Stefan Thomas Possony: An Austrian-American Economist and Military Strategist
Born in the grand, yet increasingly troubled, city of Vienna, Austria on March 15, 1913, Stefan Thomas Possony was a figure whose intellect cast a long shadow across the fields of economics and military strategy. His life, spanning from the twilight of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the dawn of the digital age, concluded in Los Altos, California, United States, on April 26, 1995. Possony was not merely an academic; he was a strategist who grappled with the most profound threats of his time, earning a reputation as a formidable mind in the study of communism and its methodologies of conflict.
Early Life and Intellectual Genesis
Possony's formative years were steeped in the intellectual ferment of interwar Vienna. He graduated in 1930 from the esteemed University of Vienna, a crucible of thought where he honed his understanding of History and Economics. His academic journey culminated in a PhD in political science, a discipline he would come to redefine through his unique strategic lens.
His early career saw him employed by the foreign ministry, a position that placed him at the heart of Austria's precarious political landscape. Following 1934, he became an active participant in the efforts of the Schuschnigg government to thwart the looming specter of Nazi Germany's expansionism, a desperate struggle against the impending Anschluss. The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in March 1938 forced his hand, compelling him to seek refuge first in Czechoslovakia. When that nation, too, fell under German occupation in March 1939, Possony embarked on a perilous flight to France.
Prior to his departure from Austria, in August 1938, Possony found himself among the intellectuals gathered for the Colloque Walter Lippmann. This gathering was dedicated to the ambitious goal of revitalizing classical liberal ideas, which had seen a regrettable decline in public discourse since the 1920s and 1930s. Driven by this conviction, Possony joined the French Foreign Affairs ministry, serving as a counselor in the critical field of psychological warfare. His expertise also extended to advising the French Armed Forces, a testament to his growing influence and the urgent need for strategic foresight.
The outbreak of World War II and the subsequent occupation of France by the German Army presented Possony with an even more immediate danger. As someone who had actively opposed Austria's annexation, he found himself on the Gestapo's wanted list. Though taken into custody, a remarkable twist of fate allowed him to escape, a feat that underscored his resourcefulness and perhaps a touch of destiny.
His initial plan to flee across the Spanish border was complicated by the unfolding conflict. However, fortune favored him, and in 1940, as the Wehrmacht advanced into Paris, he managed to secure passage for himself and his first wife to French Algeria. From this North African outpost, he navigated his way to the United States, a nation that would become his adopted home and the stage for his most impactful work. Upon his arrival, he immediately lent his considerable talents to US Military Intelligence, a crucial contribution during a global conflagration.
Academic Acumen and Strategic Foresight
In the United States, Possony's intellectual trajectory continued its ascent. He was appointed to a position at Princeton University, a renowned center of learning. Later, he transitioned to Georgetown University, where he became a professor, guiding graduate studies for numerous students, including active-duty military officers. Throughout this period, he maintained his vital role as a consultant to the Pentagon, bridging the gap between academic theory and practical defense policy.
Possony possessed an uncanny ability to anticipate geopolitical shifts. He was among the select group of analysts who accurately predicted the timing of the Soviet Union's first nuclear test, a chilling harbinger of the nuclear age.
His later career saw him associated with Stanford University, another bastion of intellectual inquiry. It was during this period that he collaborated with William Kintner and Robert Strausz-Hupé on the seminal Cold War strategy treatise, The Protracted Conflict. This work, which posited that the conflict with communism was a long-term, multi-faceted struggle, became a cornerstone of strategic thinking.
In 1968, in collaboration with Jerry Pournelle and Francis X. Kane, Possony co-authored The Strategy of Technology: Winning the Decisive War. This influential book contained a pivotal chapter titled "Assured Survival." In it, Possony launched a vigorous argument against the prevailing doctrine of "Assured Destruction," advocating instead for robust strategic defenses, including the critical need for defenses against Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
Possony ascended to the position of Senior Fellow and director of International Studies at the prestigious Hoover Institution. His influence extended directly into the highest echelons of American policymaking. In 1980, he played a significant role in the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy. This council was instrumental in formulating the space strategy policy for the transition team of the incoming Reagan administration. The council's membership included formidable figures such as General Daniel O. Graham. Their recommendations were bold and far-reaching, advocating for the development of sophisticated anti-ballistic missile systems. These included ambitious concepts such as space-based defense weapons, ground-based laser systems augmented by mirrors in orbit, and even nuclear defensive weapons designed to intercept massive, coordinated ICBM attacks.
Through his work with the Hoover Institution and his direct engagement with the Reagan administration's policy development, Possony significantly influenced Ronald Reagan. This influence culminated in Reagan's 1983 announcement initiating the development of precisely such a defensive system: the Strategic Defense Initiative, often colloquially referred to as "Star Wars." Possony's vision, once a theoretical construct, was being translated into a tangible program designed to alter the very calculus of nuclear deterrence.
In 1982, recognizing the need for a dedicated forum for strategic dialogue, Possony co-founded the International Strategic Studies Association.
Personal Life and Legacy
Possony's personal life was marked by the same turbulence and resilience that characterized his professional endeavors. He met his wife, Regina Golbinder Possony, in the United States after his arrival from Spain. Regina, like Stefan, was a refugee, having been forced to flee her native Germany due to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Her story was one of profound hardship; she was a survivor of Stalin's prison camps in the Soviet Union, where she had been sent with her father and family. As both a Jew and a self-proclaimed Communist, their chances of survival in Nazi Germany were virtually nil, making the grim prospect of imprisonment under Stalin a stark, yet comparatively preferable, alternative.
In the bleak confines of the Soviet camps, Regina's situation saw a marginal improvement thanks to an acquaintance she had made in her youth during a family visit to the United States: none other than Albert Einstein. She penned a letter from the camp, addressed simply to "Dr. Albert Einstein, United States of America," which, remarkably, was successfully delivered by the US Post Office to Princeton University. Einstein, a figure of immense compassion and intellect, not only replied but also sent a small package containing essential food and hygienic goods. This act of kindness, it is reported, subtly elevated Regina's standing within the Soviet system, offering a glimmer of hope in an otherwise desperate existence.
Tragedy struck in 1985 when Stefan suffered a stroke. In the face of overwhelming medical prognoses, Regina demonstrated extraordinary devotion and strength. She single-handedly cared for him for ten years, a decade longer than any medical professional had predicted he would survive. This period of profound personal challenge did not diminish Possony's intellectual contributions entirely, but it marked a significant turn in his life.
Stefan Thomas Possony died in Los Altos, California, in 1995, leaving behind a legacy as a sharp, incisive thinker who profoundly shaped strategic discourse during the latter half of the 20th century. His work on communism, strategic defense, and the intersection of technology and warfare continues to be studied, a testament to the enduring relevance of his insights. He was, as his friend Jerry Pournelle so aptly put it, "one of the great men of this century although few have heard of him today." A quiet titan, whose ideas echoed louder than his name.
Publications
Possony's extensive body of work reflects his deep engagement with the critical issues of his time:
- Possony, S. Th. (1938). Die Wehrwirtschaft des totalen Krieges. Gerold & Co.
- Possony, S. T. (1953). A Century of Conflict. Communist Techniques of World Revolution. Henry Regnery Company.
- Possony, S. T. (1960). "Communist Psychological Warfare". In Hahn, W. F., Neff, J. C. (eds.). American Strategy for the Nuclear Age. Anchor Books (Doubleday).
- Possony, S. T. (1964). Strategie des Friedens. Sicherheit und Fortschritt im Atomzeitalter. Verlag Wissenschaft und Politik.
- Possony, S. T., Pournelle, J. E. (1970). The Strategy of Technology: Winning the Decisive War. University Press of Cambridge. ISBN 978-0-8424-0015-2.
- Possony, S. T. (1974). Waking up the Giant: The Strategy for American Victory and World Freedom. Arlington House. ISBN 978-0-87000-206-9.