| My impression is that Tuvia Friedman often does things that run
counter to what other "Nazi Hunters" do/say. If memory serves me
he also figured in some way in the Demjanjuk trial, FOR the defence
I believe (but the details escape me...)
Anyway, why should Friedman's comments make you change your opinion
of Waldheim? Isn't the main thing NOT what Waldheim may personally
have done / not done during the war but RATHER his total lack of
honesty, personal integrity and guilt-feelings during all those
years SINCE then. If only the man had cried out "Yes, I did those
things and I am guilty, but I beg forgiveness!"
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| (Sorry for the late reply, I enjoyed vacation)
OK, so I'm going to give my views on this topic.
1.)You bet I'm NOT going to change my opinion on the person Waldheim.
Accept my apologies for not having added the :^) symbol to my
statement.
2.)He is an opportunist of the worst kind. All he is interested in is a
CHAIR, and he doesn't give a damn to what harm he causes, as long as he
can keep it. Some examples:
- as Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs, he sent in 1968 a message
to the then ambassador in Prague to not give austrian Visa to
Checoslovaquian applicants. The ambassador refused to do so and
continued delivering the visa (thanks G-d). His name: Kirchschl�ger,
Austria's previous president.
- as UNO Secretary General, he was much quicker in condemning Israeli
action vs. the PLO than the other way 'round, which allowed for the
creation of a strong pro-PLO lobby, whith the results that we all know:
terrorism became a cavalier's act, and not only in the PLO-Israel
context. If I was to extrapolate: the current Lebanon situation
is partly a result of his non-acting.
- as the current President of Austria, he is causing this country so
much damage that if he was taking his job seriously, he would resign.
Chris
P.S.: In Austria, we say that he 'got glue under his ass' (sorry).
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| I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT WALDHEIM'S INSTRUCTIONS TO THE AUSTRIAN PRAGUE
AMBASSADOR. THANKS FOR THE INFO. IT JUST MAKES ME THINK EVEN LESS
OF THE MAN! DO YOU THINK HE WAS TRYING TO PLEASE THE SOVIETS SO
AS TO IMPROVE HIS CHANCES TO GET THE SEC. GEN. CHAIR AT THE UN?
THAT WOULD FIT HIS IMAGE AS A SELF-SERVING BUREAUCRAT WITH NO PRINCIPLES
OF ANY SORT. IRONICALLY I HAVE HEARD SOME PEOPLE TRY TO "EXCUSE"
WALDHEIM BY SAYING THAT HE WASN'T REALLY A NAZI SYMPATHIZER, BUT
HE WAS JUST TRYING TO GET AHEAD. I DON'T KNOW --- IT IS KIND OF
"FUNNY" --- BUT IN A WAY I THINK I WOULD RESPECT A PERSON MORE IF
HE ACTUALLY COMMITTED ATROCITIES OUT OF SOME SORT OF MISGUIDED,
EVEN SATANIC, BELIEF AND IDEOLOGY THAN OUT OF MERE CAREERISM!
(AT LEAST IF HE LATER GENUINELY REALIZED HIS GUILT AND TRIED TO
ATONE FOR IT.)
Alan
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| >DO YOU THINK HE WAS TRYING TO PLEASE THE SOVIETS SO AS TO IMPROVE HIS
>CHANCES TO GET THE SEC. GEN. CHAIR AT THE UN?
Well, he was 'white-washed' by the US Secret Services after WWII, which
makes fun of the fact that NOW they put him on the watch list! Both the
US and the USSR did _always_ know about the guy's past. The advantage
for both of them: NO DECISIONS in matters which concern them.
>THAT WOULD FIT HIS IMAGE AS A SELF-SERVING BUREAUCRAT WITH NO
>PRINCIPLES OF ANY SORT.
Agreed. He's the incarnated career-guile 'man without proprieties'.
For that matter, read Musil's book with the same title (I think!,
in German, it's 'Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften'). You'll find a lot
of people mirrorred.
One of the characteristics of such people is the absence of any feeling
of guilt, they just completed their duty, they think they are 'like
anybody else', and, definitely, very rarely do they cause DIRECT harm
to others. This is why Waldheim just cannot understand the uproar
regarding his person.
>IRONICALLY I HAVE HEARD SOME PEOPLE TRY TO "EXCUSE" WALDHEIM BY SAYING
>THAT HE WASN'T REALLY A NAZI SYMPATHIZER, BUT HE WAS JUST TRYING TO GET
>AHEAD.
See, this is where it becomes touchy. Waldheim is no sympathizer of
anything but himself. And all he really did was 'signing papers'. And
even this cannot be proven. The American Govt. claims that they have
some proofs, but refuse to make them public. He's just slimy as a
trout. In my eyes, the problem isn't really WHAT HE DID, it's more WHAT
HE DID NOT, i.e., it might have been easy for him not to organize (or
to participate at the organization of) the deportation of the Saloniki
Jews. He did not abstain. He did not not join the SA or the NSDAP. He
did not speak up and review his past, publicly. Oh no, the guy didn't
lie to the Austrian voters, he just withheld major chunks of the truth.
For many other people which I know, the above statement is true. For
instance, if one refused to join the Wehrmacht, he was a dead man.
But Waldheim was a party member, he was in the SA, etc... Now, nobody,
even under the nazi regime, forced you to adhere to the NSDAP, leave
alone the SA. Waldheim did it, because he thought it might help his
career.
>I DON'T KNOW --- IT IS KIND OF "FUNNY" --- BUT IN A WAY I THINK I WOULD
>RESPECT A PERSON MORE IF HE ACTUALLY COMMITTED ATROCITIES OUT OF SOME
>SORT OF MISGUIDED, EVEN SATANIC, BELIEF AND IDEOLOGY THAN OUT OF MERE
>CAREERISM! (AT LEAST IF HE LATER GENUINELY REALIZED HIS GUILT AND TRIED
>TO ATONE FOR IT.) Alan
Personally, I have zero respect for either of them. But I can
'understand' the motivations of, say, a Mengele better than the
Twilight Zone reasons for Waldheim's actions. Mengele can much easier
be classified into categories. His personality can be 'grabbed'.
Chris
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| Enlighten my ignorance, please:
Who is this man Tuvie Friedman, anyway? What is it that characterizes
him as "Nazi Hunter". The only man with this denomination that I heard
of in Austria was/is Simon Wiesenthal (BTW, his books are top quality).
I'm well aware that there are others working in this field. Who did
Friedman HUNT and CATCH?
Thanks,
Chris
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