Читать книгу The Red Army in Austria - Группа авторов - Страница 17

The United States, however, was a crucial midwife in the final rounds of Austrian treaty negotiations. Presidents Truman and Eisenhower and their representatives in Austria had played a decisive role in putting Austria on a trajectory of economic recovery and growth with their massive pre-Marshall Plan and ERP economic aid. Austria’s incipient “economic miracle” by 1955 gave the Raab government the wherewithal to enter bilateral agreements with the Soviet Union to pay for the return of the “German assets.” In addition, US support for Austria’s secret rearmament since 1951 and the transfer of American military hardware after 1955 allowed Austria to quickly start its army in 1956. The “core” of the future Austrian Army built with American support before the conclusion of the State Treaty in 1955 pacified the Pentagon sufficiently for it to reluctantly agree to an Austrian treaty. This “core” allowed the Austrians to quickly build a credible armed force to follow the Swiss model of armed neutrality.