763.55/4–2750
The Secretary of Defense (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: General Keyes has submitted a plan for the creation of an Austrian Army to which the British and French High Commissioners in Austria have agreed in principle.1 When finally approved, the plan is to be presented to the Austrian Government. General Keyes has requested Department of the Army approval in principle.
The key feature of the plan is the provision for the recruitment of 10,000 temporary gendarmes as soon as the Austrian treaty is signed. [Page 479] These gendarmes would be organized into temporary units for training and then would be transferred to the Army as soon as the treaty comes into force upon its ratification. This part of the plan requires that equipment (principally individual arms and equipment, plus reduced amounts of organizational equipment) will be issued for training to the temporary gendarmerie units on memorandum receipt. The plan envisages the utilization for this purpose of a portion of the equipment to be stockpiled for the Austrian Army under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program pursuant to NSC 38/4, “Future Courses of U.S. Action With Respect to Austria.” General Keyes stresses that the success of the plan hinges upon the availability of the equipment and the authority to issue it promptly when needed.
Approval in principal of the plan would involve a commitment to issue, as soon as a treaty is signed, a portion of the equipment which would, in accordance with NSC 38/4, be stored in Germany or Austria pending Congressional approval of a military assistance program for Austria. It should be apparent, however, that the main intent of the basic decisions in NSC 38/4 cannot be followed unless the CGUSFA is in position when a treaty is signed immediately to take action to build up the gendarmerie between signature and ratification of the Austrian treaty.
In view of these considerations, I recommend that you approve in principal the proposed plan to train an expanded gendarmerie prior to ratification of the treaty and specifically approve the proposal to issue, as soon as a treaty is signed, the necessary equipment on memorandum receipt to implement the plan.2
Sincerely yours,
- Plan outlined in telegram P–4463, supra.↩
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Acting Secretary Webb, replying to Secretary Johnson’s letter on May 16, wrote in part:
“The proposed plan to train an expanded gendarmerie, after signature but prior to ratification of the Austrian Treaty, and to issue on memorandum receipt, as soon as the Treaty is signed, the equipment necessary to implement the plan, meets with my approval. I assume, of course, that implementation of the plan will be completely coordinated with the British and French elements and that the Austrian Government will have previously indicated agreement.” (Letter from Webb to Johnson, May 16, not printed, 763.55/4–2750).
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