763.0221/9–2851: Telegram
The United States High Commissioner for Austria ( Donnelly) to the Secretary of State 1
1173. At close of Allied Council session today2 under item any other business, Sov HICOM read 55 page statement of charges against three Western Powers for remilitarization in West Zones. He charged failure to demilitarize Nazi armament plants, absorption of Aust industry into Marshall Plan rearmament drive, and creation of Aust mil force by means of special training to the gendarmerie, all in violation of control agreement and to economic impoverishment of Aust. Full text will be obtained and despatched to Dept as soon as possible.
Brit HICOM vigorously repudiated the Sov statement which he described as “effrontery” on part of Sov HICOM who had been commanding general responsible for remilitarization of Hungary in breach of satellite treaty. Brit HICOM concluded that evidence of [Page 1071] Sov insincerity lay in Sov refusal to relax travel controls on overall basis which has been proposed by West Powers earlier in meeting. French Deputy also made vigorous denial. US HICOM stated that the American word for such charges was expression “eye-wash”. Reserved right to make his comments after opportunity read long Sov statement, and withheld agreement upon AC action at this time unless Sovs shld agree to make demilitarization inspection for all four zones without discrimination and with representatives Aust Govt attached to commission in order to verify how Aust money was being used or wasted as alleged by Sov. Authorized by General Irwin to extend personal invitation to General Sviridov which wld give latter opportunity to verify facts about so-called fortress at Siezenheim and to speak with so-called slave laborers from Burgenland. Brit and French likewise extended invitations on behalf their military commanders, but Sovs preferred to raise question again at Sov initiative in economic and mil directorates.
Preliminary opinion of three West HICOMs is that this Sov maneuver is intended to lay ground work for position they will adopt in treaty discussions, and secondly to provide ammunition for Commie members Aust Parliament. From course of discussion at AC, it is believed that Sov blast misfired so far as local propaganda concerned, and that proposal to extend investigation to Sov zone is effective reply. However we will endeavor to avoid any investigation commissions here which might be used to deter progress of treaty talks.3
- Repeated to London, Moscow, and Paris.↩
- The minutes of this 155th meeting of the Allied Commission for Austria are in ALCO records, lot 62F9, box 114.↩
- Donnelly made a formal statement in answer to the Soviet charges of remilitarization of Austria during the Allied Council meeting of October 12, 1951. This statement is printed in Department of State Bulletin, October 29, 1951, pp. 691–692.↩