Evening star., 1939-10-06
Dr.. lavine, Victim
OF Nazis, Thankful
1oLose Spies
Mt. Rainier Doctor
Tells Of Beotines and
Dickering on Ransom

DR.. Oscar Lavine of Mount Rainier
Md, who Went to Austria to study
medicine, got home last night with
a lot of knowledge about Vienna
under the Nazis.
His instructors were Storm Troop
ers, instead of wise old professors
and the clinics he hoped to attend
turned into prison cells, where les
sons were driven home with fist and
military boot. Three times he was
beaten, he said.
The course lasted IL months
which seemed like years, and the
tuition came high-some $4,000
raised here by his loyal brothers
and sisters, two of whom braved a
hostile country in an effort to bring
the student home.
Il never realized before what il
means to know I can talk without
fear of spies" Or. Lavine told q
group of reporters gathered in the
Mount Rainier office-home where
two of his brothers practice den
tistry, and where he himself had
an Office until he went abroad in
January of 1888 to study as an eye
specialist.
Saw Austria Absorbed.
For seven months before and
after the Nazi conquest of Austria
in the spring OF 1888, the student
attended clinical lectures ano
studied in his rooms. Being a Jew
he was made aware of the change
in official attitude toward mem
bers of his race, but was not mo.
Tested until August year ago.
"One evening between Clinics" he
said, Il was seated in coffee shop
One of my textbooks was on q
nearby table. I was chatting with
an acquaintance when three Ges-
tapo agents came up behind me
They claimed they had seized 1,00C
marks from my book, and that was
attempting to buy marks at illegal
rates"
DR.. Lavine said he was taken to
an examining prison. beaten while
en- route, and held in 100000 bail in
American money.
He said he realized when he be-
gan to bargain with the examining
judge for reduction in the bond
that it was American money the
court was after.
Compromise on $4,000 Bail.
what, S60,000?" I said to the
Judge. That is funny-who do you
think am, Rockefeller" The judge
asked how much I could raise; that
it must be large amount, since all
Americans were rich. I said maybe
two or three thousand. So it went
The judge kept cutting the figure.
Finally it was $4,000. I said pos
sibly could raise $4,000. He said
he would split the difference!"
DR.. Lavine's family raised the
$4,000. They posted it in American
money with a Vienna bank. The
bond, he said, later was converted
into marks without authority. The
student was fined 100000 at the trial
and sentenced to six months in Jail
He appealed the case.
They kept bargaining to get as
much of that money as possible
They didn't want me to 60 to Jail
they wanted American currency. ]
offered to go to Jail. I didn't want
my family to be robbed that way
Our State Department representa-
tives helped me. My sisters, Bessie
and Anne, came to Vienna to help"
DR.. Lavine already had served
two months in prison before the
trial. While on bond, and while his
family and State Department rep
resentatives dickered with the courts
In Vienna and the appellate author
ity in Berlin, DR.. Lavine tried to
resume his studies at the clinics.
Professors Fearful.
Il was told by the professors that
I could not return, as their posi-
tions would be endangered. AS the
months passed, I hardly wanted to
return. The old professors had been
replaced by young Nazis hardly out
OF school,"
Recently DR.. Lavine was excused
from serving the remaining four
months of his sentence and $4,000
payment on the ransom" fine
agreed upon, he said. Another COM
plication developed when the Nazis
insisted another $4,000 In American
money be sent for the fine, since the
original bond of $4,000 had been
converted into marks.
DR.. Lavine. he said, spent two
months in Jail crowded with busi-
nessmen, bankers ard exporters be-
1ieved by the NaZis to have money