Blowback (60 page)

35
.

Rositzke, op cit., p. 169. Lindsay interview, January 25, 1985; Rositzke interview, January 16, 1985.

36
.

For army estimates of numbers of Soviet guerrillas, see top secret decimal File 370.64 1951–1954, Army Chief of Special Warfare Brigadier General Robert McClure, “Memorandum to Asst. Chiefs of Staff G-3, subject: Staff Studies;” June 12, 1951, Box 15, RG 319, NA, Washington, D.C:, and Paddock, op cit., p. 125.

37
.

Lindsay interview, January 25, 1985.

38
.

On airdrops of agents, see United Nations,
Official Records of the General Assembly
, Eleventh Session, Annexes, vol. II, November 12, 1956, to March 8, 1957, New York, Agenda Item 70 (hereinafter cited as “UN Debate Item 70”) pp. 1–14; William J. Jorden, “Soviet Assails U.S., Produces 4 ‘Spies,'”
New York Times
, February 7, 1957, p. 1; Rositzke, op. cit., pp. 18–38, 168–74; Rositzke interview, January 16, 1985; Mosley, op. cit., p. 289 (comments by Howard Roman), pp. 325, 346, 374 (comments by Richard Bissell), p. 495 (comments by Kim Philby); Philby, op. cit., p. 164; Dvinov,
Politics of the Russian Emigration
, pp. 188–89; Ohletz interrogation, loc. cit; Cookridge, op. cit., pp. 237–64; Powers, op. cit., pp. 46ff. and 404; and Thomas Bell Smith,
The Essential CIA
(self-published [?], n.d. [1976?]) available through the Library of Congress at JK468.I6554.

39
.

“UN Debate Item 70,” p. 3. See also Jorden, op. cit.

1
.

Benno W. Varon, “The Nazis' Friends in Rome,”
Midstream
(April 1984), Charles Allen, “The Vatican and the Nazis,”
Reform Judaism
(Spring-Summer 1983), and Gitta Sereny,
Into That Darkness
(New York: Vintage, 1983). See particularly: Vincent La Vista, “Illegal Emigration Movements in and Through Italy,” May 15, 1947 (top secret), FW 800.0128/5–1547, RG 59, NA, Washington, D.C, hereinafter cited as
La Vista
. Charles Allen deserves credit for first unearthing the
La Vista
records. The identities of prelates who were reported to have been involved in illegal emigration, in some cases including Nazi smuggling, appear in
La Vista
Appendix “A.” Appendix “B” was written by U.S. Army CIC Special Agent Leo J. Pagmotta in December 1946 in connection with Operation Circle, an investigation into a mass escape of prisoners from the Rimini POW camp north of Rome. The prisoners were reported to
have fled Europe with Vatican assistance. Further documentation on those events can be found in Case No. 4111, CIC Rome Detachment, Zone Five: “Operation Circle: Investigation of Illegal Emigration Movements,” December 26(?), 1946 (secret). Also Ivo Omercanin interview, January 9, 1986. See also Tomas Eloy Martinez, “Perón and the Nazi War Criminals,” Colloquium Paper of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C., April 26, 1984, p. 2.

2
.

For official confirmation concerning the CIA's role in RFE, RL, and the ACEN, see
Price
, op. cit.

For notes on prominent Intermarium personalities, see Ferenc Vajda, U.S. Army INSCOM Dossier No. XE232094I9C003, Document 55, “Prominent Members of Intermarium,” and Documents 49–51, “Memorandum for the Officer in Charge, Subject: Intermarium,” June 23, 1947 (secret). On role of prominent Intermarium personalities to Christian Democratic Union of Central Europe (CDU / CE), see
Freedom, Prerequisite to Lasting Peace
(New York: CDU/CE, 1957), p. 121ff., and Charles R. Dechert, “The Christian Democratic International,”
Orbis
(Spring 1967), p. 106ff. For CDU/CE's relationship with the Free Europe Committee, see NCFE,
President's Report
, particularly for 1953 and 1954, chapters headed “Division of Exile Relations.” See also Zygmunt Nagorski, “Liberation Movements in Exile,”
Journal of Central European Affairs
(July 1950), pp. 139–40. Also, Charles Dechert interview, April 16, 1984.

3
.

On the role of clerical-Fascist parties in the Holocaust, see Levin, op. cit, pp. 507–17 (on Ustachis in Croatia) and 527–47 (on Slovakia). Yeshayahu Jelinek's “Storm Troopers in Slovakia: The Rodobrana and the Hlinka Guard,”
Journal of Contemporary History
, vol. 6, no. 3 (1971), p. 97ff., is a good review of Slovakian clerical-Fascist history, including its complex internal political feuds; see particularly pp. 97–98, 103–04, and 111ff. on Catholic ideology and role of Hlinka Guards in Holocaust. For postwar U.S. government acknowledgment of Hlinka collaboration, see U.S. Displaced Persons Commission, op. cit., p. 6. On renewed killings of Jews in Slovakia, see Levin, op. cit., and Dawidowicz, op. cit, pp. 509–17 and 527–30.

For text and commentary on 1941 Vichy document concerning Vatican position on treatment of Jews discussed in footnote, see L. Poliakov, “The Vatican and the Jewish Question,” tr. Rosa Mencher,
Commentary
(November 1950), pp. 444–45. Poliakov was at the time of the article research director for the Centre de Documentation Juive Contemporaine in Paris.

For useful summaries of examples of Vatican efforts on behalf of European Jewry, see Poliakov, op. cit., pp. 440–43, and A. Rhodes,
The Vatican in the Age of Dictators
(London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1973). See also Alexander Ramati,
The Assisi Underground
(New York: Stein & Day, 1978).

4
.

Benno W. Varon, “The Nazis' Friends in Rome,”
Midstream
(April 1984), p. 13.

5
.

La Vista
, Appendix A.

6
.

Ibid., pp. 2, 10.

7
.

For notes on Intermarium personalities, see VAJDA, Ferenc, INSCOM dossier no. XE232094I9C003, Documents 45, 49–51.

On the rescue of the Ukrainian Waffen SS Division discussed in the footnote,
see Shandruk, op. cit., pp. 290–96, with correspondence from Archbishop Buchko reproduced on pp. 295–96. Also based on author's interview with Buchko's former secretary Wacyl Lencyk, July 30, 1984. On the activities of the Ukrainian SS division, see Stein, op. cit., pp. 185–88. On the Ukrainian division's enlistment of concentration camp guards and
Einsatzkommandos
, see pp. 258–64. See also Basil Dmytryshyn, “The Nazis and the
SS
Volunteer Division ‘Galicia,'”
American Slavic and East European Review
, vol. 15 (February 1956), pp. 1–10, and “The Polish-Ukrainian Military Staff,”
Final Interrogation Report
, Ref. No. SAIC/FIR/34, August 28, 1945 (confidential), Enemy POW Interrogation File, Box 721, RG 165, NA, Washington, D.C.

On Archbishop Ivan Buchko (sometimes transliterated as Buczko), see U.S. Army INSCOM Dossier No. XE232094I9C003, Document 55, concerning Buchko's role in Intermarium and as “leader of UK [Ukrainian] resistance movement.” La Vista's note concerning Buchko is in
La Vista
, Appendix A, and includes address of refugee relief agency in Rome. Walter Dushnyck's glowing “Archbishop Buchko—Arch-Shepherd of Ukrainian Refugees,”
Ukrainian Quarterly
(Spring 1975), pp. 32–43, written shortly after Buchko's death, is the most comprehensive review of his life available in English at present; see p. 41 for Dushnyk's account of Buchko's role in halting Operation Keelhaul. See also Armstrong, op. cit., pp. 60–61.

8
.

Ferenc Vajda, INSCOM Dossier No. XE232094I9C003, Documents 49–51, “Memorandum for the Officer in Charge, Subject: Intermarium,” June 23, 1947 (secret).

9
.

For Intermarium's program, see “The Ideological Basis of the Confederation of Central-Eastern Europe,” and Gustav Celmin, “From the Idea of Intermarium to Its Realization,” both in
Intermarium Bulletin
(Rome), no. 5 (January 1947); quote on crushing Soviet military is from the latter article. For map of desired territories, see
Miedzymorze
(Rome: 1946). For examples of repression of the group in Eastern Europe, see “Political Aspirations of Emigrants and Their Homeland Reactions,”
Intermarium Bulletin
, no. 9 (1948), pp. 9–10.

Intermarium's own publications are scarce, but those that are available remain a rich source of information on the personalities and politics of the movement. FBI File No. 65–38136, Serials 117 and 132, obtained via the FOIA, contain copies of
Intermarium Bulletin
, no. 4 (December 1945) and no. 5 (January 1947), in French and English, as well as a copy of
The Free Intermarium Charter
(1945) and some fragmentary sanitized bureau correspondence concerning the group. The New York Public Library holds a collection of early French-language
Intermarium Bulletins
. The Library of Congress holds nos. 4 through 12 and 14–16.

Internal evidence in both the Vajda and Dragonovic INSCOM files indicates that a specific group of intelligence reports concerning Intermarium was prepared by U.S. Army CIC in Vienna and Rome. INSCOM, unfortunately, asserts that it is not able to locate that material. Department of State coverage of the evolution of this organization includes Report 800.43 International of Liberty/7–1548, July 15, 1948, from Frankfurt, RG 59, NA, Washington, D.C. OSS reporting appears to have been limited to Report 3145, “Central European Federal Club,” RG 226, NA, Washington, D.C. No CIA reports are known to be publicly available.

10
.

Ferenc Vajda, INSCOM Dossier No. XE232094I9C003, Documents 49–51, “Memorandum for the Officer in Charge, Subject: Intermarium.” The incident discussed at this point in the text concerns the escape of Olivar Virtschologi-Rupprecht, an associate of Vajda's.

11
.

On Vajda affair, including his role in looting and other crimes, ibid. Quoted reference letter by Gowen is at “From: HQ Dept of the Army from Dir Intelligence Div, to: EUCOM,” February 11, 1948 (confidential), on Document 36; on Castel Gandolfo incident, see “Summary of Information: VAJTA, Ferenc,” September 9, 1947 (secret), Documents 42–43. See also U.S. Department of State, “Subject: Vajda, Ferenc,” 111.20A/3–3048 (secret) and “Subject: Comments re: Biographical Data,” 111.20A/3–3048 (secret) and “Subject: Ferenc Vajda,” 111.20A/4–1048 (with attachments in French written by Vajda), (secret), all dating from 1948 in RG 59, NA, Washington, D.C. See also Department of State's cable from Budapest to the secretary of state (no decimal file number; obtained via FOIA) January 10, 1948 (secret) re: Ferenc Vajda and Richard Wilford's long memorandum on Intermarium titled “Recent Developments Concerning the Establishment in Madrid of an Anti-Communist ‘Eastern European Center,'” December 20, 1947 (secret). The latter document includes a detailed essay by Vajda titled “The History of the Exile Groups” as an appendix, which is particularly useful in its discussion of the political alignments of major Intermarium personalities. Wilford's study suggests that Vajda may have been plotting to lead a breakaway movement within Intermarium and was traveling to the United States in the hopes of securing substantial U.S. aid for his group. For contemporary coverage of the Vajda affair, see “Ferenc Vatja [
sic
] Arrested”
New York Times
, January 10, 1948, p. 6, and “Plan to Hear Consul in Vajta [
sic
] Case,”
New York Times
, January 12, 1948, p. 4.

12
.

“Nagy Calls Vatja [
sic
] Nazi,”
New York Times
, January 16, 1948, p. 4. For Gowen quote concerning Pearson, see Gowen's “Summary Report of Investigation: VAJTA, Ferenc,” March 22, 1948 (top secret) in Vajda INSCOM dossier, Documents 9–13, with quoted portion in Document 13.

The FBI has recently released a heavily censored group of files concerning Vajda's stay in the United States. These include copies of a considerable amount of contemporary newspaper coverage and memos complaining that the Department of Justice was being blamed in the media for the entry of Nazis into the United States, when in fact, “the responsibility for [this] clearly lies with other Government departments or agencies” (Ladd memo to director, FBI, February 11, 1948, secret). Among the more interesting bureau records is a copy of a newspaper column by Spencer Irwin noting that Vajda “claimed that he was brought over here by the War Department and would be consulted by it to formulate a plan. This assertion,” Irwin continues, “will bear the most thorough investigation.” In reality, however, the entire matter was quickly dropped following a brief and largely secret congressional inquiry. See Spencer Irwin, “Behind the Foreign News,”
Cleveland Plain Dealer
, January 4, 1948.

The Hungarian government attempted to extradite Vajda for war crimes on July 20, 1950, but was rebuffed on the grounds that he was no longer in U.S.
custody. See Department of State records 211.6415, Vajtha [
sic
], Ferenc/7–2050, with attachments, obtained by the author via FOIA.

13
.

On congressional inquiry, “Inquiry Finds Vajta [
sic
] Lacked Passport,”
New York Times
, January 15, 1948, p. 11. On Vajda's refuge at College of the Andes, see declassified State Department records: “Memorandum for the files on Ferenc Vajta, 3/27/56” with attached correspondence from Vajda (confidential), 911 6221/4–1756, RG 59, NA, Washington, D.C. Also Allan Ryan interview, May 9, 1984.

On Adolf Berle's role as a conduit for agency funds, see Jim Schachter, “Adolf Berle, Late Professor of Law, a Founder of 50's CIA Drug Test Front,”
Columbia
[University]
Daily Spectator
October 31, 1977, p. 1.

14
.

Gustav Celmins's role in Intermarium is established in Ferenc Vajda, INSCOM Dossier No. XE23209419C003, Document 55, and in Gustav Celmins's “From the Idea of Intermarium to Its Realization,”
Intermarium Bulletin
(Rome), no. 5 (January 1947). For later teaching role and expulsion from the United States, see
CIA Eastern Front Study
, Addendum E: “The Baltic States,” p. 3, for data concerning Celmins's Fascist record, entry into the United States, work in Syracuse, and eventual flight to Mexico. On the genocidal role of the Perkonkrusts, see
List of Organizations Considered Inimical to the United States Under PL 774
, loc. cit. p. 19.

15
.

For staffing of ACEN, see Assembly of Captive European Nations, op cit., p. 177ff.; note roles of Alfreds Berzins (p. 183) and Boleslavs Maikovskis (p. 186). For U.S. government statements concerning wartime role of these individuals, see CROWCASS,
Wanted List No. 14
, loc. cit. (on Berzins); Office of Special Investigations, op. cit., pp. 34–35 (on Maikovskis).

16
.

Assembly of Captive European Nations, op. cit., pp. 132, 139, 170–171, 180, and 187 (on Dosti); pp. 153, 183, 187, and 189 (on Berzins).

17
.

Ivo Omrcanin interview, January 9, 1986. On Krunoslav Dragonovic's role in Intermarium, see Ferenc Vajda, INSCOM Dossier No. XE23209419C003, Case No. 5080, “Subject: Intermarium,” June 23, 1947 (secret), Document No. 50. On Dragonovic's wartime role, see
Martyrdom of the Serbs
(Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese, n.d. [1943?]), p. 274. On Dragonovic's role in escape routes for Croatian Fascist Ustachis, see Krunoslav Dragonovic, INSCOM Dossier XE 207018, CIC Special Agent Robert C. Mudd, “Summary of Information: Father Krunoslav DRAGANOVIC [
sic
],” February 12, 1947 (secret), Document Nos. 311–313. See also Mudd's report of September 5, 1947 (secret) for list of Ustachi fugitives under Dragonovic's care in 1947, Document nos. 307–310. Dragonovic's organization, the Istituto di St. Jeronimus in Rome, is also cited in
La Vista
, Appendix A, as a channel of illegal immigration. For further information on Ustachi participation in Intermarium, see also “Croatian Activities in the Emmigration [
sic
],” Report No. R-3–50, January 3, 1950, source: ODDI Hq USFA (Rear) (secret), which notes that “some high ranking personalities of the Ustacha in Austria, in conjunction with … the Catholic Church, are assertedly attempting to establish the ‘Intermarium' or ‘Inter-Danube States,' to be composed of all the Catholic nations of Southeastern Europe”—obtained from U.S. Army INSCOM via the Freedom of Information Act. On escape of Ustachi, see 860H.20235/7–2347, July 23, 1947 (secret), with
attachments, RG 59, NA, Washington, D.C. Also of interest is an exchange of diplomatic notes between J. Graham Parsons (U.S. Embassy, Rome) and Walter Dowling (EE Division, State Department HQ), dated May 22, 1947, and July 26, 1947, concerning the escape of Ante Pavelic disguised in priest's robes. On escape of Pavelic and Artukovic, see Ryan,
Barbie Report
, pp. 136n.-37n., and Howard Blum,
Wanted: The Search for Nazis in America
(Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett, 1977), pp. 187–88.