Evening star., 1947-12-19
III. ). Writer Dislikes
Role Of 'Conqueror'
On Visit 10 Vienna
By Helene Huntington Smith

VIENNA (By Air MaiD For the
last two weeks I have been feeling
and acting like member Of a mas
ter race. This creeps up on every
body over here. You can't help it.
The other evening I went night
clubbing with an American civilian
in Vienna, who told me this was his
first American date in over q year.
He said: "You know what I noticed? ?
You kept me waiting for 10 minutes,
and 1t felt like home. No Austrian
girl would have done that"
It's the same here as in Germany;
the pitiful availability Of girls and
women who will do anything to go
out with an American, even to CIV
ing up their feminine prerogative
Of keeping man waiting.
In the night club, with q feeling
Of princely generosity, I bestowed
one cigarette as a tip on the old
woman attendant in the powder
room. The cigarette was worth a
good quarter to her, but at the tax
free post exchange price Of 8 cents
a pack, it cost me around q third
Of cent.
PIX Is Always damned.
The PX-maintained for American
personnel in this foreign outpost
is something. It is always jammed
with soldiers and civilians and their
wives buying candy, soan. cioare"+"~
Kleenex, fruit Juice, face cream and
simple articles of clothing-everyoay
necessities of American life. but they
represent the widest dream of
luxury to the Austrian girls waiting
behind the counters, who aren't al
lowed to buy anything for them
selves. It gives you a guilty feeling
to come into the PIX out of shabby
Vienna, and see the conquerors wal
lowing in their plenty. Legally, OF
course, we are not conquerors; AUS
tria is liberated country, not an
occupied one, but one forgets that.
Europe's generalization is re-
flected In the fact that whenever
you go In the war-torn, hungry
countries, you are advised to keep
everything under lock and key. But
one American gazed around at the
pre- Christmas shopping scene in the
PIX and remarked: IF 1t were the
other way around and I were an
Austrian working for US, I'd steal
everything I could get my hands on. ]"
Not Much Stealing.
Actually, there Is not much steal
ing from the post exchange. Man.
ayers are human; defective pack
ages, with torn labels or chocolates
that have gone bit stale, are given
to the employees and these trifling
gifts keep the theft problem to a
minimum. Also great deal Of
American candy ends up where 1t
will do the most good.
The head of a Europe wide relief
agency bought 500 worth for per-
sonal Christmas gifts. met an
other American, who. on a modest
civil service salary, was giving $500
worth Of chocolate and toys to q
Viennese children's hospital. A big
barrel stands by the candy counter,
collecting offerings for Austrian chill
dren's Christmas parties. It's filled
up every day or 50.
Despite their own shortages of
food and comforts, the British do
themselves very well in the matter
Of cluhs-it's an old imperial custom.
Their officers club in Vienna is the
18th century palace Of an Austrian
nobleman and is known. with superb
understatement, merely as Kinsky's.
Near the door is a very British sign
stating that members Of the club
may bring only one guest at time,
who must be an officer or a civilian
Of equivalent rank. Translated, this
means: mo Austrian girl friends
allowed"
Velvet Covers Walls.
Fat, nfe-sized marble cupids
prance on the balustrade Of the
grand staircase. Upstairs at Kinsky' s
the walls are upholstered in GRIM
son velvet; overpoweringly magnifi-
cent crystal chandeliers hang from