_________________________________________________________________________Swansea University E-Theses British Policy and the Occupation of Austria, 1945-1955. Williams, Warren Wellde How to cite: _________________________________________________________________________ Williams, Warren Wellde (2004) British Policy and the Occupation of Austria, 1945-1955.. thesis, Swansea University. http://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43184 Use policy: _________________________________________________________________________ This item is brought to you by Swansea University. Any person downloading material is agreeing to abide by the terms of the repository licence: copies of full text items may be used or reproduced in any format or medium, without prior permission for personal research or study, educational or non-commercial purposes only. The copyright for any work remains with the original author unless otherwise specified. The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holder. Permission for multiple reproductions should be obtained from the original author. Authors are personally responsible for adhering to copyright and publisher restrictions when uploading content to the repository. Please link to the metadata record in the Swansea University repository, Cronfa (link given in the citation reference above.) http://www.swansea.ac.uk/library/researchsupport/ris-support/ British Policy and the Occupation of Austria,1945 -1 9 5 5 Warren Wellde Williams Submitted to the University of Wales in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of History University of Wales Swansea 2004 ProQuest Number: 10821576 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10821576 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Summary Austria was the scene of some of the more ferocious posturing between East and West during the Cold War. This thesis summarises British interests regarding Austria and recovers the chronology of important events, beginning with the 1943 Moscow Declaration. This identified Austria as a victim of Nazi Germany and provided for her to be treated as liberated rather than conquered. The narrative pauses to examine significant events and issues as they arose. While not concentrating exclusively on negotiations toward an Austrian State Treaty, the narrative keeps track of this important diplomatic exercise. The behaviour of the Western Allies and the USSR in Austria is examined against the background of a dynamic situation and severely differing opinions on disposition of German assets and the rearming of Austria. Finally, the thesis examines the abrupt change in Soviet policy in May 1955, which resulted in bilateral Austro-Soviet talks during which Moscow indicated a willingness to end the occupation. The thesis leans heavily on archival documents and on information from individuals who were involved in policy formulation in the 1940s and 1950s. The thesis highlights the importance of the Anglo-American relationship, and concludes that Britain’s leaders were not always sensitive to the forces behind their principal ally’s policies toward Austria, a shortcoming that caused at least Ernest Bevin to misjudge the situation in Washington, and to launch an ill-timed lobbying campaign designed to persuade the Americans to pay whatever bribe Moscow demanded in return for a Russian signature on an Austrian State T reaty. ii Declaration and Statements Declaration This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. Signed: Date: Statement 1 This thesis is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended. Signed: Date: Statement 2 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed: Date: Acknowledgements This thesis is dedicated to an American patriot and Cold War hero, the late Fritz Giesecke, who first suggested that I pursue a PhD upon semi- retirement, and who recommended the subject of my research. May he rest in peace. It would be impossible to thank everybody who helped me, but special thanks must be extended to my Supervisor, Gareth Pritchard. Every now and then one meets a truly memorable teacher, and Gareth is certainly that. Through his professionalism, patience and, yes, tolerance, he guided me throughout the compilation of a doctoral thesis, a task which proved much more difficult than I anticipated. Harvard’s Mark Kramer deserves special thanks for his rapid responses to my many requests, his practical and editorial suggestions, and his reassuring presence throughout my research. I am also indebted to Mark for his invitations to contribute articles to Harvard’s Journal of Cold War Studies. Thanks also to my good friend and teacher, Siegfried Beer, for providing me with so many works not available locally, and for his ever-present help and encouragement. Siegfried understands better than most my affection for Austria and the Viennese people, as does Pete Bagley whose enthusiasm, encouragement and assistance have been invaluable. Arthur Radley remained a good friend who was helpful in connecting me with British people who served on the Allied Commission in Austria. I will forever be grateful to Bill Stearman, John Morzenti, Oleg Gordievsky, Hal Ekern, John Mapother, Bill Hood, Joe Evans, Tom Polgar, Bronson Tweedy, Boris Volodarsky, Curtis Glenn and Viktor Gobarev. Particularly helpful along the way were, Gunter Bischof, Reinhold Wagnleitner, Jim Carafano, Rob Rush, David Glantz, Tom Gleason, Sergei Khrushchev, William Taubman, Marc Trachtenberg, Brigadier General John Brown, Vladimir Gromov and Vlad Zubok. Chris Ostermann at CWIHP deserves special mention for his rapid, effective and always courteous help. The staff of the PRO could not have been more accommodating, nor could Milt Gustafson, Tom Branigar and Amy Schmidt at the US National Archives in Maryland. I thank Simon Robbins at the Imperial War Museum, as well as Rudi Jerabek and Dieter Lautner at the Austrian National Archives, and of course the staff of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where I was able to acquire valuable documentary information. Patricia Alkhoven at the National Library of the Netherlands was swift to send me useful information on the Marshall Plan, and the British Library staff was always available on- call. The hard-working crew of the university library in Swansea deserve a standing ovation, and here I must mention the valuable assistance I received from Ian Glen, Nina Whitcomb and Kim Llewellyn. Finally, I must thank my wife, Isobel, and daughter, Kate, who demonstrated phenomenal patience and endurance, and who put up with me during those many moments when resolve began slipping. I am looking forward to reading Isobel’s doctoral dissertation on aspects of the occupation of Italy. iv CONTENTS Summary / Declaration and Statements ii Acknowledgements Hi Table of Contents iv List of Abbreviations Used viii Introduction 1 1 British interests, Policies and Planning Activities to May 1945 28 British Policy and Planning Regarding Austria Before the Moscow Declaration 32 The Moscow Declaration - a Foundation for Subsequent British Policy 40 The European Advisory Commission 47 The Liberation of Austria 54 The Yugoslav Challenge 60 Conclusions 65 2 British Interests and Policies During the Period 1945-1948 68 Beginning of the Occupation 70 Austria in East-West Relations 81 The first CFM Meetings 83 1946 and the Mack/Jerram Reports 85 V 1947 and the Cheetham/Rendel Reports 98 Sir George Rendel and the Austrian Treaty Commission 104 The Cherriere Plan to Resolve the German Assets Problem 111 The Galloway Report: Britain’s Position in Austria and Concern over Costs 113 Was an Austrian State Treaty Necessary? 119 Conclusions 126 3. Forlorn Hopes 129 A Turning Point 132 The Soviet Kidnapping Campaign 136 Economic Matters 145 The Marshall Plan and Austria 147 Austrian Politics 152 Four Power Negotiations 165 Re-arming Austria 177 Austria - a Garrison State? 193 Austria as a Centre of Covert Intelligence Operations 201 Conclusions 213 4 Dramatic Events 218 Summary of the Situation at the Turn of the Decade 219 The Danger of Partition 226 Perception of the Strategic Threat 227 The British Presence in Austria 231 vi Contingency Planning 233 Another Try 240 Caccia’s February 1950 Survivability Memorandum 242 The Violent Demonstrations of September and October 1950 246 Transition 275 The Effect of the Failure to Conclude a Treaty 283 1952 - New Initiatives and the Abbreviated Treaty 290 Das Tauwetter? 305 Key Personalities 309 Reduction of British Forces Austria 319 Updated Assessment of the Soviet Threat 330 Conclusions 333 5 End Game 338 The Winds of Change 340 British Policy Toward Austria in the