The withdrawal of four-power occupation troops in Austria and the restoration of full Austrian sovereignty will constitute a very grave risk of neo-Nazi revival in that country unless guarantees are executed embodying Austrian commitments to insure the discharge of all democratic obligations, Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of the American Jewish Congress, declared today in a message to Secretary of State Dean Acheson.
Citing newspaper reports of an Austrian appeal for American aid in the termination of the occupation, Dr. Goldstein declared: “This request comes with ill grace so soon after the United States felt constrained to condemn legislation recently passed by the Austrian Parliament which seeks to restore property and civic rights to former active Nazis and to amend existing restitution laws to the detriment of Jewish and other victims of the Nazis.”
Grave doubts about the future of democracy in Austria have been raised by the actions of Austrian officials and legislators who “have so often and so unashamedly courted the support of unregenerate Nazis and given them legislative preference over the victims of Nazi terror.” Dr. Goldstein declared.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
