Gertrude Enderle-Burcel, Dieter Stiefel, Alice Teichova (Hrsg.): Sonderband 9. „Zarte Bande” – Österreich und die europäischen planwirtschaftlichen Länder / „Delicate Relationships” – Austria and Europe’s Planned Economies (2006)
Eduard Kubů: Restoration and Régularisation of Economie Cooperation under the Circumstances of Accelerating Cold War
position in Austrian international trade relations.8 He interpreted the agreement and the other results of his trip optimistically. During the negotiations, he allegedly acquired the belief that the leadership of the Czechoslovak state would contribute to improvement of the economic and political situation of the Danube basin.9 * * Official relations between the states were at least partly regularised at an interstate level. However, this does not mean that the trade exchange was taking place in a standard manner. The compensatory transactions were often carried out in an unclear manner. Illicit trade thrived and this was true not only for illicit trade with food and consumer goods in the internal Austrian and Czechoslovak markets, where the Nazi-introduced ration system persisted due to lack of goods, but this was also true for international deals. This was true for trade transactions between Germany and Austria as well as for trade between Austria and Czechoslovakia. Illicit trade was conducted in Prague with the knowledge of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and other central bodies and even with their assistance. For example, Stalin’s Enterprises in Zaluzi u Mostu imported electrodes, ball bearings and parts for cars from Austria. The business deal took place as follows: Reichmarks were delivered abroad by the messenger post service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and this money was used to purchase goods. Czechoslovakia purchased copper for worthless Reichmarks, and on this transaction alone it saved 0.5 million dollars. It was symptomatic that the goods were exported via the Soviet occupation zone. The Soviets allowed the transit of copper on condition that they would be given half of the copper transported across their zone.1“ The Ministry of Foreign Trade (MFT) considered these deals to be useful and profitable and, with full knowledge, cooperated with dubious characters. However, an analysis of the opportunities provided by illicit trade stated that Czechoslovakia had not taken advantage of the opportunities of the black market to such an extent as the Poles and Yugoslavs had done in Germany and for example Bulgarians in Austria. These countries created special organisations for conducting illicit trade. A specialist was sent to Austria, who was to further elaborate this trade organisationally. For this purpose, a fictitious company was incorporated in Liechtenstein, which imported goods from Austria and also imported goods from other countries, primarily from the USA and France via Austria. The company imported goods, which were substantially more expensive and, moreover, Restoration and Régularisation of Economic Cooperation 8 Interview of K. Gruber for Ceskoslovenskâ tiskovà kancelàf [Czechoslovak Press Agency] from December 14, 1945, Nârodni osvobozeni [National Liberation] 15.12.1945, article‘‘Rakousko chce upevnit své styky s Ceskoslovenskem” [Austria wishes to firm the ties with Czechoslovakia], NAP, MFA-APC, box 411. 9 Ibid, Rude prâvo 23.12.1945 [Red Right December 23, 1945], article “Rakouskÿ statnik o Ceskoslovensku” [Austrian Statesman about Czechoslovakia]. 1,1 NAP, MFT 1945-1954, Sekretariat viceministra E. Löbla [seceretariat of viceminister E. LObl], box no. 29, an undated analysis titled Cierny obchod v medziStàtnom styku [Illicit Trade in International Relations], [the end of 1946 - E.K..]. 201
