The fall in the U.S. public debt/GDP ratio from 106% in 1946 to 23% in 1974 is often attributed to high rates of economic growth. This paper examines the roles of three other factors: primary budget surpluses, surprise inflation, and pegged interest rates before the Fed-Treasury Accord of 1951....

Recommended readings (Machine generated): 1. James E. Meade (1958), 'Is the National Debt a Burden?', Oxford Economic Papers, 10 (2), June, 163-83 -- 2. Franco Modigliani (1961), 'Long-Run Implications of Alternative Fiscal Policies and the Burden of the National Debt', Economic Journal, 71...