In pos/world/ War II Austria, as American and Soviet occupation forces fought for “hearts and minds,” one shrewd U.S. intelligence analyst figured out how to get what he needed — with benefits. He befriended one of Vienna’s best-known opera stars, someone who knew everyone and everything. In exchange for a few sausages from the government mess, he was happy to pass along the very best of rumors … and front-row tickets to boot.
Most folks credit the 1947 Marshall Plan with rebuilding Western Europe. But the United States provided something more critical than money. The bedrock upon which the Europeans rebuilt was the security and stability provided by U.S. occupation forces. And the ingenuity of GIs — of soldiers interacting with civilians in the wake of the war — played a vital and largely unrecognized role in providing that bedrock.
