Document forged—Waldheim

Press, 1 February 1988, Page 8

Document forged—Waldheim

iNZPA-ArP Vienna The Austrian President, Kurt Waldheim, has described as “apparently forged” a document which the West German magazine, “Der Spiegel,” says proves he was involved in Nazi atrocities during World War 11. The magazine will publish the document today. A spokesman for Dr Waldheim said he had never been in a position to give orders of the kind implied by "Der Spiegel” document during the time he served in the Balkans with the German Army. The document, if genuine, would prove that as a Wehrmacht lieutenant Dr Waldheim personally requested the deportation of more than 4000 prisoners from the Kozara region in Yugoslavia. _____

The prisoners, mostly women, children and elderly people, later perished in large numbers in Nazi concentration camps, the magazine said. “Der Spiegel” said it had been given the document by Dusan Plenca, a retired Yugoslav colonel and former director of the military museum in Belgrade. The Austrian presidential spokesman said he knew the document in “Der Spiegel” had been offered to several foreign correspondents in Vienna in exchange for “a fivefigure” sum in dollars. Hans-Rudolf Kurs, chairman of an international panel of military historians set up by the Austrian Government to inquire into Dr Waldheim’s past, said he

hoped Mr Plenca would meet the panel, although he has so far declined to do so. The panel, which • includes historians from

Austria, Israel, West Germany,'Britain, the United States and Belgium, is due to report to the Austrian Chancellery on February 8. Meanwhile, the new United States Ambassador in Vienna, Henry Grunwald, says in an interview to be published today that the United States does not consider Dr Waldheim a war criminal. He said it was decided to add his name to the list of “undesirable” visitors to the United States because United States investigations had “convinced” the United States Justice Department, that Dr Waldheim had “taken part in acts of persecution committed for racist or political motives.”