Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-05-07
DR.. Schocht Captured as Blum
And Schuschnigg Are Rescued
Rev. NiemoeIler, Gen. Dor and Son
Of Ambassador Winont Also Freed
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
PARIS, May 7.-American
troops in Italy and Austria have
captured or rescued a long list
of notables of % nations, includ-
ing former Premier Kurt Schus-
chnigg of Austria, former Ger
man Finance Minister Hjalmar
Schacht and three one-time
French Premiers.
The French leaders are Leon
Blum and Edouard Daladier and
Paul Reynaud, whose liberation was
announced earlier. Also rescued was
1t. Gen. TadeusZ Komorowski, who
as Gen. Dor" led the Polish under
ground uprising in Warsaw.
1t. John G. Winant, jr., son of the
United States Ambassador to Great
Britain, was among a group reach
ing an American command post in
Austria from a camp for priced
prisoners of war
The Rev. Martin Niemoeller
famous German pastor who COM
manded a U-boat in the World War
and was cast into Nazi prisons by
Hitler for defiance, also was saved
Gen. Maurice Gamelin and Gen
Maxine Weygand, former French
commanders, were rescued earlier
The latst batch of 1873 political
prisoners was taken by American
troops in Italy Friday after narrow
ly escaping death from Gestapo and
SIS troops who had been ordered to
kill their hostages to prevent their
liberation. Among these men-many
of whom chad often been reported
dead-Were:
Schuschnigg, who had been in
German prisons since he def1ed Hit
lerS grab of Austria.
Former Premier Blum, and an
object of NaZi scorn because he is
Jew.
Gen. Franz Halder, former chief
of the German general staff.
Niemoeller.
Schacht Still Dapper.
DR.. Schacht, former finance min
lister and president of the Reichs-
bank-still dapper despite nine
months Imprisonment.
Nicholas Kallay, former premier
of Hungary.
Dr.. Schacht said he had not been
able to discover why he lost favor
with Hitler.
All the newly rescued prisoners
had been taken to mountain fast
ness in the Italian Alps just below
the Austrian border a week age
from the notorious Dachau prison
camp near Munich.
A detachment of the 88th Divi-
sion under 1t. Melvin A. Asche of
Omaha, Nebr., rescued them at a
spacious resort hotel at the noun
tain village of Lago di Braise in
the Delomite Alps Is miles west of
the Austrian frontier, Associated
Press Correspondent Sid FEEDER re-
ported from Italy They rounded up
garrison of $50 German soldiers
guarding the captives. Some like
the Rev. Niemoeller had been shut
tied among Germany's worst prisons
for eight years.
In Good Condition.
All the captives were in surpris-
ingly good condition although Blum
still vivacious-had lumbago and
bronchitis.
None of the men who knew Hitler
believed the story of his death.
IF Hitler would tell me himself
he was dying" DR.. Schacht said
bluntly, Il wouldn't believe it. With
that man, everything is conceiv-
able"
White-haired Schuschnigg was
arrested March II, 1888, after refus-
ing to agree to Hitler's absorption
of Austria.
He told of being forbidden to talk
with any one except his wife for
seven years. He was not even al
lowed to hear his own name. Guards
called him DIR. Auster." He told of
the only official visit he ever had
with Heinrich Himmler, chief of the
Gestapo, in December, 1898.
Schuschnigg said Himmler in
formed him he would be tried in
1889. The former Austrian chan
cellor said charges against him
never were recited.
No Political Coercion.
Il am convinced that the inten-
tons of the Germans was to get the
world to assume that I was dead"
Schuschnigg said. With him were
his wife whom he married in prison
and their 4-year-old daughter.
Other prisoners said Mrs. Shusch-
nigg was "a camp angel at Dachau.
mo attempt at political coercion
was made against me-" Schuschnigg
said, recalling his seizure four weeks
after his historic meeting with Hit
Ter at Berchtesgaden. He said he
had written book on Austrian poll
tics during his incarceration.
| Il haven't changed my opinions in