The Southern Israelite. (Augusta, Ga.) 1925-1986, April 11, 1986, Image 2

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PAGE 2 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE April II, 1986 2SZ525Z5Z5Z5Z5Z5252525ZS25HSZSMZ525Z5252525ZS25252S2£\ New reports say Waldheim Treatment 1 was aware of deportations Banquet room available for large parties. Private Party rooms also available. Reservations on parties of six or more. “Fast lake out service" AUTHENTIC MANDARIN AND SZECHUAN CUISINE EMPRESS of CM IN A M 4251 North Peachtree Rd.,(%mi. inside 1-285, exit 22) CHAMBLEE 451-1216 ^^szszsasaszszsaszszszszszszsjsiEsssaszszssszszsiSzsitsiszsHsaszszsaszszszszszszszsESHs^ Buying? Selling? I work, work, work to make you happy! Mike Slotin Residential Speeialist • International Referral Network • Home Protectors Plan • Native Atlantan Gntutjj- 111 Z\ Hinri 231-2121 VIENNA (JTA)—It was nearly impossible for Austrian presiden tial candidate Kurt Waldheim to have not known about the depor tation of thousands of Greek Jews from Salonika when he was based near that city as a Wehrmacht officer during World War II, two Austrian news publications charged Monday. Further, both the Socialist daily Neue A.Z. and the weekly news magazine Profit published reports which are said to link Waldheim’s Nazi military unit, Abteilung 1C of Heeresgruppe E, to later deporta tions of Greek Jews from the Ae gean Islands. The reports are part of the mounting allegations against the former United Nations secretary general asserting that he had lied about his past war-time activities. The conservative presidential can didate has vehemently denied the charges and said in a weekend interview that the defamatory cam paign against him has finally col lapsed. Neue A.Z. and Profit both said, based on research in Greece, that it was impossible for Waldheim to have The Atlanta Jewish National Fund Proudly Announces Its 1 986 Dinner honoring Two Distinguished Atlanta Journalists Vida Goldgar Publisher, Southern Israelite Durwood McAlister Editorial Page Editor, The Atlanta Journal Recipients of the Theodor Herzl Award for their contri butions to the people of Atlanta and their support of the state of Israel. Tuesday, April 15th Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel Guest Speaker: Martin Agronsky Television Commentator/Newsman Tickets: $75.00 Per Person For tickets or additional information, contact the JNF Office at 633-11 32 All proceeds and additional contributions will go towards the establishment of a Durwood McAlister and Vida Goldgar Project in the American Bicentennial Park in Israel. Ad agency drops Waldheim NEW YORK (JTA)—Young & Rubicam, one of the nation’s largest advertising agencies, announced that it has canceled a six-month old contract with Austrian presidential candidate Kurt Waldheim, apparently because of the continuing controversy regarding Waldheim’s alleged war-time activities. “The allegations concerning the war-time activities of Kurt Waldheim have led us to resign this account,” the agency said in a statement issued here. Waldheim, the former UN Secretary Gen eral, has vehemently denied the allegations. known nothing of the ghettos and transports. The publications re porters had questioned local wit nesses in Salonika and in the small nearby village of Arsaki, where the staff headquarters of Heeresgruppe E was situated during the war. “It was impossible that he did not know anything,” said Leon Benmajor, the 70-year-old presi dent of the tiny Jewish community of Salonika. Another woman, Hella Kunjo, an 80-year-old Karlsbad resident married to a Greek Jew, added: “He must be crazy." The deportation of almost 50,000 Jews from Salonika was a major operation. At least one- fourth of the population of that Greek town was first forced to wear the large yellow Star of David, then rounded up in ghettos, moved to a central camp, and then in railroad cars to the concentra tion camps of Auschwitz, Birke- nau and Bergen-Belsen. According to the reports, this completely changed the character of Salonika, where the Jewish pop ulation had not lived in secluded quarters but was spread all over the town. After the deportations, shops, stores and offices in the town were deserted, and trade almost broke down. Waldheim has always contend ed that he had not known anything about those deportations until ear lier this year when his unit was connected with them in the media. He argued that the headquarters where he served on the staff of Gen. Alexander Loehr had been off in the mountains, and he had Private Duty Nursing /? N l ’ K S l N (, r ENTER —Critical Care — I.V. Therapy — Geriatric Care — Personal Care By highly trained • Nurses • Nurses’Aides • Sitters • Live-in Companions 373-2858 — Decatur 426-8668— \t<irieii(i 962-8253—/,/ been unable to take notice of any thing. The two Austrian reporters found that the staff building was situated well above Salonika with a scenic view of the city and no obstacles in between. Large trans ports must have been visible from the headquarters structure, they argued in the reports. Inhabitants of Arsaki, which has been renamed Panorama, told the reporters that since not very many of them were willing to work for the Germans, townspeople would come up to do the cooking and cleaning They must have reported about the goings-on down there, they added. Another witness, who was quoted in both the Profil and Neue A.Z. reports, was a Greek collabora tor with the Germans who is still not accepted among the local pop ulation. Asked whether the Ger man officers, whom he described as noble and educated men, had known something about the depor tations, he said. “Of course they knew. Every small child would know, every dog, every cat.” Local newspapers at that time also mentioned the deportations. The Greek paper. New Europe, wrote, “Finally the cleaning has begun. Since yesterday the Jews are leaving our town. They were our enemies, and this we do not mind. No one minds if he gets rid of an enemy or of a disease.” The news publications also said that while Waldheim’s unit was not directly involved in the deporta tions from Salonika, it had been directly informed about the action by Adolf Eichmann. According to Neue A.Z. and Profil, Eichmann was in Salonika in February 1943 to give orders for the deportations. At the meeting, an officer from Abteilung 1C was present, the pub lications said. Despite not having played a role in the deportation of Jews from Salonika, Waldheim’s unit is al leged to have played a role in the deportation of Jews from the Aegean Islands in 1944. Both publications quoted military documents released in Freiburg, West Germany, where the East Aegean commander ordered the Heeresgruppe E to begin the deportation of all Jews who had no Turkish citizenship. It was Waldheim’s task to deal with such reports, Profil charged. Neither Waldheim nor Herbert Warn- storff, who, as lieutenant colonel was then the commanding officer of Abteilung 1C, remember those reports.