Evening star., 1944-10-04
Letters to The Star
Former Consul Insists Austrians
Fight for Their Freedom

To the Editor Of The star:
From three sides, from italy, Hungary
and recently Yugoslavia, Allied troops
are approaching Austria. It. therefore.
is safe to assume that our country soon
will be the scene of actual fighting. It
may be that it was with this develop
ment in mind that Secretary of State
Cordell Hull issued two weeks ago his
warning to the Austrian people to make
a decisive contribution toward their own
liberation.
American public opinion to Mr. Hull's
remark that "the time for Austria to
make contribution to her own liberia
ton is almost up" has proved that IT is
not unnecessary to recall few facts
which seem to have fallen into complete
oblivion.
1t should not be forgotten that Austria
has made very considerable contribu-
tion, at that time not to her own liberia
ton but to the liberation Of Europe as
whole from the threat Of German
hegemony, when In the midst Of an
apathetic and Indifferent. Europe she
actively resisted Hitlers Germany from
March, 1888, to March, 1898. This was
at time when all other countries tried
to outdo each other in appeasing Hitler.
While in all other countries, without
exception, Nazi diplomats and delega-
tions were overwhelmed with honors,
the government of Chancellor Dollfuss
received the Reichsminister Dr. Frank,
who came as Hitler's special delegate
to the Austrian Nazis, by sending an
official of the Viennese police to the
airport to tell DR.. Frank, at his arrival,
that his visit was undesirable" When
he refused to return to Germany, he
was escorted by the police to the Ger
man border. No other country showed
such firm attitude toward Hitler's
Germany prior to the outbreak of the
present war. Hundreds of Austrians died
fighting against the Nazis in 1894, the
year in which Austria's Chancellor, DOLL
fuss, was assassinated-"thef first soldier
hero killed in action in the present war"
as Representative Herman p Eberharter
OF Pennsylvania rightly has called him.
After having fought for five years.
without any assistance from the rest
of the world, Europes fight against
Germany, Austria was. forced to yield
to the invading Wehrmacht after her
intention to offer armed resistance
thoroughly had been discouraged by the
Great Powers as late as pm. on that
fateful day, March II, 1888 Completely
abandoned to its fate, the Austrian
government, after having received two
ultimatums from Berlin, realized that
1t would be national suicide to put up
even token resistance against the in
vading Germany Army, whose armored
columns as well as the Luftwaffe already
had begun to cross the Austrian border.
1t is all too easily forgotten that one
year later Czechoslovakia, faced with
the same decision, acted in exactly the
same way, although she had at that
time one Of the strongest and bes:
equipped armies in Europe while Austria
had hadTittle more than the 10000 men
conceded to her by the Treaty Of St.
German, and practically no modern
equipment.
During the period between the an
nexation and the beginning of World
War II. while the appeasement policy
followed the disastrous course which led
to Munich and Prague, Austria COM
pletely was forgotten and for all oficial
purposes Ito Use the words Of the then
British Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax
had ceased to exist as q national
entity"
When war came, Austrians were
forced to serve in the German Army, as
were the nationals Of many other lands
subsequently annexed to Greater Ger
many Alongside Austrians fought
Czechs, Poles, Russians, French Alsa-
tians and others who had been pressed
into German uniforms and whose only
alternative was to be shot as deserters
Thus it is unjustifed to speak, as does
the Moscow Declaration" in the pas
sage referred to by Mr. Hull, of Austria's
responsibility for having participated
in the war on the side Of Hitler"
Austria, having been incorporated
forcibly into Germany under the cir
cumstances mentioned, could not and
did not in any way decide for or against
participating in the war, which actually
started the very day she was overrun by
the Germans and sacrificed by the Great
Powers Austria first, in 1898, was de-
clared out Of existence and then, in
Moscow. after having been promised
restoration of her statehood, made re-
sponsible for fighting on the side of
Germany as II she had made this de-
cision as sovereign and independent
nation
However, all this would be of COM
paratively little Importance and the
severe condemnation of Austria's atti-
tude expressed by the Secretary of
State fully justified had Austria really
during the six years that have passed
since the annexation unresistingly sub
mitted to the German rule and resigned
herself to the role of German prov
ince assigned to her. Although Austria
is not in the same fortunate position
as all the other nations overrun by
Hitler, Of having government in exile
aganda services, the record OF Austrian
resistance well may be called an inn
pressive one.
Many Austrians fight in the ranks
of Marshal Tito's army and, on Aus
trian soil proper, in the Tyrol and in
Carinthia. Austrian Partisans are fight
ing the Germans. On June %, 1914,