LEAGUE OF ANTI-FASCIST FREEDOM FIGHTERS (VERBAND ANTIFASCHISTISCHER FREIHEITSKAMPFER)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002700070005-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 11, 1999
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: February 1, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATIO ,I,? mr ic,ITROL U,S CFFICIAIS 0ny25X1A2g
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pproved For RelearalAWffen eiggFo02 O70030054
PRT NO.
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INFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
351191101611mmum.
COUNTRY Austria
SUBJECT League of Anti?Foodiat Freedom Fighters
(Vorband antifasehistischer Frelhoitakappfer)
PLACE ? 25X1A6a
ACQUIRED
DATEOFIN
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DATE DISTR. 2 L2Cf 1049
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NO. OF PAGES 3
NO. OF ENCLS.
(Limo mow
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
fellsruarT.2-20,
The League of Anti-Fascist Freedom Fightere is a CommItnist-controlled.or
ganization'which in all its activity attempts to masquerade as non-partisan'
and representative of all political parties. Tho League has its central
office at the same address as the League of Concentraeion Camp Victims
(KZ-Verband)? Vienna 1, Lichtenfelsgasse 7. Unlike the latter organization,
however, which is Communist-infiltrated but includes many non-Communists,
the League of Anti-Fascist Freedom Fighters is a so-called Communist cadre
organiza4on which admits non-Communists only as members but not as officials.
There are about 6,000 members, divided up into smaller district organizations
in the various Vienna districts (usually, several Vienna districts unibeto
form one such section; for example, Vienna VI, VII, and VIII have one zection
together). The typical structure of such a section may be seen in the,. tollotrina dis-
trict representation from Vienna VI: 20 members, 4 of whom are officials of
the iT0e, 10 of whom are members of the KP0e, and 6 of whom are non-Communist
but strongly sympathetic to the Communist cause.
2. Membership in the organization, which carries with it granting of the title
"Freedom Fighter", is given to pereone who "halt, fetip!A against k Fascist
dictatorship", which is liberally interpreted to mean not only those who have
taken part in the combat against Nazism, but also against the Dollfuss regime
in Austria, against Franco ih Spain, or against Chiang Kailhek in China.
Of late, the practice has been for a prospective member to be admitted on the
basis of a, confidential recommendation from the KPOe; the title of "Freedom
Fighter" has been given on the basis of opposition to "capitalism, Western
imperialism, and the Marshall Plan", while "Fascism" has been broadly defined
by the organization as "anything in contradiction to the class struggle". The
regulations of the organization have been made to conform to this new relaxa-
tion of membership requirements,
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Nato; 5 MAY 1978 By:
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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3, The steering committee of the oreanization includes Franz BONNER,
member of the Central Committee, president; Dr. Heinrich DUERMAYER,
former head of the State Police, vice-president; Walter FISCHER, brother
of Ernst FISCHal; Major Franz CEBHART; Max SCHNEIDER, general secretary.
In practice, although directives are laid down by the entire steering
committee. practical execution of a given policy is almost always carried
out by SCHNEIDER, mho has wide discretionary powers and only rarely con-
sults DUERNAYER before taking action.
4, The organieation allegedly possesses an elite cadre of 200 to 300 men under
SCHNEIDER 's direct command whichoon a number of occasionsthas taken an
active part in carrying out the policy of the organization. ror example?
this group organized a demonstration in 1948 against the Greek Legation in
Vienna and has intervened several times to prevent evictions. Members of
the cadre are said to be for the most part persons with no definite oc-
cupation; they are armed with pistols of various models. In the organizational
files, members of the elite cadre are alleeed/y designated by a small red
25X1X6 cross on the upper left o4' the file card.
5' Since its inception, the organization has been extremely active in carrying
on meetings and is owner and publisher of a monthly newspaper edited by
Otto DORFER,
1,544gryttaputose of the Otaalaation
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6, The League of Anti-Fascist Freedom Fighters was created in 1946 by National-
,
rat Franz MINER and was legally constituted by an authorization of the
Austrian 'linistry of the Interior dated 20 August 1947, According to para-
graph II of the organizational statutes, which have been repeatedly altered,
the following are the aims of the organization:
Inclusion of all Austrians who have actively combatted Fascism, and in
particular the following:
1. Former members of the Schutzbund Whe participated actively
in the events of 12 February l934
Former Austrian volunteers in the International Bripades within
the Spanish Republican Army;
Members of ,ttlethaetrian Freedom Battalions (Freiheitsbataillone
-eethin the/npaliv Army;
le. Austrian partisans and "Freedom Fighters" who carried on the
struggle in Austria against German-Fascist domination, together
with their regular and active assistants;
v. Austrian volunteers who fought in the liberation movements of other
countries against the German occupants, together with their regular
and active assistants;
Austrians who fought as volunteers in the ranks of the Allied
Armies against the Nazi regime;
vii. Relatives of decaased "Freedom Fighters"
b. Cultivation and furtherance of ant1.4aseist, democratic ideology in
the ranks of its menbers, aimed at strengthening and propagating
democracy.
c. Cultivation and furtherance of anti?Fascist, democratic ideology among
the Austrian people through lectures, meetings, and publications.
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. Collaboration in the complete elimination of Fasaist remnauts
and of Pan-German ideology from the minds of our people, to
with their education in Austrian patriotism and cultiva-
tion of Austrian national consciousness and Austrian individuality,
e. Resumption of relations with similar organizations in United
Nations countries, with the purpose of promoting friendly relations
between Austria and these countries.
Financial support of needy members.*
Personalittla
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7., Max Peter SCHNEIDER (also called SHELLEY) is the organization's
general secretary. Born in Vienna on 4 December 1921, he is the
son of Jewish parents, Abraham and Josefine Schneider. He is an
Austrian citizen and married to Ruth Wilma Accher, born 12 January 1921.
In 1939, SCHNEIDER emigrated to England where he worked with the Friends
of Austria under Otto ilTraralLICEL His parents are said to have been sent to
Lipa where they died in/concentration can During the war he fought
infantryman in the P,ritisk. Av,T, arlegedly in France. In 19/4,6
te Is said to have C'Ort(1. France to Prague, where he spent some
Returni_nc to viennc,, he lived from 7,7 February 1947 to 29 janua-y
.194.7 in 7ienna VIII, Laarer,asse 53 as a sub-tenant to one SCH0i3r!"!ALD;
inee the latter date, fl,e hilz been living in Vienna TI, Rotensterneasse
A/9 but apparentl?- deep: not pay any rent Me apartment belonps t) a
corain Capt.-, Kurt 3CH1';1iR, said to be worhinr for the British and
now residing in Vienna xiii., Nepe Weitgasse 1- Capt. SCH-:ARZ, like
at,iseveninr classes ,!,t the University of Vtenna, SCH:4ETZ
w4,ay be doing sme 'ort of ,)ff-ier Nark roc the 9ritis Nlemeat, His wife,
alma ss ai employee of the jeybish Comouciy of
;.;1z1n,,I!,:eTirpA1rtde.) Ppencis every norminp,
,,he office of t,2e LeAro, of Aati-Fascist Free0om Fighto:.s, pre-
unhiyvithout, any fina,al rewneration- He T s 10,:r4C ri:;)ed as a
r,on-si,toker, athu compl ately a .ion drinker a convinced and tncorruptible
(-unkrimist
:oseihle YPGe Use or Orpari?,aion as Activists
""T,e -.15 g'arir-h lqA9
P, KOGL, an official. of KO e distrot kiedquarters at Venna 11, when
r?ked by other Party functionares what steps had been taken to pro-
vide armed protection ap--,aihe "Fascist" attempts to break up Com-
xamist meetings and demonstrations, said that the League or Anti- ,
FAsciet ?reedom Fighters would constitute an armed guard_ KM',
1,pIained that many members of the League were former members of the
hutzbund who hatirecelved quasi-military traininr, When asked if
oun Gommovist activists could join the League, KOOI, allegedly re-
Wed that they could become non-voting members for a year, after
25X1i6j1,'11 Pound eligible, they could become rerular voting members,
lt March 1949
he opinion of this sonce, the League of Anti-fadcist Freedom
j'i-hters has now replaced the Werkschutz In importance as a potentially
-lngerous KPOe nara-military formation; there are at present about 400
activists, The new policy of enrolling all persons willing to combat
414.1 "forces or Fascism and reaction" represents a corsido,.able derarture
front the former policy of admitting only those who had actively fought
against Fascism in some fo-m, Many hundrece of new members may be
acquired in this way,
Comment: The regulations for admission of new members, as riven
-
%ere, do not correspond with statements of Source A in para, 2 above,
in aa" probability,, if the organization is trly interested in concealtnr its Communist baokinr, Source A is rron- in assuminr that organiza-
Lional reinilat4,-)nf. c-- -1.1 an alnLi on of other
categories of "a---,ti-Fo.sc18?s, It 1-5 more lik-ly that .J-te reeulations
:y -RD8-dd471O?27OO?7O0054 h'evc
the admission
144W,SYNHAs in actuo.raot;,ee has pro 'eodw.: apace,
CY . "-VP. - ?