Evening star., 1948-01-26
Current 'kidnapings'
By Red Secret Police
Sir Ausfrians' Ire
By Helene HUNTINGTON Smith

VIENNA 10Y anuldlLJ .-lASAie
members of the Austrian Parliament
have demanded an investigation
into the fate of DR.. Paul Anton
Katscher, railway expert and highly
respected government Official, who
disappeared six weeks ago as he was
about to leave for Geneva to attend
q European freight car conference.
At the conference he was expected
to press hard for the. return of
Austrian freight ears being held in
Soviet-domipated countries. DR..
Katscher last was seen getting into
an automobile with a Russian officer
and two soldiers and has not been
heard from since.
The eight representatives, led by
Socialist Deputy DR.. Pittermann,
requested that the four Allied powers
help solve the Katscher mystery.
They stated that. since his disap-
pearance, mo Austrian official serv-
ing in the interests of his country
could feel confident of his personal
safety"
The representatives also called the
Katscher case, "a serious threat to
the independence Of this administra-
ton" This is the strongest language
yet used publicly to refer to the ter
roristic methods boldly practiced
here by the Russians, not only
against war criminals and collabora-
tionists, but also against public OFF,
cials and respected citizens who
merely oppose some phase Of Soviet
occupation policies.
Officials Are Cautious.
All officials here are extremely
reluctant to discuss the subject.
British and Americans fear to en-
danger others, while Austrian off,
cials fear for themselves as we'll as
for their relatives. Despite this, it
can be learned that kidnapings, dis
appearances and arbitrary arresting
and sentencing of Austrian citizens
alone have totaled more than 100
since the start of the occupation.
If other nationals were included, the
figure would be doubled.
Also, last week, the United States
high commissioner for Austria, It.
Gen. Godfrey Keyes, asked the
other three powers to extend the
authority of the Austrian police by
allowing them to arrest members
of all Allied forces and to use their
weapons when circumstances re-
quire. This proposal, part of gen.
eral plan to restore more respon-
sibility and controls to the Austrian
government, may be a coincidence,
but it is believed here to be con-
nected with the fact that two Aus
trian policemen a few months ago
were severely punished by a Soviet
military court for firing on an un-
identified Russian who had assault
ed one of them and was trying to
escape.
The policeman was sentenced to
from six to eight years of imprison-
ment and was transported out of
the country, this action being taken
unilaterally by the Soviet authori-
ties with no notification whatever
to Austrian authorities. Word of it
was received only through under
ground channels.
Kidnapping Protested.
Last July, Interior Minister Oskar
Helmer issued public protest
against kidnapping by men wearing
the uniform of IAN occupation pow
err and listed 10 cases of kidnap-
ings which had occurred in the
previous six weeks. Ten more in
dividuals have disappeared or been
seized by force since that time,
either by men wearing Russian uni
forms or under circumstances i'm
plicating IAN occupation power. "
A summary of some of these cases
gives a brief closeup of terror:
DR.. Eduard Bernhardt, director
of the Evangelical Church Associa-
ton of Austria, had never engaged
in any political activity, but had
been comforting with the. occupa-
ton authorities over the question
of houses in the Russian zone which
were contended by the Russians to
be German property and there
fore seizable. DR.. Bernhard had
obtained a decision favorable to the
associations retaining ownership of
the houses, but shortly thereafter
last September-he disappeared on
his wedding anniversary, never to
be seen again.
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