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Battle of Giants. Early this month, when UNRRA declared that it could not continue feeding Austria unless help was forthcoming from the occupation armies, Clark declared in the Allied Control Council that all U.S. surplus stores (which had accumulated under his stringent conservation orders) were available for the purpose. With an eye on the Austrian Food Minister, who was present at the session, he declared: "I had hoped my Soviet colleagues would want to participate in alleviating the suffering of the Austrian people, but as they won't, the U.S. will do it alone." After hurried consultation, the Russians decided to participate.
Through similar diplomatic maneuvers, Clark 1) curbed inflation, by barring Russia's access to Austrian currency reserves; 2) pressed down exorbitant Russian occupation cost levies by more than half; 3) slowed down the Russians' grabbing of "German assets" under the loosely drawn Potsdam agreement. The Russians still refuse even to discuss a definition of what constitutes a German asset, claiming as German everything the Nazis stole from the Austrians.
Clark quickly learned how to use the Russians' obvious weaknesses. When they seized the Zistersdorf oilfields, he innocently inquired during a Council session: "Supposing we consider pig iron. Do you need any?" The interpreter snapped back: "Marshal Konev wishes General Clark to know that the Soviet Union does not need pig iron from anyone." Replied Clark quietly: "All right then, let's take the case of oil." The Russians, who never admit publicly that the Red Army needs oil, agreed to let almost the entire Zistersdorf output go to cover Austria's own needs.
Despite such maneuvers, the Russians still like Clark, respectfully refer to him as the "American Eagle." When Marshal Konev recently presented him with a bird dog puppy, Clark declared he would name it Ya Soglasen (Russian for "I agree"). Konev wanted to know why. "Because," said Clark, "this is a word I use so seldom otherwise."
Uses of Publicity. Clark talks (and sometimes curses) out of the side of his mouth, though his vocabulary of profanity is limited; his favorite epithet, which he shares with Ike Eisenhower, is "ybsob" (code for yellow-bellied s.o.b.). Clark is no intellectual, knows little and cares less about art and literature; friends estimate that his yearly ration of books amounts to two at the most.
Perhaps Clark's greatest asset is his personal charm, his biggest failing an insatiable appetite for publicity. (Once, during a concert in Salzburg, he suddenly appeared in his box bathed in bluish light while the orchestra played ruffles & flourishes.) But he has managed to turn even this fault to good use. Whenever the Russians are too adamant he calls in the boys of the press. He has found that Moscow is sensitive to U.S. and world public opinion; on occupation matters—such as Russia's recent-land-grab attempt in Burgenland—the Reds sometimes bow to hostile press criticism.