"For me, it was a great misfortune that the Americans left..."

"The Americans were a very positive economic factor, a powerful economic factor. To give you an example: In my school, there was a sort of celebration for all the classes when the Americans withdrew their troops and Austria was finally free. And I caused some sort of disturbance because I made a remark that showed my true feelings. Because for me , it was a great misfortune that the Americans left. I didn't look at it so euphorically with these cries of `Austria is now free!' and so forth. For me, it was a tragedy, a great misfortune that the Americans were gone because I had lost my job as a paper boy for `Stars and Stripes'. And then there was this big celebration with `Hooray! They're gone at last!' and I wasn't thrilled at all. And I had to report to the principal's office, but he saw that I was just a little emotional because I had lost my job."

Helmut B., born in 1937, after 1950 was a paper boy for `Stars and Stripes' in the Siezenheim Barracks in the city of Salzburg (Boltzmann- Institut/Steinocher-Fonds Interview Archive, Salzburg)