American Jewish Congress Urges Austria to Halt Rising Neo-nazism

Immediate action “to halt the spread of ultra-rightist and neo-Nazi influence within Austria” was urged by a group of American Jewish Congress officials at a meeting here today with Dr. Ernest Lemberger, Austria’s Ambassador to the United States. The meeting was held in the Austrian Embassy here.

Dr. Joachim Prinz, chairman of the AJ Congress commission on international affairs, told Dr. Lemberger that “the impact of extremist influence in Austria has become too pronounced to be disregarded, and instances of Austria’s vulnerability to Nazi reinfection have become too glaring to dismiss.”

Dr. Prinz told the envoy that Austria’s political parties and national leaders had failed to admit Austria’s past, “atone for anti-Semitic excesses and create a new national mood invulnerable to Nazi teachings. ” He proposed new efforts to keep former Nazis “from further infiltrating the public life” of Austria, a speed-up in Austria’s prosecution of Nazi war criminals, a sharp upward revision of Austria’s “token” restitution payments to surviving victims of Nazism, and a major overhaul of Austria’s educational programs “to deal objectively with Austria’s past, and prepare students to participate effectively in a democratic society.”

Dr. Lemberger denied the charges that neo-Nazism was growing in Austria and said the Government of Chancellor Josef Klaus was determined to prevent a return of anti-Semitism, He said he would present a detailed answer to the AJCongress charges.

Dr. Prinz invited the envoy to prepare such a reply, and to appear before the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to present his Government’s side of the controversy. Dr. Prinz is chairman of the President’s Conference.