Evening star., 1938-02-16
1000 NAz|S FREED
BY AUSTRIA UNDER
REICH DOMINATION
Reorganized Cabinet, With
Three HitIerites, Takes
Charge in Vienna.
FIVE YEARS OF TERROR
BELIEVED NOW AT END
Fatherland Front Membership Is
Reopened to Let National
Socialists Join.
BACKGROUND

oHS IA hoNoC"D-
Surprise meeting OF Reichstuehrer
Adolf Hitler and Austrian Chan
cellor Kurt Don SchuSchnigg last
Saturday at formers retreat at
BerchteSgaden in Bavaria believed
at that time due to efforts of Mus
Soini. Consultation on Austro-
German accord OF 1886 resulted in
agreement for Nasis to enter Vienna
cabinet ,uhile Hitler undertook to
respect the independence of Aus
trta and refrain from supporting
NaaiS in Austria.
By the Associated Press.
VIENNA, Feb. 16.-More than 1000
amnestled Nazi convicts began leaving
austrian prisons and concentration
camps today as a reorganized cabinet
With Nazi influence in a powerful role
assumed control of the republic S
destinies.
Ihelr release was one of the first
results of the sweeping governmental
changes wrought by Chancellor Kurt
Won Schuschnigg at the behest of the
leaders of Austria's S powerful northern
and southern neighbors, Reichsfuehrer
Hitler and Premier Mussolini.
Some circles spoke of Austria as the
puppet of the two totalitarian leaders
as the new cabinet. containing a close
friend of Hitler, two men avowedly
friendly to Nazi Germany and two
nationalists came into power.
Changes Follow Meeting.
The changes resulted from Satur-
days Berchtesgaden meeting of the
German and Austrian chancellors and
the advice of the Italian Premier.
BY these changes Austria was rep
resented as having bought internal
peace and amity abroad"-the ap-
proval and support of two powerful
neighbors and promises of new guar
antees of her independence.
The five years of strife. terrorism.
propaganda and sabotage for which
the amnestied Nazis had been sem
fenced were considered at an end
with these offenses excused overnight
and new peace between Austrian fac
tions in prospect.
The change also was considered to
have dashed hopes of the monarchists
for a restoration of the House of
Hapsburg to the Austrian throne.
Some sources set as high at 5000
the number affected by the amnesty,
including those convicted or facing
sentences for illegal activity as men,
bers of the Nazi party.
Some of those amnestied were in
volved in the Socialist uprising of
February. 1884. and the subsequent
abortive Nazi putsch in which Chan
cellor Engelbert Dollfuss was mur-
dered,
Hitler Friend in Cabinet.
Most striking development was the
admission into the cabinet of Hitler's
personal friend. Arthur Seysz- -Inquart,
pro-Nazi Nationalist, as minister of in
terror with jurisdiction over police.
This was the price for preservation of
Austrian independence. In direct
charge of the gendarmerie under
eysz-Inquart will be a non-Nazi, DR..
Michael Skubl. This is considered a
drawback to Seysz-Inquart's full con-
troll of the police.
One result was announcement that
membership in the Fatherland Front
Austria's only legal political party
closed November l. 1887, would tenn
porarily be reopened. This gesture
was aimed at internal pacification,
allowing Nazis to join.
Neutral observers, however, believed
1t might be two-edged sword-it
might satisfy the Nazis by giving
them an outlet for political activity,
but it might enable the new National
ist ministers to say. some time when
differences arise, See how many
Fatherland Front supporters I have"
Regulations for more complete con-
troll of the press were promised. In
the cabinet reorganization Schusch-
nigg remained as chancellor, still
fighting, as for four years past, for
Austrian independence as opposed to
union with Germany.
The new cabinet was regarded as
provisional, perhaps to last only until
May, when Hitler. Mussolini and
Schuschnigg are expected to meet in
tSee VIENNA pooo A.ll