Telegram from Ambassador David Bruce to Secretary of State Dean Acheson

'NCOMING TELEGRAM DEPARTMENT OF STATE-DIVISION OF COMMUNICATIONS AND RECORDS TELEGRAPH BRANCH 5-H-X TOP SECRET 919 Action: EUR Control 584 Info: 3S Rec!d February 1, 1950 G 3:40 p.m. E GER FROM: Paris I OLI TO: Secretary of State DCR NO: 500, February 1, 8 p.m. SENT DEPARTMENT 500, REPEATED LONDON 164, VIENNA 16; DEPARTMENT PASS MOSCOW 33. EYES ONLY FOR THE SECRETARY FROM THE AMBASSADOR AND BOHLEN; EYES ONLY FOR THE AMBASSADORS LONDON, VIENNA, MOSCOW. We had lunch alone with Gruber today and took up with him the points outlined in Department's 403 of January 30. After considerable preliminary conversation on the status of the treaty negotiations in London and his estimate of the Soviet intentions in this respect which will be dis- cussed in subsequent part of this cable, we told Gruber that there was concern in Washington at the persistent rumors from a variety of sources and: places that the Soviet Covernment had made an approach to the Austrian Government For bilateral negotiations on some of the principal points in the Austrian treaty; that these reports had been so persistent that we wished to take advantage of this luncheon in order to ask him if he could tell us frankly whether there was any foundation whatsoever to these reports Gruber categorically and repeatedly denied that there had been any Soviet approach. He stated that he had so in- formed Erhardt last Sunday and had shown him in confirma - tion thereof the text of Bicchof's reports to the Austrian Foreign Office on any conversations which he had recently held with Soviet officials. He implied that Erhardt had been convinced by these cables that there was nothing in these reports. He said not only was there no truth in these reports, but should in the future the Russians attempt any such maneuver he would immediately consult with the three Western Powers and repeatedly stated that the Austrian Government could not contemplate any arrangement C DECLASSIFIED with the TRINAN Authority NLT- the 82-18 TOP SECRET STATE DEPT. LTR. 12.1-62 E C PATIONAL $ RECORDEND By B/C NLT Date 1-24-13 ap INFORMATION COPY