ESTIMATE OF THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN VIENNE BY SOCIALIST POLITICIANS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R005600140008-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 10, 2000
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: July 11, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

t~~Aed For Release 20097'@6)W,- [E"F 8A 457ROO5600140008-1
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REPORT N
I EVALUATION_. PLACE OBTAINED__..,.___
DATE OF CONTENT
DATE OBTAINED DATE PREPARED,
REFERENCES
PAGES 3 ENCLOSURES (NO. & TYPE)
REMARKS
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1. This report is composed of political views expressed by various
socialist politicians in Austria concerning, the effects of ooviet pro-
pa ,anda and the strength of t e left-wing elements of the Austrian
3oci:list tarty,
Effect of soviet . ropa;:ands
2. A high-rankin!z official of the Upper Austri~nn Government in Linz. who
has been a member of the Austrian Socialist Party since 1918 stated
that the efforts of the `'oviets in proselytirtg among former Lational
Socialist circles, has .a.et with greater success than =v.* originally
anticipated,, In these circles, which are composed of university men
and intellectuals, the view prevails that the unchecked advance of
Soviet Russia in Europe is bound to lead to the establishment of a
people's democracy at least in the astern one of t,ustria0 In this
event the Coa,unist Party would remove from office chiefly the members
of the Socialist and Austrian Peoplevs Parties and would fill key
administrative and economic positions for the most part with natio,kral-
ists who were not compromised by cooperation with the former regime
and besides, in consequence of their national socialist activities,
were prepared for an authoritarian fora, of government. This wide-
spread view is supported by the fact that the Soviet -lilitary Govern-
merit recently sent a number of former Natl.: nal Socialist Party
functionaries from Vienna to the Soviet Zone of Germany to assume
important positions there, This was exploited very adroitly in
Communist propa artda by stressing tyre pro-national tendencies of the
Soviets, as a result of wi:ich the campaigri for the :irtr.in_ over of
former SS officers initiated by the "Natiin&L League" was a great
success,
3. A departmental chief in the bfinistry of the Interior admitted the
accuracy of the above statements but remarked trkat according; to the
LFinister.of the Interior it was impossible for the government to take
any steps against this development because the.aoviets were so firmly
entrenched in vienna that even the representatives of the ;;estern
CONFIDENTIAL
CLASSIFICATION,,., m .^.rra rrnt. hip:
This document is hereby regraded to
CONFIDENTIAL in accordance with the
letter of 16 October 1976 from the
f Central 1 telli ence to the
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Di
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powers could do nothing about it, not to mention the Austrian
Government. It was also learned that the zaovl ets had recruited
a sizable number of former SS officers living in Vienna for
service with the German People's Police with the understandini: that
they would be given similar jaesignments in Austria after a change of
political conditions there. 41' The Ulinistry of the Interior was
also aviare of this fact. The creation of so-called "People e s
Councils" is planned in every district of Vienna and in the Lezirkslq
haauptmaannschaften (regional administrative districts) of Lower
Austria. ar* As a rule only few Communist Party manbers are said to
be included in these People's Councils; they are prirarily to be
made up of economicstechnical and agricultural experts, chiefly
men with nationalist tendencies who prior to 1945 field responsible
positions without ta'idn, active part in politics.
4, Vice-Chancellor Dr, Schaerf voiced the view that the e>dstence in
Austria of a nationalist problem must not be admitted s,nd that it
would be an act of poor statesmanship if trio Austrian socialist
Party prose :ytieed former National socialists. It would be much
better for the so-called obstinate Aational. Socialists to Lo to the
soviet Lone of Germany than to form a compact Croup of dissatisfied
elements. The AAustriain Socialist tarty would not be strengthened
by former National Socialists joining it,since it must be feared that
they would form a national element within the party, a development
which would not be welcomed b..; the uritish Labor Party.
Grmvin Strength of the Left--.in ? of the Austrian socialist Party.
5. Leading circles of the -ustrinn Socirlist Farty have stated that
in Vienna and Lower Austria there is a growing; tendency within the
party toward the left.? This tendency is to be obsoorved not so much
among the bull, of the party membership as among party leaders who
have proved more and more susceptible to raadic:_l C,arxist doctrines.
6. i'ith respect to this development, Vice-Chancellor Dr. ~chaerf
stated that radical measures taken ac:ainst the Communists or the
f0r'rogressive socialists" would only play into the hands of these
groups, increase their opposition and induce the Soviet Union to take
active measures in their support. fhe only course of action open to
the Socialists would therefore be to embrace the ~)oci-..iist-...arxist
party doctrine with awl. its implications as?d sixraulta,aeously ;_propaa-
gaate trio solidarity oi. the oocialist labor anovement in '.':".,tern Lurope.
Another objective -Mould be to convert the nationalized enterprises
in western Austria into model enterprises in order to show the w+or!:--
ers the difference between soviet enterprises and socialist manauge-
ment. Dr,Schaeff further stated that the soviets would be in a
position to establish a people's democracy in Austria if they
really wanted to do so. me also admitted the fact that ti;ere was a
remarkable tendency among the workers in Vienna and # ower ,ustriaa
to join leftist parties. however, he said that he did riot see any
means of effectively combating this tendency in the eastern one
of austria since any ntt.:mpt at counter-propaganda was bound to
provoke retaliations on t:e part of the U.,i.d.'.i. which in turn
would create grave difficulties for the tustrian Government.
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',~Comnrent. The employment in the ~Iovict Lone of Germany of
former Austrian SS officers has not been confined by information
from that area.
.T_CG;JTROL/US ur'ICIi%.+:,:i ONLY
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I%ar ent. the People's Oounciis are ,..:)robably ccnneeted witn
the " =ction Coam ttees" formed in Vienna and A.,cmer hustr:L=:. It
is as,-,umed that the People p s Jouricils are orL,azzs of fire Action
'ornn1ttees ape: tina: at lower administrative levels4
3's
Approved For Release 2000/05/18 : CIA-RDP82-00457R005600140008-1