Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Germany and Austria, Volume VII, Part 2

663.001/10–2853

No. 900
The Counselor of the Department of State (MacArthur) to Edgar P. Allen of the Office of Western European Affairs¹

secret

[Washington,] October 28, 1953.

Dear Ted: The Austrian Ambassador came in and didn’t have very much on his mind. I spoke to him along the lines that you indicated might be useful and he seemed to take it all right. I particularly hit the Article 35 question and told him that important elements in U.S. Congressional and public opinion would find very little incentive to assist Austria if the Austrians seemed only too willing to capitulate across the board to the Soviets, and in particular make concessions which would make the economic viability of Austria in future at best a very dubious business. I said to him that it seemed clear that the Soviets had no intention of concluding an Austrian Treaty and that if in the meantime the Austrians caved in across the board and made every conceivable concession to the Soviets now, they would be in a very difficult spot when the day finally arrived when a treaty was to be concluded. They would have no bargaining power left of any kind at that later date. I said that this applied not only to Article 35 but the question of Austria’s neutrality. The rest of the half hour was spent with the Ambassador asking me about the Saar² and about Charlie Yost’s activities in Paris.³ With respect to the latter, I assured him that the group in Paris would take no final decisions but was really for an exchange of views. The Ambassador asked me what we would do if the Soviets refused Lugano. I replied that no decision had been taken with respect to our action in such event but after receipt of the Soviet reply, we would obviously reach some conclusions which in due course we would wish to talk to the Austrians about.

Doug

1. A copy was sent to Bonbright.
2. See Documents 607 ff.
3. Reference to the Tripartite Working Group which was meeting in Paris in preparation for possible talks with the Soviets; Yost was one of the members of the U.S. Delegation. Regarding this Working Group, see Document 905.