The contributors to this volume examine selected aspects of economic and foreign policy relationships between the United States and Western Europe from historical as well as contemporary perspectives. Topics focused upon include the unsuccessful attempts by the Soviet Union and the Western allies in the 1950s to remedy the division of Germany; the circumstances leading to the 1955 peace treaty between the Soviet Union and Austria; the impact of the Marshall Plan and earlier U.S. aid efforts on the economic recovery of Austria; and the effects of divergent public opinion in Western Europe on the formulation and implementation of contemporary U.S. and NATO security policies. Bruno Kreisky's essay is unique inasmuch as the former chancellor of Austria bases his observations on personal contacts with many world leaders, including U.S. presidents from Truman to Reagan. The contribution by Senator Mathias offers unusual insights derived from his long tenure on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
