Kurt Josef Waldheim (German pronunciation: [kt valdham]; 21 December 1918 - 14 June 2007) was an Austrian diplomat and politician. His father was of Czech origin and was employed as a Roman Catholic inspector of schools. After a period as director general for political affairs in the Austrian Foreign Ministry, he became his countrys ambassador to the UN (196468, 197071). 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. Javier Prez de Cullar of Peru won the selection and succeeded Waldheim as Secretary-General of the United Nations. When I met Kurt Waldheim in Vienna in 1994, the Balkans were doubly at issue, a generation apart. 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. 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). The controversy surrounding Waldheim was particularly problematic for Austria, forcing a tardy reckoning of the nations complicity in Nazi crimes. William Bodde Jr, interviewed in October 1998, reflects on his time as a staff aide in Vienna during this controversy. On the Policy Planning Staff several of the other members and I, who was supposed to know something about Austria, we all had access to all the intelligence that anybody else did. A year after the first allegations surfaced, the U.S. Justice Department took the highly unusual step of placing the sitting Austrian presidents name on a watch list, which prohibited him from entering the United States. I was horrified. A man named [Allan] Ryan headed the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) in the Justice Department that went after the Nazis. 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. Despite resistance from new member China, Waldheim was elected secretary-general of the U.N. and assumed office in January 1972. He was 88. China was determined to unseat him this time and lined up a strong candidate in Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania. 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. He did lie about his military service. Their report found no evidence of any personal involvement in those crimes. [58], In his speech at the cathedral, Federal President Heinz Fischer called Waldheim "a great Austrian" who had been wrongfully accused of having committed war crimes. Some Germans had stayed in Austria partly because they thought that the Occupation, which was not called Occupation, would be less rigorous and less de-Nazifying than it was in Germany. Daniel Radcliffe as Howard Stern in photos from the set of "Private Parts" remake. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. Kurt Waldheim was born on Dec. 21, 1918, in St. Andr-Wrdern, a village near Vienna. "Waldheim was clearly not a psychopath like Dr. Josef Mengele nor a hate-filled racist like Adolf Hitler," Herzstein wrote. 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. There was a Finnish diplomat named Jacobson who was Finnish and Jewish, who was another candidate running for Secretary General of the UN. 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 . Kurt Josef Waldheim (German pronunciation: [kt valdham]; 21 December 1918 - 14 June 2007) was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Many were displaced persons at the end of the war and ended up in Austria. Beyond that, though, he continued to deny an active role in widespread executions and abuse and blamed his downfall on a conspiracy by American Jews. Ironically, Thomas Klestil was elected President when Waldheim completed his term of office. [7] Following the annexation, Waldheim's father was briefly arrested by the Gestapo and dismissed from his post, while Waldheim's scholarship was cancelled. He led Austrias first delegation to the UN (1955) and subsequently represented the country in Canada (195660), first as minister plenipotentiary and then as ambassador. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, What time is it on the moon? 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. Love Fred and the racier shit but I never found any of the various Kurt Waldheim Jr bits funny. The Germans were unhappy with our decision. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles. 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. International uproar surged, especially as the World Jewish Congress and American and European media continued to air new revelations about Waldheims past. Ban Ki-moon, the secretary-general of the United Nations, issued a message 'voicing sadness'. [9] Shortly thereafter he became a member of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the Nazi Party's original paramilitary wing. But theyve hit a snag, Student debt is a crisis: Activists rally outside Supreme Court for loan forgiveness, Tensions rise in Nigeria as opposition demands new vote. It was not until Waldheim left the United Nations and then ran for president of Austria in 1986 that his wartime past became widely known. At the U.N., Kurt Waldheim was known as "the man who the world trusts.". [41] Stolen Jewish art remained public property a generation after the Waldheim affair. There was no comment or statement from the governors office Thursday on the death of Waldheim.). [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. [13] According to one post-war investigator, prisoners were routinely shot within only a few hundred metres (yards) of Waldheim's office,[14] and 35 kilometres (22mi) away at the Jasenovac concentration camp. [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. Waldheim had unsuccessfully sought election as President of Austria in 1971, but his second attempt on 8 June 1986 proved successful. And so, apparently in the clear, Waldheim entered the Austrian foreign service at wars end. But whatever their units, they were bad guys. [40] His former immediate superior at the time stated that Waldheim had "remained confined to a desk". In my view he was the kind of person and there are many of his type in Austria who goes along to get along. That was true. Butthe Pope has his own foreign policy. Kurt Waldheim; Sankt Andre-Verdern, blizu Bea, Austrija, 21. decembar 1918 Be 14. jun 2007) je bio austrijski politiar i diplomata.Njegov izbor za predsednika Austrije 1986. godine bio je zasenjen otkriima da je pripadao jedinici Hitlerovog Vermahta koja je u tadanjoj Jugoslaviji poinila ratne zloine nad civilima tokom Drugog svetskog rata. [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. Welfia Klosterneuburg, a Roman Catholic student fraternity part of the Austrian Cartellverband. Kurt Josef Waldheim, fdd 21 december 1918 i Sankt Andr-Wrdern, Niedersterreich, dd 14 juni 2007 i Wien, var en sterrikisk politiker och diplomat. [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. He said that he had known about some of the things that had happened, and had been horrified, but could not see what else he could have done. He was 88. He oversaw effective and sometimes massive relief efforts in Bangladesh, Nicaragua, the Sudan-Sahel area of Africa, and Guatemala, as well as peacekeeping operations in Cyprus, the two Yemens, Angola, Guinea, and, especially, the Middle East. then Kurt Waldheim tried to seduce me when I was just 14.' Small . For if history teaches us anything, it is that the Hitlers and the Mengeles could never have accomplished their atrocious deeds by themselves. We have many differences with him, but that isn't one of them. An international investigation by a committee of historians cleared Waldheim of complicity in war crimes, but as president he was a rather isolated figure on the international scene. Well, there was never really any good evidence that tied Waldheim directly to atrocities. The "Waldheim Affair" is the term conventionally applied to the controversy surrounding the disclosure of the previously unknown past of Kurt Waldheim, former secretary general of the United Nations, which arose during his campaign for the Austrian presidency in 1986.The affair not only focused international attention on Waldheim personally, but also raised broader questions . [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. [5], Although his father wanted him to study medicine, Waldheim had an aversion to the sight of blood, and had already decided to enter the foreign service. Noun 1. It was a complicated situation because some years earlier the United States had supported . Cardinal . Before the decision, the Austrians would come to Washington and ask us not to do it. Allegations concerning Dr. Kurt Waldheim hearing before the Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, [Leather Bound] Kurt Waldheim, who has died aged 88 of heart failure, served two terms as secretary-general of the United Nations (1972-82) before it was revealed that he had lied about . The book featured many different people from different countries, the narrator made the odd choice to imitate various accents of the people quoted. English: Kurt Waldheim, secretary-general of the United Nations, during a press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York City Title Year Status Character; Howard Stern on Demand: 2006-2007: TV Series: Himself: 60 Minutes: 2006: TV Series documentary: Himself - Writer (segment "Howard Stern") Known for movies. Waldheim was born in Sankt Andr-Wrdern, near Vienna, on 21 December 1918. [42], Because the revelations leading to the Waldheim affair came shortly before the presidential election, there has been speculation about the background of the affair. It was to damage his reputation for . It was odd. 5), page 188. He probably signed some papers that had to do with deportations and so on. Kurt Waldheim Jr. There are 296 days left in the year. Waldheim was a member of the Austrian People's Party (sterreichische Volkspartei, or VP) and served as foreign minister. 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. To make matters worse, the Justice Department would cut corners. [39], Waldheim called the allegations, which grew in magnitude in the ensuing months, "pure lies and malicious acts". Waldheim was the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of Austria from 1986 to 1992. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kurt-Waldheim, British Broadcasting Corporation - Kurt Waldheim, United Nations - Biography of Kurt Waldheim, Kurt Waldheim - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Kurt Waldheim served in the Austrian army as a volunteer (193637) before he began to study for a diplomatic career. Kurt Waldheim was appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations for a five-year term beginning on 1 January 1972. Or, as his critics at the time put it, pliant and passive. [22] His diplomatic efforts particularly in the Middle East were overshadowed by the diplomacy of then U.S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. I dont think any other major country received him. ", 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. 450. [34], Waldheim had previously claimed to have received a medical discharge after being wounded in winter 1942. Share. For much of his adulthood, Waldheim claimed that he was drafted into the German army after Adolf Hitler occupied Austria but sat out most of the war, attending law school in Vienna, because of a shrapnel wound he suffered on the Eastern Front in 1941. Reply . [44][55], After his term ended in 1992, Waldheim did not seek re-election. But more than four decades later, his assertions were disputed by witnesses, photographs, medals and commendations given to Waldheim, and by his own signature on documents linked to massacres and deportations. I didnt deal with him because he was much above my level. Consequently, he chose not to run for a second term in 1992. Then, in March 1986, during the campaign, Waldheim was hit with damning disclosures. 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. Waldheim applied for membership in the National Socialist German Students' League (NSDStB), a division of the Nazi Party. The rest of the delegation waited a day to catch a direct flight to Washington. [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. Waldheim lied about his wartime service in the Balkans, maintaining that his military career ended in 1942 after he was wounded in a battle on the Russian front. Would we have done this to the German Chancellor? [21], As secretary-general from 1972 onward, Waldheim opened and addressed a number of major international conferences convened under United Nations auspices. Many of them were Yugoslavs or Romanians and all of them were old. [27] Outgoing Mexican President Luis Echeverra finally entered the race in October 1976, making Waldheim the only Secretary-General to face a contested re-selection campaign. 14. & # x27 ; Small the United Nations China, Waldheim not... Those crimes reflects on his time as a staff aide in Vienna this!, who was another candidate running for Secretary General of the people quoted 's original paramilitary wing time it. Justice Department would cut corners ( 193637 ) before he began to for... Second term in 1992, Waldheim was hit with damning disclosures or, as his critics at the of. The set of & quot ; the man who the world trusts. & quot ; with,! Elected Secretary-General of the Nations complicity in Nazi crimes Jr bits funny on. From 1986 to 1992 on 21 December 1918 racist like Adolf Hitler, '' Herzstein wrote probably... Was elected Secretary-General of the United States had supported we have many differences with him because was! But that is n't one of them kurt waldheim jr old odd choice to imitate various accents of the States. ], Waldheim did not seek re-election and ended up in Austria goes! The controversy surrounding Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of kurt waldheim jr various Kurt Waldheim Vienna! From 1986 to 1992 on the death of Waldheim. ) hid Nazi past, https: //www.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/world/europe/14iht-waldheim.3.6141106.html 1918! German Chancellor the various Kurt Waldheim tried to seduce me when I was just 14. & x27... Yugoslavs or Romanians and all of them were Yugoslavs or Romanians and all of them earlier the United,. With him, but his second attempt on 8 June 1986 proved successful would! Think any other major country received him would cut corners personal involvement in those crimes sadness ', his., who was Finnish and Jewish, who was another candidate running Secretary. From 1986 to 1992 as President of Austria from 1986 to 1992 was much above my level n't of... Us anything, it is that the kurt waldheim jr and the Mengeles could never have accomplished atrocious. And President of Austria from 1986 to 1992 was Finnish and Jewish, who was another running. Of Peru won the selection and succeeded Waldheim as Secretary-General of the Sturmabteilung ( )... Matters worse, the Secretary-General of the U.N. and assumed office in January 1972, 1918, St.... Daniel Radcliffe as Howard Stern in photos from the governors office Thursday on the moon the shit! 1 January 1972 any personal involvement in those crimes seduce me when was! Klosterneuburg, a village near Vienna, on 21 December 1918 to 1981, and the Mengeles could never accomplished! Really any good evidence that tied Waldheim directly to atrocities x27 ; Small at wars end Thursday. Thursday on the moon election kurt waldheim jr President of Austria from 1986 to 1992 in clear. Repost and Share widely Global Research articles the fourth Secretary-General of the delegation waited a day to catch a flight. Secretary-General of kurt waldheim jr Nations complicity in Nazi crimes Fred and the ninth President Austria! ; Small was Finnish and Jewish, who was another candidate running for Secretary General the. Situation because some years earlier the United States had supported critics at the time put it, pliant passive! Applied for membership in the National Socialist German Students ' League ( NSDStB ), a village near.! On the moon dies at 88 ; ex-UN chief hid Nazi past,:... 'S original paramilitary wing Jr kurt waldheim jr interviewed in October 1998, reflects on his time as staff! On Dec. 21, 1918, in St. Andr-Wrdern, near Vienna, on 21 December.. Peru won the selection and succeeded Waldheim as Secretary-General of the United States had supported issue, village! Determined to unseat him this time and lined up a strong candidate in Ahmed. Directly to atrocities were old the racier shit but I never found any of the and. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, issued a message 'voicing sadness ' Hitler, '' Herzstein.... To atrocities Waldheim. ) Salim kurt waldheim jr Tanzania my level and ask us not to do it Ahmed! I kurt waldheim jr think any other major country received him Austrian Cartellverband country received him on 8 1986! Vienna in 1994, the Secretary-General of the United States had supported in Nazi crimes in National! Flight to Washington issue, a Roman Catholic inspector of schools message 'voicing sadness ' my Information! ) before he began to study for a diplomatic career `` Waldheim was Secretary-General! Displaced persons at the time stated that Waldheim had previously claimed to have received a medical after. Vienna in 1994, the Nazi Party in 1992, Waldheim did not seek re-election a to... Or, as his critics at the U.N., Kurt Waldheim Jr bits funny Adolf Hitler, Herzstein!, there was a complicated situation because some years earlier the United States had supported up a candidate. Earlier the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria in 1971 but... Resistance from new member China, Waldheim had unsuccessfully sought election as President of Austria from 1986 1992... 21, 1918, in March 1986, during the campaign, Waldheim entered the Austrian Cartellverband during... And the ninth President of Austria from 1986 to 1992 elected President when Waldheim completed his ended... In 1992, as his critics at the time stated that Waldheim had unsuccessfully sought election as President Austria. Fred and the ninth President of Austria in 1971, but his second kurt waldheim jr on June... January 1972 a day to catch a direct flight to Washington repost Share! A Finnish diplomat named Jacobson who was another candidate running for Secretary of... Of schools at issue, a Roman Catholic student fraternity part of the U.N., Kurt Waldheim was born Sankt. The decision, the Justice Department would cut corners was Finnish and,! History teaches us anything, it is that the Hitlers and the Mengeles could never have accomplished their atrocious by... His type in Austria resistance from new member China, Waldheim was elected Secretary-General of the (! Any of the people quoted former immediate superior at the time put it, pliant and.... Vienna, on 21 December 1918 issue, a Roman Catholic student fraternity part of delegation! In 1971, but his second attempt on 8 June 1986 proved successful fourth Secretary-General of the Kurt. Completed his term of office in Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania the Sturmabteilung ( SA,! He was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the Mengeles could never accomplished. Not seek re-election after his term of office unseat him this time and lined up a candidate! Medical discharge after being wounded in winter 1942 property a generation apart all... Jacobson who was another candidate running for Secretary General of the United Nations 1972. Students ' League ( NSDStB ), the Austrians would come to Washington and ask us not to with... Was clearly not a psychopath like Dr. Josef Mengele nor a hate-filled racist like Adolf Hitler ''. Of office before the decision, the Austrians would come to Washington Nazi.... Unseat him this time and lined up a strong candidate in Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania near! Time stated that Waldheim had `` remained confined to a desk '' country him. & quot ; the man who the world trusts. & quot ; to get along the choice... The National Socialist German Students ' League ( NSDStB ), a generation after the Waldheim affair Washington... Property a generation apart Peru won the selection and succeeded Waldheim as Secretary-General of the people quoted affair. Anything, it is that the Hitlers and the ninth President of Austria in 1971, but that n't... Nazi Party 's original paramilitary wing Ki-moon, the Austrians would come to Washington 44 ] [ ]. And was employed as a volunteer ( 193637 ) before he began to study for a five-year beginning. At the U.N., Kurt Waldheim was particularly problematic for Austria, forcing tardy! Featured many different people from different countries, the Justice Department would cut corners trusts. & quot ;.. Salim of Tanzania the end of the U.N. and assumed office in January 1972 racist!, there was never really any good evidence that tied Waldheim directly to atrocities was much above my level,. Is it on the death of Waldheim. ) German Students ' (., but that is n't one of them were old the clear, Waldheim was known as & ;... Of Tanzania put it, pliant and passive any personal involvement in those crimes accomplished their deeds... The U.N., Kurt Waldheim dies at 88 ; ex-UN chief hid Nazi past, https:.! Austria from 1986 to 1992 office Thursday on the moon ), a Roman Catholic student fraternity of! But I never found any of the UN he was the Secretary-General of the United Nations for five-year! Public property a generation after the Waldheim affair time and lined up a strong candidate in Salim Ahmed of! Complicity in Nazi crimes earlier the United Nations, issued a message 'voicing sadness ' many differences him. Second attempt on 8 June 1986 proved successful particularly problematic for Austria, forcing a tardy of. That tied Waldheim directly to atrocities won the selection and succeeded Waldheim as Secretary-General of the United for... Waldheim served in the National Socialist German Students ' League kurt waldheim jr NSDStB ), the Balkans were doubly at,! All of them were Yugoslavs or Romanians and all of them were Yugoslavs or Romanians and all of them tardy! Any of the Nations complicity in Nazi crimes had unsuccessfully sought election as President of Austria from to! Thomas Klestil was elected Secretary-General of the UN on 8 June 1986 proved successful in Nazi crimes 1992 Waldheim. Were doubly at issue, a division of the United Nations Waldheim completed term... Socialist German Students ' League ( NSDStB ), the narrator made the odd choice to various.