Erhardt, John G. Papers

U.S. Minister to Austria, 1946-1950.

The papers of John G. Erhardt consist of correspondence, directives, reports, printed materials, and other items pertaining to the military occupation of Austria after World War II and postwar relations between the United States and Austria.

Size: Less than one linear foot (approximately 600 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: The donor’s copyright interest in this collection was given to the United States of America. Documents created by U.S. government officials in the course of their duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents in the collection presumably belongs to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Randy Sowell (2025).

John George Erhardt was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 4, 1889. He earned a Ph.B. degree at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York in 1915, and attended Fordham University Law School before serving in the U.S. Army during World War I. Erhardt briefly practiced law in New York City before joining the U.S. Consular Service in 1920. At various times, he served as Consul in Greece, Canada, and France; as Consul General in Hamburg, Germany, from 1933 to 1937; and as Consul General and First Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in London from 1939 to 1941. He also held several high-level positions at the State Department in Washington, such as Director of the Office of Foreign Service Administration. In 1945, Erhardt was named political adviser to the commanding U.S. general in Austria, Mark W. Clark, with the rank of Minister. On August 3, 1946, he was appointed U.S. Minister to Austria by President Truman. Erhardt presented his credentials as Minister on September 7, 1946, and served in that post until June 27, 1950. His official title was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Erhardt was named U.S. Ambassador to South Africa in 1950. While serving there, he died in Cape Town on February 18, 1951.

The papers of John G. Erhardt consist of correspondence, directives, reports, printed materials, and other items pertaining to the military occupation of Austria after World War II and postwar relations between the United States and Austria. The collection includes memorandums regarding the appointment of Erhardt as political adviser to the commander of U.S. forces in Austria; documentation of negotiations between the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and France that established the Allied occupation of the country; and reports on the economic situation in Austria and the negotiation of a peace treaty.

A "Black Book" in the collection contains copies of documents concerning Austria, including international declarations and agreements, directives, U.S. press statements, and policy and background papers prepared in Washington. A “Summary Book” contains additional directives, along with statements of U.S. policy regarding Austria and a summary of important issues requiring agreement among the Allies. The documents in the two briefing books concern such matters as de-Nazification, relations between the military authorities and the new Austrian government, and economic policy. The papers also include a report on the history of Austria, its postwar political parties, the policies of the Soviet Union in its areas of occupation, and major problems during the occupation period. Some pages were missing from both books of documents, and from the report, when the Truman Library received Erhardt’s papers.