ABSTRACT

After World War II, the United States in conjunction with Soviet, British and French forces occupied Austria from 1945 to 1955. During the occupation, the United States Army gathered intelligence on its Allies, the Austrians and the surrounding countries. Throughout the early years of the Cold War the Army disseminated intelligence from different theaters to make commands more sensitive to potential threats. Intelligence collection in postwar Austria began immediately after the cessation of hostilities. According to one report, about 150 candidates were recruited shortly before the end of the war. During the war the emphasis was placed, necessarily, on obtaining military intelligence concerning enemies. These kinds of incidents were all too common in postwar Austria and, due to the mass of information, intelligence reports often contained a melange of rumor, opinion and unsubstantiated stories along with verified intelligence and statistical data.