Kreisky, Adler: Austria's Socialist Leaders

By JOSEPH POILAKOFF
Chief, JTA Washington Bureau

(Copyright, 1972, JTA Loc.)

WASHINGTON (JTA)—In the
half-century after the breakup of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire in
World War I, two Jews reached pin-
nacles of power in Vienna against
tremendous odds. By strange coin-
cidence. both men at the heights of
their national success were sad-
dened because their sons had taken
political paths opposed to the social
democratic philosophy of their
fathers.
In this analogy of political fami-
lies. the principals are Bruno
Kreisky. Austria's present federal
chancellor and leader of his coun-
try's Socialist Part), Dr. Victor
Adler, the party's famous founder.
and their sons, Peter Kreisky and
Frederick Adler.
Chancellor Kreisky 'himself sup-
plied the analogy during an inter
view with the Jewish Telegraphic
Agency in which he remarked on
his family origins and Israel . The
inteniew took place in a glittering
reception hall in one of Salzburg's
old world hostelries, the ()ester
reicher Hof .
On the night before. Kreisky'
had welcomed President and Mrs.
Nixon in a gala official ceremony
at Salzburg's airport but the
colorful formalities were shat-
tered by about 1.200 young peo-
ple who hurled the epithet
"murderer" at the President
over the Vietnam war. Those
demonstrations were led by
Kreisky's only son, Peter.
The demonstrations continued
into Sunday and that afternoon.
after lunching with the President.
Kreisky faced upwards of 200 news-
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men representing the world's
tactics in the 1970 election cam-
media. They culminated their bar-
paign. To understand the quali-
rage of questions by asking how
ties of Kreisky's leadership and
the chancellor felt about his own
his phenomenal success, the re-
son having been the leader of the
porter said, one must realize that
demonstration against the Amer-
Austria's anti-Semitism in some
ican President whom the chancellor
ways exceeded Bavaria's in Hit-
had welcomed as a guest. Kreisky
ler's time. In Germany, some
responded that his son is 28 years
Germans now feel guilty about
old and has a right to make his
the death camps. But Austrians
own political decisions.
have no such feelings of guilt.
There were more Nazis in pro-
Demonstrations, the chancellor
portion to population in Austria
declared. can he held provided
than in Germany. Austria had no
that they are within the law. The
anti Nazi resistance movement.
demonstrators on Saturday night
at the airport lacked permission,
When some talk of Kreisky they
he said Illegal demonstrations say "Oh, he's a smart Jew," the
must he • stopped. Therefore he gave reporter continued. "This sort of
the orders to police and troops anti-Semitism goes on all the
to smash them. Sunday, the demon- time." Campaign posters for Joseph
strators had permission and their Klaus, the conservative candidate,
demonstrations were allowed. "In- declared "Klaus—A Real Austri-
finite provocations," the chancellor an." an easy innuendo that Kreisky,
observed. "cannot always be met whose forebears have been in Aus-
with infinite patience."
tria for more than three centuries,
Shortly afterward, in his in-
is not. But despite all the anti-
terview with JTA, the chancellor
Jewishness, this kind of attack
remarked, as if searching the
might have backfired because
temple of his memories: "DT.
Kreisky is so much the better
Adler had the same troubles with
leader. He goes out of his way Ao
his sen that I have with mine."
,oft-pedal his Jewish bac`iground
Speaking in excellent English. • and this gives you an idea why,
• Kreisky recalled that in
1916 , the reporter said
(Oct 211 Frederick Adler, then 38,
Kreisky was reluctant to discuss
Shot to death the Austro-Hungar- • his Jewish background during the
ian prime minister, Count Karl interview. "I'm not willing to speak
Stu ergkh,
•
ultra-reactionary
out on this question." he said.
refusing to convene parliament). "I'm not a member of the Jewish
Frederick. who was to his father's community. I am an Austrian and
left, was freed by amnesty my religious denomination is quite
when the war ended in 1918. He uninteresting." However, Kreisky
died in Zurich in 1960.
noted that he could document his
Dr. Adler was mortally ill when family history to 1690 when a ma-
in 1918 he became foreign minister ternal ancestor was a doctor in
in the first republican government Waldstein. His father's family
in Vienna upon the collapse of also has been in Austria for cen-
Emperor Karl's monarchy. Under turies.
the relentless Allied offensives,
Regarding Israel, he observed
twilight had set in for the Central
that "Israel is a historical fact
Powers under Kaiser Wilhelm.
and motivated for many reasons."
Adler died that same autumn
He himself never has been a
shortly after having taken his high
Zionist, he said. "I was always a
office. "Adler could have been
Socialist." At this point, he spoke
chancellor," Kreisky mused. Re-
of hoping to fix a date for his
calling the brutalities that the
first visit to Israel when he met
Social Democrats had experienced
with Prime Minister Golda Meir
in opposing the tyrannies of em-
in Vienna in June for the Con-
perors and Fascists of yesteryear,
gress of the Socialist Internation-
Kreisky said bitterly: "Now they
al.
(the demonstrators) complain for
Out of Austria's total population
not being allowed to hold illegal
of 7,323,000, the Institute of Jewish
demonstrations."
Affairs of the World Jewish Con-
For all their vigorous leader-
gress has reported that 9,185 are
ship to overcome reaction, Adler
Jews
registered with the Jewish
was a moderate and so is
communities. An additional 1,800
Kreisky. Adler, born in 1852 in
to 3,800 are estimated as not listed.
Prague, encouraged moderation
Of the Jews, about half are of
in seeking to reconcile oppos-
Austrian origin, and the remainder
sing elements among his own
East European, predominantly Hun-
Social Democrats. In 1894, he
garian, and more recently Polish.
became director of Vienna's
In 1938, Austria had 181.000 Jews.
Arbeiterzeitung (Workers' Jour-
About one-third of them perished
nal) and later the leader of his
in the Nazi era.
party.
In their exchange of toasts in
Kreisky. born in Vienna in 1911,
the son of a textile manufacturer, Salzburg that Sunday at lunch,
Kreisky
wished President Nixon
was 25 when he joined the Socialist •
Youth movement. In 1934, when "every possible good luck for your
forthcoming
trip to Moscow." In
Hitler ruled neighboring Germany,
his party was outlawed and he his response, Nixon concluded: "I
went underground. Twice he was can only say that the size of a
imprisoned. After the Austro-Ger- country does not determine the
man Anschluss in 1938, Kreisky quality of its leadership. And a
went to Sweden. In the same year, small country has produced in the
his brother Paul, three years his present chancellor of Austria one of
senior, emigrated to what is now the top statesmen of the world who
Israel where he continues to make contributes greatly to the thinking
which the world needs if we are to
his home. Holder of a doctorate
in law from Vienna University, build what we all want—genera-
-II tions of peace in the years ahead,
Kreisky after World War
served in Austria's foreign service peace with progress for all people
and was foreign minister from 1953 and peace with independence for
to 1966. In 1968, Kreisky became all nations."
Pleasantry is the hallmark of
party chairman and led it to elec-
tion victories in March 1970 and formal diplomatic toasts but some-
how in the aftermath of the fierce
again last October.
At 61, Kreisky is stocky, ruddy- demonstrations in Salzburg and in
faced with grey-blue eyes and advance of Nixon's flight to the seat
brass-colored hair. Besides their of communist power, there seemed
son, Chancellor and Mrs. Kreisky, to be in this exchange a sincerity
the former Vera Fuerth, have a between a European Social Demo-
daughter, Susan, the younger of cratic chancellor and an American
the two children. Both Peter and Republican President worthy of a
Susan are married and have their footnote in history.
own children.
A non-Jewish American press
Love is like the measles; we can
service correspondent, long resi-
have it but once, and later in life
dent in Vienna, sketched to
we have it, the tougher it goes with
!TA some of the anti-Kreisky
us. —Josh Billings. I

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

10—Friday, August 13, 1972

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