With the death of Kurt Waldheim this past week, I was reminded again of the strange intersections in which this man's life connected to my own.

I first met Waldheim here in New York when I was 17 years old. He was then Austria's permanent representative to the United Nations. My first impression of this impeccably dressed gentleman was that of a highly intelligent man who was both very cordial and extremely personable. His English skills were perfect and we both quickly decided to converse in that language after my limited attempts to carry on in high school German.

This was in the late 1950s and I also remember being impressed by the fact that Waldheim seemed to know everyone. With great ease, he almost glided through the room and conversed on various levels with practically every person in attendance demonstrating the skills of a perfect diplomat.

I have often considered the image of that tall diplomat at a New York gathering when contrasted to the famous photograph that came out much later of a younger Waldheim in his Nazi uniform and tall jackboots. These two pictures reveal the intricate complexities of dealing with the horrific brutality of the Nazis and the realities of trying to reestablish Austria as a viable and strong democracy in the post-war era.

It's as if this one individual became a microcosm for every single detail of that entire period. You could see Austria's struggle to walk with other nations as an equal along with it's very real positive impulses as well as its unwillingness to come to honest terms with its past.

I would see Kurt Waldheim from time to time throughout the 1970s when he served his two terms as secretary-general of the U.N. This was a time when the world body moved into its distinctly anti-Israel phase that lasts to this day. On November 10, 1975, under Waldheim's leadership, the General Assembly adopted the infamous resolution equating Zionism with Racism. It was also at this time that Yasser Arafat, following his direct complicity in a number of high profile terrorist acts, addressed the General Assembly wearing army fatigues and holster.

And there was Waldheim's strange reaction to Israel's daring rescue of Jewish hostages at the Entebbe airport in 1976 when he called it a "serious violation of the national sovereignty of a United Nations member state." Never mind that the state was headed by Idi Amin and Amin's soldiers were helping the terrorists guard the hostages.

And yes, there is another side to this story. It also must not be forgotten that Waldheim's native Austria, with his help, served as a transit point for Jewish refuseniks leaving the former Soviet Union. This was a vital link in a long line of tens of thousands of human beings who were literally making an exodus from slavery to freedom and Austria was a crucial part of that marvelous effort.

All of this is, of course, overshadowed by the final chapter of Waldheim's life — a chapter in which his past came back to haunt all of the good work that he may have accomplished.

In the late 1980s, after he left the U.N. and decided to run for president of his native Austria, reports began to surface that he lied about his real involvement in the German army during the war. I was working at the Pentagon at the time. I read the first reports with particular interest because I was about to leave for Vienna as the new U.S. Ambassador to Austria. It was also the World Jewish Congress, which I am now involved with, that played a key role in bringing out the truth.

Waldheim was elected in a campaign that brought out some of the worst aspects of Austria's past. As irony would have it, one of my first ceremonial roles as ambassador was to attend his inauguration. I chose not to be in attendance — an act that was clearly noted. I did this because there were too many inconsistencies with his stories and too many questions about his war time experience. My decision not to attend was solidly backed up by the one person who mattered, President Reagan.

To Austria's credit, my decision never impacted the excellent relationship our country had and continues to have with the people of Austria. Fidelity to the truth requires that we never forget the details of the Waldheim controversy, but also we must acknowledge that Austria and its people have done much to move on.

While there is work that remains to be done, advances on restitution and progress in community relations represent real progress. So, as this chapter closes, we should recall the difficult times but also go forward with full confidence in the future for both countries.

Mr. Lauder served as the American Ambassador to Austria between 1986 and 1987 and was recently elected president of the World Jewish Congress.

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