663.001/2–553: Telegram
No. 845
The United States High Commissioner
for Austria (Thompson) to the Department of
State1
priority
2256. At meeting of Western HICOMs with Gruber this morning, latter expressed satisfaction that meeting would take place. On tactics he emphasized importance of keeping meeting going as long as possible and suggested that if discussions could not be prolonged until after Austrian elections, might be advisable suspend meeting with fixed date for resumption after elections. If break could not be prevented, meeting should conclude with report to Foreign Ministers.
Gruber suggested Western Powers might state at outset their purpose was to conclude Austrian treaty on basis that was bearable for Austria; if this could be done on basis discussion long draft very well, if not, they reserved right to make any other proposal. He urged an article-by-article discussion and said it would be tremendous help in Austria if West Powers could reach agreement on even one of unagreed articles thus demonstrating their sincere desire to conclude treaty and placing the onus for failure on Soviet insistence upon exactions on Article 35. He advised delaying full substantive discussion of Article 35 as long as possible and warned that possible Soviet move might be to propose inviting Austrian representative to state his views. Gruber said he could express Austrian Government views on treaty as whole without difficulty but would be embarrassed if forced state his position on Article 35. He said frankly reason was that Austrians would pay almost any price [Page 1830] they conceivably could to get Russians actually out of country and believed that once out they could prevent their return. He estimated that Russians are currently taking 50 million dollars a year out of their enterprises in Austria and while Austria would have to have assistance to meet high Soviet price, they would want first to know what price was, then to consult with West countries as to what help they could get, and finally to put matter up to Austrian Parliament.
Gruber does not believe the Russians will raise directly question of Austrian neutrality at this meeting and thought that if they did deputies could refuse discuss it on basis on Article 1 of treaty which returned Austria her sovereignty and on basis that Foreign Ministers’ instructions to deputies made no mention of this matter.
Lalouetter, French deputy HICOM, is leaving for London by air at noon today and can furnish Dowling further details of discussion.
- Repeated to London for Dowling and to Paris and Moscow.↩