Whopper: Arnold Schwarzenegger What were Soviet tanks doing in Austria's British-occupied sector?

Slate ^ | 9-3-04 | Slate

[Porterville]

the Soviets occupied part of Austria. I saw their tanks in the streets.

Historia for the masses... let's see...Austria's history between '45-'55

In 1945, Austria was treated as a defeated nation. like Germany partitioned into 4 zones of occupation, as was the capital city of Vienna (which coincidentally, as in the case of Berlin, was completely surrounded by the Soviet zone of occupation). Austria had been regarded as the first victim of Nazi aggression, but Austrians had contributed to the Nazi atrocities; Austrians such as ERNST KALTENBRUNNER and ARTHUR SEYSS-INQUART were among the defendants in the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. In theory, Austria was to be jointly administrated by the 4 Allied powers; relations between the Soviets and the western allies soon turned sour. It was only in 1955 that a STAATSVERTRAG was negotiated, according to which the Allies withdrew from Austria, granting independence, under the (Soviet) condition of political neutrality. (There is More)

[Larry Lucido]

I commend you for updating your website with the answers in a timely manner.

[Porterville]

Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal

Arnold Schwarzenegger actor, producer Birthdate: July 30, 1947. Birthplace: Graz, Austria

[edwin hubble]

This is report is nonsense.

The Soviets occupied part of Austria in the early post-war period. They withdrew, and the allies did also, under an agreement, with the condition that Austria become neutral.

The agreement came together because of the terrain and the presence of Switzerland, this was the only incidence of Russia pulling back from a wartime occupation.

[colorado tanker]

It's nonsense like this that shows how ignorant most liberals are, despite all their condescension.

Austria is a small country and Vienna is the only sizable city. Because of the Cold War it took many years to negotiate independence and an end to the occupation with the Russians.

The idea that Arnold never traveled to Vienna or the Soviet zone during all those years is an idea so stupid only an intellectual could believe it.

The claim that Austria has a conservative government is also wrong. For most of its post-war existence Austria has been governed by a left-right coalition that has created a typical European socialist-lite state, like Germany and France. Arnold was right to point out our economic system is much better at producing wealth and jobs - which is why Europeans continue to migrate to America and why the whiny liberals who keep threatening to leave don't.

[Porterville]

Where Is GRAZ on the EASTERN SIDE? NEAR WHERE? NEAR WHICH OCCUPIER? Now I don't live near Pheonix, but I can tell you about the nudie bars on the highway... or Bakersfield with The Oil derricks, or Fresno with the heat, or Eureka and the hippies, or Oregon and the Three Sisters or even Miami, Baton Rouge, Knoxville, Missipi... and I think Arnold lived a lot closer to the occupied zone than I do to Rock City TN.... So the liberals are grasping.

quote from History website

From Some History website
"In the Soviet occupied eastern half of the country, the Soviets asked Karl Renner, a Socialist leader, to form and head a provisional government whom the Soviets believed they would be able to manipulate. Renner recruited the leaders of the three nonfascist parties and established a city administration in Vienna in early April 1945. "

A French reader who lived in Austria as a boy reports, "The French Lycée in Vienna was opened shortly after the occupation began. One could find in this school a lot of French children as well as Austrian. I frequently went into the neutral secor and even the Soviet sector. The Soviet military police were very strict and dangerous. We children known that they were able to shoot, even a child. I have to say the Soviet police were always polite with me. The France-U.S.-England sectors were free, with certain limitations. It was forbiden to critisize the presence of the Allies, and still more so Soviets. (Actually there were few but committed Communists prepared to critixcise the Allies--as the alternative was the Soviets. There were informers everywhere. Conditions after the War were very difficult. Even in school we could be punished for political comments, but in hiding with friends we did discuss the politixal situation. To travel from one sector to other we needed a card; and a passport with visa for the foreigners."

[xm177e2]

Arnold never said he grew up in the Soviet Zone, he specificially said his family had to cross a border to get there. Why else would he be afraid of Soviet BORDER POLICE guarding the BORDER of the Soviet Zone that his family was passing INTO?

At the end of the day, Slate wants John Kerry in the White House. That's the only explanation I've got for this. Otherwise sane members of the media are now doing whatever they can to get their man elected.

[Major_Risktaker]

MSM planting sKerry's Kommunist
seeds of doubt.

[Porterville]

I found a map-

[Porterville]

[xzins]

Thanks, Sam. Excellent points.

The fact is that if you take all of modern Germany, East & West combined, you still have a nation that is only the size of our Montana our 4th largest state. Good sized but not enormous.

Austria is about the size of South Carolina which ranks as our 40th largest state.

Austria was divided into the British, Russian, US, and (perhaps) French sectors. You can figure that each sector had sides no longer than 50 or 60 miles. I'd say that it would have been extremely easy to drive just a little distance with the Uncle before reaching the various checkpoints.

[SirLurkedalot]

:)

[ozzymandus]

Duh, he saw russian tanks in the russian zone? Jeeze.

[California Patriot]

There is nothing in this article that discredits Arnold.
It's a smear.

Arnold did not say that he grew up with Soviets around on a regular basis. He was saying that the presence of the Soviets in his country was a psychological factor in his early life, that he was sometimes in the Soviet sector, and that it was terrifying. Nothing Mr. Noah says contradicts this.

As for the Soviets having a "legitimate reason" to arrest his father or uncle due to a Nazi background ... so what?
Having a family member arrested by the Soviets would have been terrifying because of what the Soviets were and how they operated. Arnold made a perfectly legitimate use of this story regardless of what an arrest might have been based on.

Mr. Noah, as a good liberal, is probably of the persuasion that anything done to Nazis or ex-Nazis by anyone, communists included, is justifiable. In my view, the Soviets had no moral right to punish anyone because in the end, the Stalinist regime was as bad as the Nazis.

[Bon mots]

I have actually driven from Vienna to Bratislava many times. It's only about an hour's drive or so. How is it surprising that Arnold saw Soviet soldiers?