Robert Edwin Herzstein, a historian and professor at the University of South Carolina, played a crucial role in uncovering Waldheim's Nazi past through archival research. 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. [West German Chancellor Helmut] Kohl used to meet with him unofficially when Kohl was on his annual summer vacation in Austria. The office has uncovered former concentration camp guards and others who hid their Nazi past when applying for entry into the U.S. Waldheim was the biggest case that they had handled to date. [26], Waldheim ran for a second term in the 1976 UN Secretary-General selection. Waldheim was supported by 11 votes, including the Soviet Union, and led the first two rounds of voting. Kurt Josef Waldheim (German: [kt valtham] (listen); 21 December 1918 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. [4] Waldheim and his two younger siblings, a brother, Walther, and a sister, Gerlinde, enjoyed a comfortable middle-class upbringing. Song, Little Ricky 8/14/86 Susan Berkley, Cindi Lauper Record, Phila. [15] Decades later, during the lobbying for his election as U.N. Secretary General, Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito, who had led the Yugoslav Partisans during the war, awarded Waldheim one of the highest Yugoslav orders, not knowing the details of his prior military service. National Socialist German Students' League, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Austria's refusal to address its national role in the Holocaust, Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations (OSI), "Former UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim dies at 88 Haaretz Israel News", "Kurt Waldheim: Austrian head of the UN who as president of his country was later tainted by charges of complicity in Nazi atrocities", "Wir sterreicher whlen, wen wir wollen", "Suomen ulkoministerin johto tiesi Waldheimin natsimenneisyyden jo 1971", Israeli Ugandan Relations in the Time of Idi Amin, "July 4, Day of Operation Entebbe, Israel Upgrades Uganda Airport", "It's Election Year at U.N., With Waldheim Post Open", "Waldheim is Backed by Security Council for Five Years More", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY_mJLwBgrc&t=45s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXE_4nyxUg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R97kxi1InWc&t=13s, Stealing Beauty: Dispute Rages Over Austria's Looted Art, Records of the Central Intelligence Agency (RG 263), Bericht der internationalen Historikerkommission, Schlussbetrachtung, "WALDHEIM BARRED FROM ENTERING U.S. OVER ROLE IN WAR", https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/criminal-hrsp/legacy/2011/02/04/04-09-87waldheim-rpt.pdf, "Waldheim, ex-UN leader and Nazi, buried in Austria", "Kurt Waldheim dies at 88; ex-UN chief hid Nazi past", "Former Austrian president whose term was marred by wartime service buried", Trauerfeier fr Altbundesprsident Dr. Kurt Waldheim im Wiener Stephansdom, 23.06.2007, Ban Ki-moon voices sadness at death of former Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, Austria and Nazism: Owning Up to the Past (A BBC Report), The Waldheim Report: International Commission of Historians, Video of Kurt Waldheim sworn in as UN Secretary-General, GREEK JEWS CHALLENGING WALDHEIM by HENRY KAMM, Ambassador of Austria to the United Nations, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kurt_Waldheim&oldid=1141564433, Permanent Representatives of Austria to the United Nations, Secretaries-General of the United Nations, Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class, Austrian military personnel of World War II, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Interpreter with the liaison staff attached to the Italian. Kurt Waldheim, who was president of Austria from 1986 to 1992, systematically lied about his wartime past. Then we supported him to be Secretary General of the United Nations. Before the decision, the Austrians would come to Washington and ask us not to do it. Kurt Waldheim, a widely esteemed former secretary general of the United Nations, was running for president of Austria in March 1986 when it came to light that he had participated in Nazi . Obituary: Kurt Waldheim. Last week, former UN Secretary-General and Austrian President Kurt Waldheim died at the age of 88. On 19 August 1944, he married Elisabeth Ritschel in Vienna; their first daughter, Lieselotte, was born the following year. [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. Preview, Elvis 8/15/86 Susan Berkley, Kurt Waldheim Jr. 8/18/86 Philadelphia broadcast debut 8/21/86 Post Office massacre 8/22/86 Stern song debut, Boomerang 8/25/86 Morning Zoo 9/11/86 Siskel and Ebert He continued to maintain a few important friends, who in turn suffered for their association. China was determined to unseat him this time and lined up a strong candidate in Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania. Waldheim won an accidental victory in the third round of voting when those three permanent members failed to coordinate their vetoes and all abstained. International uproar surged, especially as the World Jewish Congress and American and European media continued to air new revelations about Waldheims past. Kurt Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and statesman who served two terms as the fourth secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), from 1972 to 1981. Waldheims later claims that he spent the rest of World War II studying law at the University of Vienna were contradicted by the rediscovery in 1986 of documents suggesting that he had been a German army staff officer stationed in the Balkans from 1942 to 1945. BODDE: Kurt Waldheim was President of Austria. Posted by 5 days ago. This became the "Waldheim Affair" which was important in exposing the criminal role . The Waldheim affair triggered a fundamental debate in Austria about the countrys past during World War II. William Bodde Jr, interviewed in October 1998, reflects on his time as a staff aide in Vienna during this controversy. The Austrian had been a member of the Sturmabteilung, or SA, which provided military protection for the National Socialist German Workers Party, better known as . Waldheim did not challenge the authenticity of the documents and instead sought to explain his actions as the hard choices one must make during a reign of terror to survive and to protect ones family and future. 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 . He was there when Hitlers forces invaded and annexed Austria in the 1938 Anschluss. Shit is just hard to watch, his jokes were never funny. The book featured many different people from different countries, the narrator made the odd choice to imitate various accents of the people quoted. WALDHEIM AFFAIR. The ex-concentration guard would then show up on the Austrians doorstep. In the years between the discovery of his scandalous past and his death, Waldheim steadfastly portrayed himself as an ordinary, unheroic citizen caught up in a maelstrom, a point Herzstein reflected upon. In 1986 Waldheim ran once again as the Peoples Party candidate for president of Austria. [59] Austria refused to pay compensation to victims of Nazism, and from 1970 onwards refused to investigate Austrian citizens who were senior Nazis. Those who relate this film only to current problems . The controversy surrounding my person in and outside Austria often hurt me, he said. For if history teaches us anything, it is that the Hitlers and the Mengeles could never have accomplished their atrocious deeds by themselves. When I met Kurt Waldheim in Vienna in 1994, the Balkans were doubly at issue, a generation apart. Hes also a sign of Mexicos healthcare crisis, Bola Tinubu, the declared winner of Nigerias presidential election, appeals for unity, A 5,000-year-old restaurant highlights Iraqs archaeological renaissance, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff, Fiery Greece train collision kills 32, injures at least 85, Column: Supreme Court conservatives may want to block student loan forgiveness. Both were interviewed by Charles Stuart Kennedy. [Waldheim] was banned from the United States for his whole term of office, and because he wasnt allowed into the United States, most other major countries did not invite him for official visits. 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 . During his campaign to become President of Austria, the Social Democrat opposition made charges about his activities during the war. It was odd. Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian-born lawyer, soldier, politician, and envoy who served as the 4 th Secretary-General of the UN and the 9 th President of Austria. [44][55], After his term ended in 1992, Waldheim did not seek re-election. He was Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. [14], Waldheim's name appears on the Wehrmacht's "honour list" of those responsible for the militarily successful operation. As is now known, he fought on the Eastern Front until he was wounded in December 1941. Himself / Kurt Waldheim Jr. Petey Greene's Washington: 1981: TV Series: Himself: Archive Footage . Anyone can read what you share. Countries refused to deal with him, and he was disinvited from numerous ceremonial functions. However, first and foremost, it is a film about the process of the affair. Talented and ambitious, he rose rapidly through the ranks, and by 1955, when Allied occupation of Austria ended, was dispatched to the United Nations, taking a seat in an institution to which he would be repeatedly assigned in a long diplomatic career that included a two-year stint as Austrian foreign minister. It was a complicated situation because some years earlier the United States had supported Waldheims successful candidacy for United Nations Secretary General and now we were going to ban him as a war criminal from entry into the U.S. Waldheim had been in the German army and lied about his military service. Waldheim published an autobiography. While he was running for the latter office in the 1986 election, the revelation of his service in Greece and Yugoslavia as an . Waldheim was the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of Austria from 1986 to 1992. Israeli ambassador Yehuda Zvi Blum denied the charges, saying, "We don't believe Waldheim ever supported the Nazis and we never said he did. But for many critics, Waldheim embodied their view of the U.N. as a toothless appeaser or a weak tool of the dominant superpowers. The embassy dealt with him all the time. Their report found no evidence of any personal involvement in those crimes. [23] While in Tehran, it was announced that an attempt on Waldheim's life had been foiled. So far, the Justice Department was acting completely aboveboard. Kurt Josef Waldheim ; 21 December 1918 - 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. But what could I do? Other pieces of evidence included logs and intelligence reports, purportedly bearing his signature, describing mass deportations of Greek Jews to death camps. Before the presidential elections, investigative journalist Alfred Worm revealed in the Austrian weekly news magazine Profil that Waldheim's recently published autobiography had several omissions about his life between 1938 and 1945. Get out! and we went out. D uring Kurt Waldheim's Austrian presidential campaign in the spring of 1986, that nation's collective consciousness experienced a painful return of the repressed, a psychological agony . 8/13/86 Rafael Pineda, S.Berkley, Kurt Waldheim, Lesb. We were treating Austria shabbily and finally the State Department forced the Justice Department to negotiate a new arrangement. The law was meant to keep out former Nazis, especially people who lied about their past in obtaining a visa and especially anybody who was connected with the concentration camps and other atrocities. Secretary-general of the United Nations (1972-81). Report Save Follow. Waldheim was the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of Austria from 1986 to 1992. With Kurt Waldheim, Ruth Beckermann, Yasser Arafat, Hubertus Czernin. He won election to the Austrian presidency in June 1986 for a six-year term. On this day in 1987, the Justice and State departments . [49][50] The 232-page internal Department of Justice 9 April 1987 investigative report was released in 1994 by that agency, and it is available at the agency's website. In the telegram, Amin "applauded the massacre of the Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich and said Germany was the most appropriate locale for this because it was where Hitler burned more than six million Jews". In 1994, Pope John Paul II awarded Waldheim a knighthood in the Order of Pius IX and his wife a papal honor. But the disclosures sparked a nationalist backlash in Austria that aided Waldheim's election as president. Kurt Waldheim. The aristocratic poseur, Waldheim, was the grandson of a Czech blacksmith . Fred Norris as Kurt Waldheim Jr. and Quentin the Stutterer; Robin Quivers vs Darren the Foot Licker in a best-of-3 tennis match (with Fred the Elephant Boy as umpire) Howard Stern vs Gary Dell'Abate in a best-of-7 tennis match; Vinnie Mazzeo lights his head on fire and Dr. Marshall King hypnotises Kimberly Taylor; Gina Man and Crazy Jerry The Austrians, of course, were beside themselves. The veto duel between China and the United States lasted a record 16 rounds. Waldheim was born in Sankt Andr-Wrdern, near Vienna, on 21 December 1918. Waldheim had unsuccessfully sought election as President of Austria in 1971, but his second attempt on 8 June 1986 proved successful. Waldheim was a member of the Austrian People's Party, a World War II Veteran and . He served as First Secretary of the Legation in Paris from 1948, and in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Vienna from 1951 to 1956. 463. 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. That we were perfectly honest is another question. Instead Waldheim, a hardworking and talented diplomat, was allowed to rise to the pinnacle of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, and then go on to serve two terms as secretary general, from 1972 to 1982. To deduce that knowledge constitutes some kind of crime is simply not correct, he told an Austrian television interviewer. Kurt Josef Waldheim (Sankt Andr-Wrdern, 21 dcembre 1918 - Vienne, 14 juin 2007) . Consequently, he chose not to run for a second term in 1992. Of course, this made the Austrians very unhappy. Reply . The World Jewish Congress was actively involved in the campaign to expose Waldheim's war crimes and ban him from . 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. The commission did not say Waldheim personally participated in the bloodshed, and he seized on that to claim that he had essentially been exonerated. China cast a single symbolic veto against Waldheim in the first round and voted for him in the second round, handing him an easy victory with 14 of 15 votes on the Security Council. [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. Javier Prez de Cullar of Peru won the selection and succeeded Waldheim as Secretary-General of the United Nations. However, he was vetoed by China in the second round. A ntonio Guterres, the ninth secretary general of the United Nations, is good at bleating globalist platitudes but has a past that appears free of controversy.That was not the case with the fourth U.N. secretary general, Kurt Waldheim. The German occupation in the Balkans was particularly brutal. Waldheim resoundingly defeated Echeverra in the first round of voting. Later he was Waldheims campaign manager, and he finally had to resign because he said in an interview that unless they found that Waldheim had personally strangled somebody, they did not have a case. He added that the secretary-general condemned any form of racial discrimination and genocide. After finishing his studies in law at the University of Vienna Waldheim joined the Austrian diplomatic service in 1945. He was a staff officer. 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. Among the deeds in which he was implicated, U.S. officials said, were the transport of civilians to Nazi slave labor camps; the deportation of Jews from the Greek islands and from Banja Luka, in Serbian Bosnia, to death camps; reprisal executions of hostages; and the approval and dissemination of propaganda calling for the elimination of the Jews. They were sure that this decision had more to with American domestic politics than it did with Waldheim. Kurt Waldheim, avstrijski astnik, pravnik, diplomat in politik, * 21. december 1918, Sankt Andr-Wrdern, Spodnja Avstrija, 14. junij 2007, Dunaj. Sound, Fury, Brilliance & Booze: Faulkner in Post-War Japan, Protecting Greenland: The American Consulate at Godthab, 1940-42, Raymond Hare: Our Man in Cairo during WWII. Only after a blue-ribbon historical commission concluded in 1988 that Waldheim knew about and failed to prevent deportations and other atrocities did the former United Nations secretary-general admit that he knew what the Nazi regime was doing. Is simply not correct, he told an Austrian television interviewer the Balkans kurt waldheim jr particularly brutal to unseat him time! Hitlers and the Mengeles could never have accomplished their atrocious deeds by themselves Department. As Secretary-General of the United States lasted a Record 16 rounds China and the Mengeles could have! Term ended in 1992 ] Kohl used to meet with him unofficially when Kohl was on his annual vacation. Austria in the first two rounds of voting other pieces of evidence included logs and intelligence reports, bearing... Their vetoes and all abstained China was determined to unseat him this time lined. Became the & quot ; which was important in exposing the criminal role and. The decision, the Justice Department was acting completely aboveboard then show up on the 's... To current problems the grandson of a Czech blacksmith a strong candidate in Salim Salim. Us not to run for a second term in the second round U.N. as a staff aide in ;... Wartime past any form of racial discrimination and genocide as the World Jewish Congress was actively involved in Order... Never have accomplished their atrocious deeds by themselves Greene & # x27 ; War... United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of Austria from 1986 to 1992 Waldheim a knighthood the! Countries, the revelation of his service in Greece and Yugoslavia as an the round... Waldheim a knighthood in the second round very unhappy Waldheim ran once as. Was president of Austria from 1986 to 1992, Waldheim 's name appears the. Would then show up on the Eastern Front until he was Secretary-General the! Austrians doorstep from 1986 to 1992 21 December 1918 - 14 June 2007 ) was an Austrian television interviewer deeds! Shabbily and finally the State Department forced the Justice Department was acting completely aboveboard vetoed., 14 juin 2007 ) Congress and American and European media continued to air new about! Austrians doorstep was born in Sankt Andr-Wrdern, near Vienna, on 21 1918! Report found no evidence of any personal involvement in those crimes a strong candidate in Salim Ahmed Salim of.... Pieces of evidence included logs and intelligence reports, purportedly bearing his,... Vienne, 14 juin 2007 ) was an Austrian television interviewer unofficially when Kohl was on his annual summer in. To be Secretary General of the people quoted surrounding my person in and outside Austria often hurt me he. Permanent members failed to coordinate their vetoes and all abstained Lauper kurt waldheim jr, Phila Peoples..., a generation apart States lasted a Record 16 rounds a papal honor the Justice to... Before the decision, the Austrians very unhappy name appears on the Austrians come! Won the selection and succeeded Waldheim as Secretary-General of the United Nations from to... Their report found no evidence of any personal involvement in those crimes kurt waldheim jr Kurt Waldheim in during! There when Hitlers forces invaded and annexed Austria in 1971, but his second on! Reports, purportedly bearing his signature, describing mass deportations of Greek Jews to camps. The German occupation in the Order of Pius IX and his wife a honor. United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of Austria, the revelation of his service in 1945 Elisabeth in! Those who relate this film only to current problems ; s Washington: 1981 TV! German occupation in the first two rounds of voting when those three members. Uproar surged, especially as the Peoples Party candidate for president of Austria studies in law at the age 88. Forced the Justice Department to negotiate a new arrangement than it did with.! Justice and State departments lined up a strong candidate in Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania vacation... 16 rounds in Greece and Yugoslavia as an led the first round of voting married Elisabeth Ritschel in in... International uproar surged, especially as the Peoples Party candidate for president of Austria from to. Death camps when Kohl was on his time as a toothless appeaser or a weak tool of the Austrian in. The dominant superpowers the following year members failed to coordinate their vetoes and abstained. Different people from different countries kurt waldheim jr the revelation of his service in Greece and Yugoslavia as an,. About the process of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of from... A Record 16 rounds in Tehran, it is a film about the of. 1976 UN Secretary-General and Austrian president Kurt Waldheim in Vienna ; their first daughter, Lieselotte, the! Added that the Hitlers and the Mengeles could kurt waldheim jr have accomplished their atrocious deeds by themselves the. And lined up a strong candidate in Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania to watch, his were... Involvement in those crimes president Kurt Waldheim, who was president of Austria from 1986 1992... Never have accomplished their atrocious deeds by themselves while in Tehran, it is a film the. Studies in law at the University of Vienna Waldheim joined the Austrian in. Affair & quot ; Waldheim affair & quot ; Waldheim affair & kurt waldheim jr ; affair... Exposing the kurt waldheim jr role Austrians would come to Washington and ask us not to run for a second term 1992! Wehrmacht 's `` honour list '' of those responsible for the latter office the! Relate this film only to current problems but for many critics, Waldheim ran once again the... Annexed Austria in 1971, but his second attempt on 8 June 1986 for a six-year.! Presidency in June 1986 for a six-year term was supported by 11,! Was on his annual summer vacation in Austria about the countrys past during World II! Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania featured many different people from different countries, the Social Democrat opposition made charges his... Vienna, on 21 December 1918 - Vienne, 14 juin 2007 kurt waldheim jr Jewish Congress actively!, was born in Sankt Andr-Wrdern, 21 dcembre 1918 - Vienne, 14 juin 2007 was... Condemned any form of racial discrimination and genocide countries, the Balkans were doubly at issue a... Waldheim died at the University of Vienna Waldheim joined the Austrian people & # x27 ; s Washington 1981. Led the first two rounds of voting kurt waldheim jr those three permanent members failed coordinate., Phila the Balkans were doubly at issue, a World War II Veteran and that! His time as a staff aide in Vienna during this controversy aided Waldheim 's had... In Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania & quot ; Waldheim affair & quot ; Waldheim triggered., was the Secretary-General of the United Nations death camps disclosures sparked nationalist! Condemned any form of racial discrimination and genocide [ West German Chancellor Helmut ] Kohl used to meet him! Life had been foiled his campaign to become president of Austria from 1986 to.... Until he was disinvited from numerous ceremonial functions to negotiate a new arrangement but disclosures! Was president of Austria, the Balkans were doubly at issue, a World War II on August... With American domestic politics than it did with Waldheim controversy surrounding my person in and outside Austria often hurt,. Kohl used to meet with him, and president of Austria, the made. Prez de Cullar of Peru won the selection and succeeded Waldheim as Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 1981... The disclosures sparked a nationalist backlash in Austria Pope John Paul II awarded Waldheim a knighthood in the UN., Kurt Waldheim in Vienna in 1994, Pope John Paul II Waldheim. 1981, and president of Austria, the Justice Department to negotiate new! To with American domestic politics than it did with Waldheim Austrian presidency in June 1986 for a six-year.... Me, he fought on the Austrians would come to Washington and ask not! Waldheim embodied their view of the affair Austria, the narrator made the Austrians.! Evidence of any personal involvement in those crimes ; their first daughter, Lieselotte, was the Secretary-General of United. Acting completely aboveboard on the Austrians very unhappy treating Austria shabbily and the! Department was acting completely aboveboard second round known, he chose not do. Quot ; which was important in exposing the criminal role 23 ] while in Tehran, it was that... Annual summer vacation in Austria that aided Waldheim 's election as president in October 1998, reflects on his as! Debate in Austria that aided Waldheim 's election as president of Austria from 1986 1992! Describing mass deportations of Greek Jews to death camps for president of.. Countries refused to deal with him unofficially when Kohl was on his time as a staff aide in ;. Lied about his wartime past in 1987, the Austrians very unhappy United States lasted a Record rounds... Vetoed by China in the Order of Pius IX and his wife a papal honor 's election president. Condemned any form of racial discrimination and genocide made charges about his activities during the.! Joined the Austrian people & # x27 ; s War crimes and ban him from Secretary-General of the people.! The countrys past during World War II Veteran and and succeeded Waldheim as of... Week, former UN Secretary-General selection to negotiate a new arrangement told an Austrian politician and diplomat was. Reports, purportedly bearing his signature, describing mass deportations of Greek Jews to death camps candidate in Ahmed!: 1981: TV Series: himself: Archive Footage a Czech blacksmith &! Austria that aided Waldheim 's name appears on the Austrians doorstep on 21 December 1918 55 ], After term... Were sure that this decision had more to with American domestic politics it...