SOVIET INTERESTS IN ANTARCTICA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79R00890A000800010014-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 26, 1998
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: September 1, 1955
• Content Type: BRIEF

Approved For Release 2001/08/14: CIA-RDP79R0089OA000800010014-3
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Approved For Release 2001/08/14: CIA-RDP79R0089OA000800010014-3
 Approved For Release 2001108/1
Septem'~?er 1955
SOVIET INTaRF.STS IN ANTARCTICA
sq.-mi. Antarctic continent, perfian-ently ice-covered,,,
barren and hostile, has been an area of limited inter =3t to the world sE' `a
pourers since its discovery in 012 =ej tior to t1 ' genera. lack of
interest include explorers, some scientists (particularly geologists,
geophysicists, meteorologists and oceanographers), and the maritime
nations ( notably )
wh ^se whaling fleets have cruised the' forbidding Antarctic coast
regularly since ( in 1955, . factory ships and catchers,
"'
flyring the flags of _... nations, "harvested te~e~rf?Iwhale in
Antarctic waters).
A. Other exceptions to this lack of interest, whose motivations range
from national pride, through geographic propincl'iity, to hard-handed
geopolitics, include 1!rr CO"N005 Of
;. Arkentina and Chile - - (insert motivation)
2. Australia and New Zealand - - (L-sert motivation)
and France
'3. The U! - - (insert rsotivatior.)
and;
4. The US and the USSR.
73. Sovlet activity in the Antarcti: dates from. . and has included
the foil owitig'.
e4tOwq.e
1. Historically, Russian interest in the area stems from the _>e
LVOmt I LL$CjjMJSVeM? f iJ'i* 2!) As T. o~itl~er'ay~
exp-ora ory voyages eri od m#ieh put
Rusivia;; place'rnames on the AntarctLc map.
2,~q~8~gd Fa~~'a.~rR~ii'iQ@U~6??1~Q2~43~1
n;,-. retica did not begin until last winter (the Antarctic "swarmer").
 ovlet ti?es~,-ele departed
to the frozen continent 355
ICA-R?P79R00890A000800011-0014-3
ar oval of the
4K
'-,tafo z. '!is last
a tt: ? ae s ~ :
on 18 March 1 , the USSR had
de it
ientific and support, personnel, 4
hircraf t (ranging from ,._ to ..... , ) and
ovisions, housing equipment and fuel.
A. IGpermanent 1 aaee were established, at 1V ESA f_ 4"' 41442A I ta? f4UslsM?s i*404awe int ? DiANN - #4uif O~VA.Nvt.AAWfirs
-MA
' pje? si(Ay ).
:1 amot f _ _____
1 When the last of the Soviet ships left Mj'egy/
scientists, technicians and aides remained behind, to "winter
over" until the arrival of the next supply expedition'C due in
1957).
B. A description of these permanent bases gives some meafrare of the
USSR's wholehearted support of this Antarctic er ort.
1. ltirnyy ( -tv ! - the main base - - is toasted at
(see map). It can accomodate 100. There are barracks,
three laboratories, five scientific as of the
U^SR's six Antarctic aircraft are located there; as are
of the 40 vehicle-s.? Tte winter co plement numbers
oiaagnttic Station
during the 1957-1959 Tnternatianal G:iophysic= l Year'MY) - -
located at . It can accomodate' . There are
barracks, . laboratories and scientific e.
' lrp ifu ttOsd lH : C A_FR~A WbRWOW 16014-3
vehicles and of its planes are touted there.
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?. T iener"skay"a ("Pioneer"), an interior base, is located
, at an altitude of 9,000 ft. (map).
It was established by a combination of air-lift sledge-train
and can accomodate, - . Its buildings include
and its winter, complement numbers
It boasts a ft. airstrip. With the establishment of
Pionerskaya, the USSR is able to claim the first interior
scientific station in the history of the Antarctic.
its
Imo. Frcrn/i t arrival An January 1956 to the presant, the Soviet
Antarctic expedition has accomplished the following works
A. Air mapping:
A. Marine chartings
C. Ground reconnaissance and mapping:
D. Geophysics (including
S. Oceanography:
F. Meteorology:
-TT TA
o i6 ?'a ~ lS ~, fr wk, T Ulf"r , X rt -E /Pep in; :; ? '_ oar- t t 4
1r m.
miles on.the ground, cruised miles of 'seacoast and
put Russian names to
Antarctic terrain features (%a mw ,fir
tici,B
8/1.4 CIA-RDP79R 90A000800#
the Soviet scientists also held four
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cerem6nial flag-raisings, and depoeitid duplicate records in
flag-marked cairns at two other points (map).
B. As a footnote to this, Chairman of the Soviet
Academy of Science' a 'Council on Antarctic Research", in march 1956,.
made it a point to emphasise:
1. Initial Rust" discovery of Antarctica]
2. A ntarctica's importance "in a strategic aspect";
3. Soviet "rejec4.ion" of the so-called "Sector" principle
of various national claim. to Antarctic territory; and
4. Soviet insistence on & -voice in arty international division
the
of/Antarcttc.k It *'
it is noteworthy that all the Soviet activity here detailed has
taken place before the official star$ of the International
7
Geophysical Tear. (1957-58). During the ICY, the USSR plans. even
more ambitious undertakings. 7
and perhaps seven 2 ?
A. Six/permanent stations will be established (v. 3 in 1956);
B. Fifty or sixty "mobile" stations will be set up (v. 4 in .1956);
C. On-th.?-ground reconnaissance Is envisioned, tram coast to Pole,
along a 1,000-mile etrpteh of coastline (from 70 to 105E; see map).
insert D.)
B. Finally, same Soviet scientific detachments will remain in
Antatrotica even after the close of the Geophysical ' ewf oeq
research in , .
of studies outside the scope of the IGi progrm) envision
D. The scientific proVsn (which, even in 1956, embraced a number
.: activities which no other IGT participant
in Antarctica will pursue.
the question of nabtivation arises.
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ph-#, - f t e Iay pror ati and
iat l,: 4 ~c
w4'taling f :Srit C)f* , le3 J ?
3i7$18ia
I new
add! tidnal...wl:ale
tk(~ re4:,rt states
1
nd..v~}? ti?.. gayer w. ;.:i:. nc .wu ..rt
v a_. ? 5 c f^a ?.,~+a'.
s T
eC-AWMAW
q 5t t vs - Ss14F 1 .
lz4lk
rAW u
. n 1r X'T 1'^cs:"3( ,..~ Cirf ,C19 ;i ft~+#Fi1S2"r {:
N rthc r! nea ,-titP during aran ial t.:.r ?a.
f r1 s'v
; r .1 .
46
f,:)ll.ows. At n; A:.cnta desp t.e a ri:;md:er of national claims to ";
^crd mot : ,:a~.;ar ccribtne e ortont-c and ge ,o1itlpal oon idrat".
Antarctic territory (w ,ch ;the USSR oppose $ princix.ik) , no Rats:
ac t:.._,ll y has
tsx era'
? eon ~_r?~^_t ic'n s nri ?. r
a Zo.-d chance rrf knowing chat ,, 1i
the ft. tce-hover if, * a
T us, ar`y lA n,; the TJSSR may in ar. eventual partit .or
Antarctic a among the pcwerr,, am likely to be based .on kiaowl edge
z .at hei' than speculation.
"':ier a are Bother fringe benef' t m which the T1 R will derive from its
e F.ay9.icns Know-how on cold weather op,!rations, testing of high-latIt,:i
- . r 1 r g and na-dgetioj techniques., and the like. All of those w?1.
r of Y :I.r
omp>>z i - . f;ac~lttf.Y surveying by its 'GT e ^ 1? .
E
wane ane that the - o-vie i s have
any idea of w}iat it, might pcpsea - in the way,.. of ~ rlr~
o f econorn. ;ale was
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7Yhe TJTO-Sr . htia\rl
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< -I ;lei f: ~ #':. .?a.. ' [7 '.1.i 5..., S.. .. ..
ffort _ :r, excasa of th t.'rsy red.1~ the glac:o c~;y
e,.IGY j has applicability
ot,skdie or
guided missile operations would, of course, give the USSR
oviet Arctic'. 'these f .ind iriis'', are', l ke
ientists with refinemients
20 Appiioability of such refined data to, the pr+oblern,of long-range
substantial advantage in thi.a field, of warfare.
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