comment on telegrams sent him by heads of government. 3. Kurt Waldheim was appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations for a five-year term beginning on 1 January 1972. Waldheim published an autobiography. Then in November 1938, he enrolled in the SA, the paramilitary Nazi organization of storm troopers. Updates? A close political ally of Waldheim dismissed the commission as being full of Waldheims enemies -- Jews and Socialists -- and thus not credible. Thu 14 Jun 2007 19.08 EDT. . [47] The committee also noted that "he only had very minor possibilities to act against the injustices happening". I remember one case, hed been back and forth to the United States 25 times, and all of a sudden he didnt qualify. He won election to the Austrian presidency in June 1986 for a six-year term. He was the elected president of Austria from 1986 to 1992. The U.S. ban was never lifted. He was reelected in 1976 despite some opposition from less-developed countries, but a third term was vetoed by the Chinese government in 1981. He was Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. Waldheim was a member of the Austrian People's Party, a World War II Veteran and . 1989 Vol. [44][55], After his term ended in 1992, Waldheim did not seek re-election. ", Kurt Waldheim dies at 88; ex-UN chief hid Nazi past, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/world/europe/14iht-waldheim.3.6141106.html. Entire villages were wiped out by Lohrs men. But the disclosures sparked a nationalist backlash in Austria that aided Waldheim's election as president. Then Ryan or someone from OSI would leak to The New York Times that they had nabbed another Nazi and deported him to Austria. Sternalso the former host of popular radio skit "Guess Who's the Jew" with perennial champ "Kurt Waldheim Jr.," played by longtime Stern show member Fred Norristook particular . - Date based on span of years Waldheim served as Secretary General of the United Nations. After the war, Lohr was condemned and executed as a war criminal. Waldheim later stated that "he did not know about the murder of civilians there". At Waldheim's own request, no foreign heads of states or governments were invited to attend his funeral except Hans-Adam II, the Prince of Liechtenstein. The Pope received him, and that got people unhappy here. Kurt Josef Waldheim, fdd 21 december 1918 i Sankt Andr-Wrdern, Niedersterreich, dd 14 juni 2007 i Wien, var en sterrikisk politiker och diplomat. [57] On 23 June, his funeral was held at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, and he was buried at the Presidential Vault in the Zentralfriedhof ("central cemetery"). That is why they preferred him. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. [10], Much historical interest has centred on Waldheim's role in Operation Kozara in 1942. - Title based on information from slide mount and other caption information provided by the photographer. On a personal note, when I served in Vienna, the Chancellors aide was a good friend of mine. Waldheim je bil generalni sekretar OZN (1972-1981) in predsednik Avstrije (1986-1992). From his youth, Waldheim was distinguished by his unusual height of 1.92m (6ft 4in). THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. The aristocratic poseur, Waldheim, was the grandson of a Czech blacksmith . While he was running for the latter office in the 1986 election, the revelation of his service in Greece and Yugoslavia as an intelligence officer in Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht . The Austrians, of course, were beside themselves. His father, Walter, the son of an impoverished blacksmith, became the local school superintendent and . That was the kind of fellow I was looking for. president of Austria and secretary-general of the United Nations. Read more stories about World War II. Waldheim affair, controversy concerning the military record of former Austrian diplomat and statesman Kurt Waldheim (1918-2007) and his knowledge about war crimes committed by Austria during World War II. There had been a lot of political pressure on the Administration to ban Waldheim, especially from the World Jewish Congress and other people to do this. Waldheim resoundingly defeated Echeverra in the first round of voting. The same year, he was made an honorary member of K.H.V. It was to damage his reputation for . Waldheim did not attend but sent a gift, prompting Schwarzenegger to give what participants described as a very emotional toast in Waldheims honor. 21 June 2007. He died of heart failure, the state broadcaster ORF reported. Most often they would take the second choice. Europe and others push for a standard lunar time zone, Dr. Simi is a TikTok star. A biographical drama film about Kurt Josef Waldheim, former UN Secretary General and the controversy of his participation and role in the Nazi regime during WW II . When they emigrated to the United States they hid their Nazi past. Posted by 5 days ago. Today's Highlight in History: On March 10, 1985, Konstantin U. Chernenko, who was the Soviet Union's . In early 1941, Waldheim was drafted into the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, specifically to the Heer (Army), and posted to the Eastern Front where he served as a squad leader. [51] The report catalogues evidence that, the U.S. government concluded, proved that Waldheim had taken part in, among other actions: the transfer of civilian prisoners to the SS for exploitation as slave labor; the mass deportation of civiliansincluding Jews from Greek islands and the town of Banja Luka, Yugoslaviato concentration and death camps; the utilization of antisemitic propaganda; the mistreatment and execution of Allied prisoners; and reprisal executions of hostages and other civilians. Footage of Austria's then-presidential candidate Kurt Waldheim speaking at a rally, from "The Waldheim Waltz." Credit: Ruth Beckermann filmproduktion The 90-minute film interweaves the video shot by Beckermann with other archival footage, creating a dramatic account of the buildup to the 1986 election - a brief period in history when the eyes . Childhood & Early Life. Congress had passed the Holtzman Act, named after Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, to legalize the expulsion and prevention of suspected Nazi criminals from the U.S. thirty years after the end of WWII. Waldheim's tenure as Austria's president was tainted by revelations that he had concealed his wartime record. After he was elected President, groups in the U.S. began a campaign to put him on the list of people who were banned from entering the U.S. [10] After publication, documents and witnesses came to light that revealed Waldheim's military service continued until 1945, during which time he rose to the rank of Oberleutnant. The decision to ban Waldheim was made by Attorney General [Edwin] Meese and Secretary Shultz went along with it. He went through my fingers. Kurt Josef Waldheim was born on December 21 1918 at Tulln, near Vienna. ONCE, in more glorious times, the empire of Austria stretched from Prague and Cracow to Trent, below the Dolomites . He came back and he and I went to see the Secretary. So decisions were made then in the light of the necessities at the time and were perfectly legitimate, I think. Four years after returning from New York to Austria, Waldheim was hot on the campaign trail, all but certain of an . The official Waldheim biography, which he had studiously maintained for decades, was a lie. He went on to win the presidency in 1986, and less than a year later, the U.S. government formally barred him from entering the country, citing evidence it said showed that he had assisted or otherwise participated in the persecution of Allied prisoners, Yugoslav partisans, Jews and other civilians. Herbert John Spiro, interviewed beginning in April 1994, served from 1945-65 as Chief of Counterintelligence at U.S. Headquarters in Vienna. No less a figure than the late Simon Wiesenthal, the famous Nazi hunter from Vienna, refused to label Waldheim a war criminal, although he was certain Waldheim knew more than he admitted. Of course, this made the Austrians very unhappy. Earlier this week, it was examined by the Israeli and Austrian ambassadors. A fireball can never be helpful in this situation. He was secretary-general of the United Nations (1972-81) and . [33]:411 The events of 1981 established a two-term limit on the office, and no Secretary-General since Waldheim has run for a third term. Wikipedia je trna znamka neprofitne organizacije Wikimedia Foundation Inc.; Pravilnik o zasebnosti Shortly afterwards, he ran and was defeated in the 1971 Austrian presidential elections. He argued that the Austrian Prime Minister, a Social Democrat, was about to visit the U.S. and it would be a great embarrassment to him if we banned Waldheim. Pope John Paul II welcomed Waldheim to the Vatican in the Austrian leaders first official trip abroad after his election as president, a recognition that provoked anger across the Jewish world and in Washington. Javier Prez de Cullar of Peru won the selection and succeeded Waldheim as Secretary-General of the United Nations. Waldheims precise involvement in these brutalities would be a matter of debate and investigation for years to come. Kurt Waldheim, (born December 21, 1918, Sankt Andr-Wrdern, Austriadied June 14, 2007, Vienna), Austrian diplomat and statesman who served two terms as the fourth secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), from 1972 to 1981. Waldheim weathered protests abroad, calls for his resignation at home and even the cold shoulder of some members of his own political party. [59] Many years later when I was a senior member of the Policy Planning Staff, we were asked whether the U.S. should support Waldheim for a second term as Secretary General of the United Nations. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles. [20] According to Finnish diplomat Risto Hyvrinen, Waldheim's former Nazi connections were already known to the Finnish officials who supported Max Jakobson for Secretary-General in the election. His father, Walter, the son of an impoverished blacksmith, became the local school superintendent and married a daughter of the mayor. Kurt Waldheim was born on 21 December 1918 in a village named Sankt Andra-Wordern, located close to Vienna, Austria to Watzlawick and his wife. By early 1948, the UN War Crimes Commission listed him as a suspected war criminal subject to trial. His aides at the United Nations even accused the Israeli mission of spreading rumors that he supported the Nazis. Waldheims father, Walther, was briefly jailed because of his anti-Nazi views and stripped of his job. Many were displaced persons at the end of the war and ended up in Austria. I remember one guy who had been in the Gestapo, and we had records that showed that he had been an interrogator at an American POW camp. New U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew to Vienna and met with Waldheim in February; Bans aides hastened to characterize the visit as private and personal.. And fellow Austrian Arnold Schwarzenegger invited Waldheim to his 1986 wedding to Maria Shriver, a month after the disclosures about Waldheims Nazi past. On 19 August 1944, he married Elisabeth Ritschel in Vienna; their first daughter, Lieselotte, was born the following year. Ban Ki-moon, the secretary-general of the United Nations, issued a message 'voicing sadness'. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Waldheim's father, a Czech by ethnic origin, changed his name from Waclawik to Waldheim. - Photo agency: Newsweek. During his tenure, he won praise for his handling of negotiations to establish a U.N. peacekeeping mission after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, and during an unsuccessful attempt to mediate the U.S. hostage crisis in Tehran in 1980, he braved an angry mob of Iranians waving wooden legs and arm stumps (supposed victims of torture under the rule of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi). [34], Waldheim had previously claimed to have received a medical discharge after being wounded in winter 1942. Along with his family, Waldheim opposed the German annexation of Austria in 1938, and while actively campaigning against it in Vienna was attacked and injured by Austrian Nazis. William Bodde Jr, interviewed in October 1998, reflects on his time as a staff aide in Vienna during this controversy. All knowledge of or participation in wartime atrocities during World war II Veteran and staff... 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