ABSTRACT
The initial emphasis of the Marshall Plan on investments in the capital goods industries at the expense of the finished products industries aroused the vigorous opposition of Austrian politicians and economists who apparently favored a return to pre-Anschluss conditions and practices. The United Iron and Steel Works in Linz excellently lend themselves to a microanalysis of the Marshall Plan. The officials of the Marshall Plan organization, whether in Vienna, or Washington, could not realize their conceptions of what Europeans should do to become more like Americans. The urgency of continuing the operation of industries in the US zone which were deemed essential for the reconstruction of the Austrian economy, but which might be subject to reparations claims, induced the High Commissioner Mark Clark to suggest a privatization plan to his superiors in Washington. The High Commissioner assured the Austrians that the German assets may immediately be used for purposes of reconstruction without fear of removal of the plants and equipment.
