Editorial Note

At its 43rd meeting, July 7, 1949, the National Security Council considered the question of the future course of United States action with respect to Austria. Secretary Acheson agreed that a further study should be made of the problem of training an Austrian Army to determine what was necessary from the standpoint of United States security interests. The military representative, General McNarney, felt that unless adequate Austrian forces were trained, equipped, and in operation [Page 1245] before the withdrawal of occupation forces, the danger of Communist revolution would be serious, since revolutionary organizations would have been created in the Soviet zone prior to that time. For this reason the National Military Establishment considered that the existing plan, to train one gendarmerie regiment, was not sufficient. (Executive Secretariat files)