Intervention! How a Letter by Erich Honecker Ended Up in the Festival’s Archive and Wolfgang Schüssel in Its “Book of Honor”
30.4.26 / Herwig G. Höller
In this blog, steirischer herbst research fellow and journalist Herwig G. Höller shares his discoveries in the festival archive. They frequently reveal surprising connections between steirischer herbst and the world of—local as well as international—politics.
Excerpt from Paul Kaufmann’s “interventions folder,” 1979, steirischer herbst Archive
Paul Kaufmann, steirischer herbst’s executive secretary (1968–90), photo: steirischer herbst Archive / Peter Philipp
The steirischer herbst Archive contains a small collection of files that shouldn’t really be there. The documents in question, dating from the late 1970s, were likely simply left behind in the office—they stem from Paul Kaufmann’s (1925–2015) political activities. The festival’s long-time executive secretary (1968–90) was not only a state official; between 1971 and 1983, he also intermittently sat on the National Council for the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). In that capacity, he dealt with friends’ matters as well as those of citizens. Nearly fifty years later, these files seem almost explosive in light of the current trial against ÖVP politician August Wöginger for malfeasance. At the time, however, such matters were simply part of the job description for elected representatives—regardless of their party affiliation.
“Dear Bernd, don’t be angry with me for bothering you again. I’m only doing this because the others are bothering me again. It concerns Thomas E., whom you kindly recommended to Secretary-General Dr. Radl,” Kaufmann wrote to fellow MP Bernd Schilcher (ÖVP)—also a member of steirischer herbst’s presidium—on 5 April 1979. Since nothing had happened, the parents and E. himself had already become anxious, apparently.
Paul Kaufmann to Bernd Schilcher, 5 April 1979, steirischer herbst Archive
Paul Kaufmann and Bernd Schilcher at the opening of trigon 79, steirischer herbst ’79, Foto: steirischer herbst Archiv / Peter Philipp
Kaufmann emphasized that he was very keen for a positive outcome to the case: “I know that one must be patient and that one cannot perform miracles. Unfortunately, the others don’t know that,” he explained. Schilcher represented Styria on the national public broadcaster ORF’s board of trustees; “Radl” refers to the then-ORF Secretary-General Peter Radel, who was close to the ÖVP. The case, whose outcome is not recorded in the festival archive, was clearly difficult: Before E.’s mother, a friend of Kaufmann’s, had written to him, an uncle and an aunt, both ORF employees, had already failed in their attempts to secure a position for their relative at the broadcaster.
Kaufmann also helped the son of a friend in Salzburg secure a position as a resident physician as well as a co-op apartment. At the time, however, he was particularly involved in assisting the family of a friend who was an official at the Styrian Chamber of Agriculture: The MP tried to place one of the family’s daughters at the state tourism office or in London, and with the help of the president of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, he sought a job for one of their sons.
The case of another son of the family would occupy party and government leaders: The young Austrian had fallen in love with a GDR citizen while on a work assignment in East Berlin. Subsequently, he was denied a permanent visa, while she was demoted at work and repeatedly denied permission to marry. After all relevant Austrian authorities had become involved, a letter from Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky to the Chairman of the State Council of the German Democratic Republic, Erich Honecker, ultimately ensured a happy ending.
Erich Honecker to Bruno Kreisky, 10 January 1980, steirischer herbst Archive
“In accordance with your request, I have had the matter of the marriage between the Austrian citizen … and Miss … reviewed. Based on my recommendation, the relevant state authorities have granted permission for … to marry and relocate to Austria. Thus, nothing now stands in the way of this marriage,” replied Honecker. He expressed his delight at having been able to do something, together with Kreisky, “for the happiness of these young people.” A copy of the correspondence also reached Kaufmann and, consequently, steirischer herbst.
However, the MP also advocated for people he was not friends with. For example, he helped Magdolna T., a native of Hungary, obtain Austrian citizenship and part-time farmer Alois H. with an application for housing subsidies.
Of course, sometimes interventions were also made on behalf of festival staff. Kaufmann’s 1979 file contains, for example, a letter addressed to the Hummel barracks in Graz-Wetzelsdorf, which has since been demolished. The press officer for steirischer herbst, Herbert Pschenitschnik—later known as Nichols or Nichols-Schweiger—completed his third field exercise as part of his mandatory military service in May 1979. He was to be excused from duty on 14 May to attend a meeting of the Program Advisory Board. The matter was urgent; on a draft of this letter, the press officer himself had jokingly noted, “Please, ‘save’ me!”
Paul Kaufmann to the headquarters of the 2nd support batallion’s workshop company, 5 July 1979, steirischer herbst Archive
Paul Kaufmann to Wolfgang Schüssel, 5 March 1986, steirischer herbst Archive
Interventions on behalf of the festival and its staff also occurred later on: In March 1986, Kaufmann thanked the then-Secretary-General of the ÖVP Economic Association, Wolfgang Schüssel, for a successful intervention at the Chamber of Commerce. They had received an export refund. “Your entry in the ‘steirischer herbst’ book of honor, in gold letters no less, is assured,” Kaufmann wrote to the future chancellor. Another letter from 1984 also shows that the rising politician was considered an ally; Kaufmann informed him of the importance of private sponsors for steirischer herbst.
In contrast, efforts in 1988 to arrange a private telephone connection—to be used for work as well—on Münzgrabenstraße for Charlotte Sucher, director Peter Vujica’s right hand, were unsuccessful. Kurt Jungwirth, the festival’s president and Styria’s deputy governor, had contacted Hans Binder, president of the Styrian Postal and Telegraph Administration. Binder regretted that he could not promise a prompt resolution of the matter. Due to “the local network being at full capacity,” a connection could not be expected until the summer of 1989.
Paul Kaufmann to Kurt Jungwirth, 9 March 1988, steirischer herbst Archive
Hans Binder to Kurt Jungwirth, 18 April 1988, steirischer herbst Archive
There were, of course, also attempts to intervene at the festival itself, but it proved largely resistant. In 1986 and 1987, Governor Josef Krainer Jr. strongly advocated for the talented son of a deceased ÖVP politician to be hired. Even though, in addition to letters from his office, a letter addressed to Krainer from an ÖVP district organization also reached the festival, the individual in question was not hired. “After repeated consultations with our director, Dr. Peter Vujica, I must therefore inform you that I currently see no way in which we could integrate Mr. … into steirischer herbst,” the executive secretary eventually replied to Krainer’s secretary, Manfred Lind.
Influence may also have been exerted on the appointment of the director. Margit Uray-Frick, a former Freedom Party (FPÖ) member who was on the festival’s supervisory board for many years, recalled two pertinent phone calls in a 2025 interview. She said she had once received a call from Ioan Holender, then director of the Vienna State Opera; however, in a phone call in April 2026, Holender himself could not recall such an intervention and also asserted that he did not know anyone on the supervisory board.
On the other hand, Uray-Frick spoke of a call from a high-ranking Styrian ÖVP politician, whose name she did not wish to disclose. “I told him, ‘Excuse me, why don’t you call your party brothers?’” recounted the ex-politician, who left the FPÖ in 2008. The caller then got in touch with former ÖVP state adviser and festival president Kurt Jungwirth. “What do we do?” Jungwirth asked Uray-Frick in a subsequent phone call. “Mr. President, what we always do: We take the one [director] we like best,” she replied. With Jungwirth’s “Thank you, that’s what I wanted to hear,” the conversation ended and the matter was settled.