The World - News from March 1, 1988

A key Nazi document found in the U.S. National Archives shows that Kurt Waldheim signed a German officer’s request during World War II to round up civilians from a Greek village and send them to German slave labor camps. A Justice Department spokesman said the document, dated Aug. 15, 1943, was vital in the U.S. decision to bar Waldheim, now Austria’s president, from entering the United States. The document, made available by the World Jewish Congress, shows that Waldheim transcribed a radio communication in April, 1943, from a field commander requesting the roundup of Greek villagers, signed it and forwarded it to the German chief of staff, who approved the request. The roundup was never carried out, and Waldheim has denied any involvement in war crimes.