CONDITIONS IN KULDIGA AND OTHER TOWNS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A000500480006-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 4, 2009
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: August 10, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SNCPZT
SECURITY INFORMATION
COUNTRY USSR (Lattian SSR)
e 64' JJCT
This Document contain information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
in` of Title 18, sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of Its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form Is prohibited.
Conditions in Kuldiga and Other Towns DATE DISTR. 10 August 1953
REPORT
NO. OF PAGES 12
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
1. No war damage could be seen in Kuldiga (N56-58, 221-59); if there was any, it
had been cleared away. Following is a discussion of points of interest in
Kuldiga, as shown on the sketch, page 11:
a. newly-built homes for workmen 0A D2012001& iela between Skrundas25X1
e a,,;tn. the Yenta River. These were one-family, one-story houses lining
both sides of the street.
b. In the park near the western end of the bridge over the Yenta there was a
barracks, No. -I or.1 the sketch, page 11. It was a long, two-story, redbrick
building. I
25X1
c. On the street leading from the Old Marketplace,No..2, along the Vulkans
Factory, No. 3, to Skrundas iela and the railroad station, a new theater had
been built in addition to the old one, No. 4. The new building was better
,and larger than the old one.l Two performances were held daily, from 2000 to
=0 hours and from 2200 to 2400 hours. A worker could afford the price of
admission, but the theater was never overcrowded., Occasionally an acceptable
German film was shown, but the pictures'were.mostly Soviet propaganda films.
d. In addition to the Vulkans Factory there was the Tuku Fabrika, or Clothing
Factory, in the southwest part of town. It was on the street which joined
Liepajas Iola on the left as one came from the Old Marketplace. Clothes
were manufactured and dyed there= the waters of a tributary to the Yenta
'were often colored by the dyes.
e. The old, red-brick bridge, No. 5, across the Yenta River was undamaged and
ft guarded. To the right of the bridge was a museum in an old building in
the park on the town side of the river. Weapons from World Wars I and II
were on display there. It was open only on Sundays.
FBI
S_ I
25X1
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f. The bathhouse was in its former place downstream near the bridge. It was
open on Saturday; a person could swim as long as he wished after paying the
fee.
g. Bow-nets for catching river lampreys had been placed in the famous fall
+hp Van+e +.ha R?m'he 111% R Thaaa nai:a mart? (11E( tpc 1 in Lacy i-an
25X1
A bulb would last a few months in
Kuldiga; The current consumption was
read once a month There was a
plan to build an electric ower station at the Rumba, but the work had not
yet begun in"May 1951; about five years' preparation would
be needed for the project, as all great Soviet plane seemed to require this
amount of time for fruition.
h. On the south side of the Old Marketplace, in the former town hall, now re-
named the Party House,. were the Kuldiga Town and the Kuldiga District
Executive Committees. This building was a three-story yellow structure.
The clock in its facade was still running.
I. On the east side of the Old Marketplace, opposite Liepajas iela, was a
hotel which seemed to be in its former location. Its first story held a
little restaurant, the second, a ballroom. The only dances in Kuldiga were
held there on Saturdays at 2000 hours; they did not occur every week.
Although the price was high, the dances were always overcrowded. The visitors
were young people 18 to 20 years old, and a few Soviets. The waltz was the
most common dance, and dancing lasted until morning. The militiaman on duty
in the ballroom would intervene whenever someone was drunk, but there was
seldom a fight. Kuldiga had no legitimate theater or circus.
J.
In the Old Marketplace there were a radio repair shop, a library, and the
Venta shoemakers' shop. On Liepajas iela at the first left-hand corner
from the Old Marketplace was a restaurant, No. 9 on the map.
k. All marketing took place in the New Marketplace, No. 10, which was built
before the war on the right side of Liepajas iela, behind the hospital.
At the northwest corner of the New Marketplace began a street, formerly
called Piltenes iela, which joined Ventspils iela one-half kilometer to
the north.
1. The hospital, go. 11, was situated at the corner of Liepajas and Kalpaka
:lelas, part of it being in the former District Police Building, No. 12.
The hospital had a department for respiratory diseases. The clinic, No. 14,
was located on Ventspils iela almost opposite the Lutheran church,No. 15.
The clinic had dental offices and offices for diseases of the eye and ear
as well.
m. Opposite the hospital,at the corner of Liepajas iela,was the post office,
No. 13.
n. The Lutheran church,No. 15, and the Catholic church were used as rang is
No services were held there, but there was a pastor in Kuldiga.
few people went to church, because Communist theory had replaced re-
ligion, and Party meetings had replaced church services. A synagogue was
:Locatea on the street running parallel to Liepajas iela to the north. It
is No. 22 on the sketch.
o. The Militia Office, No. 16, was on the left side of the street leading from
the Lutheran church to the Venter bridge. Nearby was the MVD building, No. 17.
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p. Nearer the bridge, on the left, was a mill using water power, No.18.
q. The MTS and bus repair shop, No. 19, was located in the northern part of
town where Ventspils and Piltenes ielas met, about one-half kilometer from
the center of town. A high wooden fence surrounded the area.2 There was
no garage, and the buses were parked in the open air. One repair shop took
care of all the buses.
r. The gymnasium, No. 20, was on Liepajas iela near the hospital. The elemen-
te,ry school, No. 21, was located on the next street north of and parallel to
Liepajas iela, near the Jewish synagogue, No. 22.
s. The railroad station had not been moved from its usual place, No. 23. It
contained a waiting room and a restaurant. The regular railroad tracks
from Lepaya (N56-32, E21-02) continued for about 100 meters beyond the
station.
t. The library was near the Old Marketplace. (Latvians were
so depressed that they had no interest in singing or in singing festivals.
They were forced to sing the Soviet and Latvian anthems on May Day; these
songs had the same tune but different words,
u. There was no newspaper published in Kuldiga. The following newspapers were
available: Cina, Pravd, and Padomiu Latv1"ia, all costing from 20 to 30
kopeks. the Cina which was sold abroad was 25X1
not the same as-the Latvian edition.
2. Kuldiga's streets were not asphalted, but paved. Only the New Marketplace ws,s
made of concrete. The streets were lighted during the night but compared with
a cox arable town the li htin was insufficient. 25X1
The following streets had their old
names: Liepajas iela, Ventspils iela, Dzelzcela Lela, Kalna iela, Skrundas iela,
Darza iela, and Piltenes iela. The names of th?, streets were written in Latvian.
All roads were in bad condition because of lack of repair. The kolkhozy were
supposed to maintain them, but they did not have enough money to do so. Only
the asphalt road from Kuldiga to Skrunda (N56-41, E22-01) was in good condition.
In winter the roads were cleared by snowploughs pushed by Stalinets tractors on
caterpillar tracks. Only the Vulkans Factory and the tractor station had aso-
line pumps. The main roads had siangoats in Latvian and Rusai n 25X1
3. On the Kuldiga-to-Lepaya, narrow-gauge railroad line$trains were in operation
only from.Kuldi a t Ed le (N57-Ol, E21-42) or Alsunga (N56-58, E21-33) and
back, trains did not go to Lepaya because that was a re- 25X1
stricted area. only the tracks were small; the trains themselves
were of normal size. There were no railroad police on this line, nor were there
any in Kuldiga railroad station. Lepaya and Aizpute (N56-43, E21-35) were con-
nected by a narrow-gauge railroad. On the way, militiamen checked passengers to
be sure they had the required personal documents and s r v to enter the re-
stricted area of Lepaya. The fares and timetable on this line were unknown.
]there was a railroad from Kuldiga to Aizpute, 25X1
There was a bus line from Kuldiga to Aizpute. a us left
Kuldiga at 0900 hours, and arrived in Aizpute at 1000; it left Aizpute,for
Kuldiga at 1200. The bus from Kuldiga to Lepaya ran through Aizpute. These
buses were either big, blue ones, or small, gray-green,Soviet ZISes, which ran
when the larger buses were overcrowded. From the bus station in Kuldiga the
buses went to the New Marketplace,where passengers boarded. The bus departed
Kuldiga at 1000 hours, and arrived in Lepaya at 1200. This buP could carry
about 15 passengers, and the driver took the tickets. The taxi stand in Kuldiga
was located on the Old Marketplace. The taxis in Kuldiga, Riga, and Lepaya were
all of a light-gray color.
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4. Kuldiga's telephone exchange was located on Liepajas iela, opposite the hospital,
inn the post office. There was a telephone directory for public use, but no
public telephones. Vulkans Factory had a few telephones- Letters could be sent
from the Latvian SSR to other SSRs; those going to foreign countries could just
be dropped into a mailbox. Stamps could be purchAsed only at the post office,
where one could also buy stationery and envelopes. Stationery could also be
bought at the stationer's, in contrast to Upeegriva (N57-23, E23-00),where one
someltimes had to make one's own envelopes.
5. Soviets comprised about one-third of the total population of Kuldiga. There
were Soviet
i
i
i
c
v
l
an workers at the Vulkans Factory, and Soviet military persons
belonging to the infantry company located in Kuldiga. They came to Latvia
gladly because living conditions were better there than in the USSR. There were
some Jews, mostly salesmen in the shops, nobody, not even 25X1
the officers, believed the official propaganda against the West. The officers
who h
d b
a
een in Germany called it lies. Gypsies were in Kuldiga and its en-
virons. The strolled about with aons, begging and s ealin . 25X1
German experts
or s: a wor men were no rit
a owe o repatr ate to Germany.
German from Kaliningrad (N54-42, E20-31) had to remain in Kul ga working as 25X1
the shoemaker in the Venta shop near the Old Marketplace. He did not wish to
return to Germany, since he believed the propaganda which described living con-
ditions there as being very bad, wit1f hunger, unemployment, and so on. The
older people did not understand Russian, but,the children spoke it. In common
conversation the word "comrade" was not used, nor were "mister" and "citizen,
but only the person's name, the streets as being always 75X1
crowded, ormer y u gas streets were usually empty.
25X1
6. The following points about Kuldiga's economy and living conditions were stated
a. Clothing: Leather jackets were observed only in Lepaya, because they were
very expensive. A so-called jockey cap was usually worn. Almost all
kolkhozniki had leather boots; rubber boots were not observed. Only Soviet
soldiers wore their hair cut short. There were no beggars in Kuldiga.
b. Housing:
L__J One old man in the shop had built a house of his own with the help 25X1
of a state loan; the building costs amounted to 30,000 rubles. The money
had to be repaid. The house was in a row of similar houses built for other
workers of the factory; it was a one-story, wooden house' with three rooms
and a kitchen. It had water pipes and electricity, but no bath. The wooden
walls were filled with sawdust. There was no central heating, and wood was
used for the stoves. Two cartloads of waste plywood used for heating cost
25 rubles. The furniture in the apartment was old. The family had no
bicycle.
c. Food:
ea an bacon were especially abundant,
Aril. A ___ _ -_ _ w
There was also a restaurant in the railroad ~station. V+jTheyhotel ~at~theeOld
Marketplace had an ordinary restaurant.
d. Marketing: The Kuldiga market was open four days a week: Monday, Wednesday,
Thursday or Friday, and Saturday. It was held in the New Marketplace on
Liepajas iela, No. 10 on the map, page 11. The New Marketplace was covered
with concrete and had no fence. There the kolkhozniki sold their own
produce: eggs, potatoes? grain, though no flour, and meat. Since there
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S1G T
was not enough fodder, there was an abundance of most. The kolkhosniki
had to pay stall rent= when the kolkhos itself was selling its produce,
the organisation paid the stall rent. Rvery kolkhosnik, when selling his
own produce, had to have a certifiosteJor ,from his kolkhos admin-
istration, proving that he had already delivered hie due quantity and was
now permitted to sell the remainder. The salesmen's horses could be kept
all day in a hall about 100 meters from the market Militia checked the
marketplace to prevent black market operations.
_
,
,
_
horses. The hotel wall too expensive for the kolkhozniki, and was frequented
mostly by Soviet officers. The farmers arrived early in the morning and
left at night. There was a kolkhos named Red Star, ALda" , about
five kilometers from S:uldiga in the direction of Skrunda. All its workers
25X1
25X1
25X1
were Latvian.
e.
Prices:
the following prices as cut .
in luldiga in 1951."25X1
Article
Bicycle, K
rasnaya Zv zda, m
ade in Riga
tTn t
one
Price (in rubles)
999
Wristwatch, Soviet
one
200-300
Cloth, for young man's overcoat,
Spring 1950
Work shoes, leather, rubber soles
Shoes, cloth, rubber soles
pr.
pr.
50
Cap
one
25
Overcoat
ogle
700
Radio, 3-tube
o*e
1000
Suit, ready-made
one
500
Photograph, identity card
one
3
Photograph, postcard size
four
43
Haircut
one
3
Museum admission
one
.50
Dance admission
one
10
Bathhouse admission
one
5
Movie theater admission
one
2-5
Bread, rye
loaf
5-10
Milk
liter
5
Vodka
' liter
25
Whisky
Cigarettes: Yacht, Sport, Twist
bottle
pack of 10
up to 70
1.50
taM, or inns for farmers with sheds for their
s yie
b_
ams
any ie
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Papiroai cigarettes, Belomor,
Kraafiaya ZY zda, Priboi
pack of 20
5
Bus fare, Kuldiga-Aizpute
one
2
Bus fare, Kuldiga-Lepaya,
one
25
Letter, within Latvia
.30
Letter, to other SSRs
.50 or more
Meals at the stolovaya.
month
200
tobacco products were cheaper in Latvia
7. There w45 a sawmill and a joinery in Kuldiga. The latter produced furniture
and. butts for gunstocks for the ordinary rifle. The sawmill's daily output
was 100 cartloads of lumber, one cubic meter to the cart. The factory had its
own, power station, This
station was operate on steam, not water power. The prewar production of
matches had been discontinued. Admittance to the factory was in the usual way,
upon presentation of the worker's booklet. There was no armed guard at the
factory and only the factory fivre brigade watched it on holidays. In 1950
part of the factory burned down; and sabotage was suspected because one of the
joinery workers was said to be missing after the fire.
Used bicycles were rarely for sale. Rubber boots were unobtainable. Oleo
was never seen in Latvia. The price of Kazbek papirosi is unknown. Only
The Vulkans Factory had more Latvian than Soviet workers
The director of the factory was
a Latvian Communist named Upenieks fnu , He had
been the head of some other factory before getting this job at Vulkans.
So far as his treatment of the workers was concerned, he was a good boss.
He did not live at the factory. The technical director was an ignorant
Jew from the USSR. His title in Russian was tekhnoruk.
25X1
and was a Party member. He did not understand technical
25X1
questions about the work. The Vulkans Factory was under the Ministry of
Local Industries of Latvia. Women worked in the factory's office and
in the laminating section. There was a workers' dining-room,called, in
Russian, the stolovai,,
25X1
The factory had a union, but it did not have the
25X1
b. There was a little-used factory club situated on the second floor of the
administration building. It consisted of two rooms containing facilities
for billiards and checkers. Its small library contained mostly political
propaganda'in both Latvian and Russian. The Red Corner was in this club,
as well as the factory bulletin, called Stalin gels., which was composed by
the factory officials. The Stakhanovites in the factory really did work
faster, and sometimes were not Communists. The primrindnieki, a Latvian
name were ordinary workers
who were Communists and who supposedly, therefore, set a good example,
although they did not succeed. There was also socialist competition be-
tween Vulkans and a factory in Riga. These competitions were arranged by
the factories' offices. When a worker was late to work he was not fined;
if he missed work a day or more without doctor's permission he would be
fined. There was no large turnover of workers-In the Vulkans Factory, how-
eve r.
and he could choose his own vacation time. .
Several of them were also
government deputies. Each worker had an annual 15-day vacation with pay,
if one went to Rigas Jurmala N56-59,
E23-51 ,one had to pay for both the trip and the board while there. If
25X1
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a worker had a free day, he could go where he wished without any special
permission. The official holidays were 1 May, 7 November, and 1 January.
On 7 November and 1 May all workers assembled in the factory and went
together to a parade in the New Marketplace, where a platform had been
erected. This meeting usually began at 0800, and the speeches continued
until 1200 hours. Afterwards there was no general celebration. St. John's
,Day was not an official holiday but was celebrated unofficially at home.
the lowest wage rade three, or 250 rubles a 25X1
month net salary. After three months' work rafsed to grade four, 25X1
.and received 500 rubles net, as an apprentice. Grade seven paid 700 to
900 rubles a month net, and grade eight paid 1000 rubles net. The wages
were paid only after deductions for income tax, health insurance, and the
contribution to the State bond. They were paid personall by the paymaster
once a month on the 30th or the 31st. the director of 25X1
the factory was aid more than grade ei ht
it was above all grades. the grades
depended on ow well and how long a man worked. The factory worked 24 hours
in two shifts. The maintenance shop, however, had no shifts, but worked
from 0800 hours to 1700 hours in the winter, and from 0700 to 1600 in the
summer, with a two-hour lunch period. eight hours daily b in- 25X1
cluding Saturday; often worked on Sundays, and received no extra pay, 25X1
but the men feared to:protest although they disliked it. A family of five
as barely sufficien to live on and to buy necessities.
d. The factory had several telephones. Long distance calls could be placed
from the factory; they went through the central office in Kuldiga. A
pass was needed to enter the gate to the buildings on the same side of the
street as the railroad station
25X1
] eryone in the factory had a worker's booklet, or trudova_va knizhka. In
- this was Mritten the worker's efficiency and. personal characteristics,such
as disposition and attitude toward fellow-workers. When a worker moved
from one factory to another, these remarks were considered to be of great
:importance. _
e. Logs floated down the Venta'River all year round, as they broke the ice in
the winter. The rafts coming down were made by Vulkans Factory workers.
.The logs were halted by a barrier at the Rumba.waterfall, and were taken
on a conveyor belt from the river to the Vulkans sawmill. The conveyor belt
had cables; 200 men were employed in bringing the logs from the river (sic).
In the sawmill the logs were cut into two-meter lengths and thrown into a
pool ten meters-by-ten meters, and not more than six feet deep. Even in
winter this basin was filled with warm water heated by ating
system. The 25X1
logs remains there only a short time, no more than one day, before being
taken into the factory itself on little wagons drawn by a locomotive; the
tracks passed over Skrundas iela and entered the factory. There the logs
were placed in a drying, room for less than one day. and then cut crosswise
into disks. After this they were put into a machine which dried them
completely. Following this, another section laminated them with a liquid
that was not casein but lime. The plywood was usually made of three layers
and cut into three-by-four-meter squares. The finished plywood boards were
carried away in trucks. On many days there were as many as 20 truckloads;
on other days, the finished boards were laid in a lumber yard which was
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enclosed and guarded night and day. The guard consisted of five-man shifts,
snob man carrying a carbine, No military trucks came to the factory to
carry away the boards. The factory owned 30 ZIS1four-ton trucks. Logs were
brought from the woods to the factory in these trucks, or were sent by way
,of a narrow-gauge railroad between Kuldiga and Lepaya; the railroad no
longer ran as far as Lepaya, however. Prom the Kuldiga railroad station
the logs came to the factory over a special track. The Vulkans Factory
worked mostly with pinewood and some Birchwood, although birchwood made
better plywood. so much pine was used because of the high 25X1
quotas, which stressed quantity, not quality. The factory area itself, on
both sides of the street, was fenced in. All buildings were red brick with
red tile roofs. The heating section had two high, red-brick chimneys. See
sketch, page 12,for layout.
worked in the clinic; the dental care was also free of charge. Drugs could be
acquired only on the prescription of a physician, and one had to pay for them.
The pharmacy was located on Ventspils iela next to the clinic.
10. Many of the forests around Kuldiga had beer. cut down, especially those along
the right of the road from Kuldiga to Rendi, (N57-05, E22-17). The same ob-
servation could be made on the right side of the road from Kuldiga to Lepaya.
These woods were cut day and night, at night by searchlight. The cutting was
done without pay by the ko:lkhozniki. Before collectivization,every farmer had
to cut a certain area of woods; the ie
imriieclb MRS or wood-industry farm
Hunting in the forests was allowed only for a fixed time, except
that rabbits could be shot all year.. round in open fields 200 meters from a
forest. Rabbits, however, were very rare, and in about 10 kilometers there
was only one to be seen. Roes were so scarce that there was no season on them.
the roes had been eaten by wolves, which hunted in packs.
In the summer of 1950 a woman was torn td pieces by wolves in a wood near
Aizpute. People said that the wolves around Kuldiga had come from the USSR.
They organized wolf hunts, and people with rifles, militiamen, and the
istrobiteli took part. Wild boars were extremely rare.
11. Following is a discussion of military organization and security controls:
a. The Militia Office of Kuldiga was located on the street leading from the
Lutheran church to the Venta bridge; see sketch page 11. The chief of the
militia was a Soviet. The militiamen wore dark-blue uniforms. Only the
militia officers with the rank of major or above had red piping on their
trousers. The militiaman's cap was also dark blue, with a narrow red rim
on top. Only officers' caps had a broad red rim. The railroad militia
wore the same dark blue unif orms, but they were better pressed, and they
had a red cap instead of a blue one. The frontier guards wore the same
gray-brown uniform as the army, but their caps had a green top, and their
should-boards were green. There were no frontier guards at Kuldi
ere was no prison in Kuldiga.
Militia and military patrols could be seen on the streets only when sa&ldiers
were on leave. The ,j rebiteli at Kuldiga were Latvians, but their chief
.was a Soviet Since they had three ZIS.four-ton trucks
They had no uniform
with carbines, automatic pistols, and machine guns. r
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b. Militia did not check the apartments and never patrolled the streets. They
arrested a man only when he was drunk or fighting. School children were
allowed to be outdoors until 2000 hours; there were no restrictions on adults.
Eve house had a book: to register all inhabitants. 25X1
they were a kind of emergency -police. He had not heard they were used t
fight rti s
IIstrebiteli took part in seizing gangsters, but such occasions
were rare. All istretiite were older men, and their duties included teach-
ing drafted men before they entered military service. All young men of 18
were drafted, but remained at home two years. During this time they were
instructed by the, ? b e ? The young men were taught to shoot and to
march. Istrebiteli took part in all maneuvers with the infantry company
located at Kuldiga. These local maneuvers took place several times a year,
and the istrebiteli had to play the part of the enemy.
ere were n g wa c n
only in official buildings, such as t e pos o fice and militia building.
c. The MVD-MGB building was on the same street as the militia building.
Latvians called the organization the Cheka or the NKVD, but could not des-
cribe their uniform, because the MVD-MGB men generally wore civilian clothes.
The Cheka 25X1
held a short trial in case of a political crime; the sentence was 25 years
in Siberia.
d. Kuldiga's firemen wore a blue uniform. The fire brigade had three machines.
There was, however, seldom a fire in Kuldiga.
e.
There were many Communists in Latvia; but,
t difficulties in Lithuania
ould h
ve
re
in case of war, the
Communists
a also many
g
a
w
a
25X1
partisans there who would start sabotage.
Latvians
not brave enough to start a resistance movement in case of war.
25X1
12. Deportations took place in the spring of 1949. No inhabitant of Kuldiga was
deported, only farmers who had refused to Join the kolkhoz. Before the depor-
tation,all farmers were invited to give written applications to join a kolkhoz.
Whoever refused was denounced to the village elder, probably the chairman of
the District Executive Committee. These elders, all Latvians, made a list of
persons to be deported. and afterwards escorted these uersons to Priekule
(N56-35, E21-35), where the lists were delivered. Nobody knew in advance when
the deportation. would start. Deportations began at sunrise. Whole families
to take as much
it. A family that had
a hunter even
25X1
the luggage was con-
25X1
ed for deportation
was not found at home, but was met on the road, he had to go'with the truck at
once, without any luggage? Every truck was escorted'by two soldiers with
automatic pistols. All persons deported from the environs of Kuldiga were
driven to Priekule; many of them went through the town along Liepajas iela, and
then to the left. In Priekule they embarked on a train whose destination was
unknown. The deportations lasted approximately one month, and took place only
during daylight, never at night. Many factories and enterprises had to donate
their trucks for transportation purposes; the Vulkans Factory gave some of its
30 trucks, together with the Latvian drivers. Army trucks were not used. All
the drivers were kept on the job, and not permitted to go home, being ready to
drive day or night. They received army food during the deportation. Many
drivers tried to sabotage the action by removing oil pipes, but this had no
effect because there were sufficient trucks and time to take away all designated
persons. Many farmers hid themselves in the woods; but, after their families
were seized, and deported together. Everyone was allowed
luggage as he wished, and there were trucks to transport
many items could occupy a whole truck,
took his rifle with him.
fiscated on the way. If i nappenea. a a person
40
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SECRET
-10-
were deported, they voluntarily applied for deportation.
the destination was Tomsk N56-30,
E84-58 or. Krasnoyarsk (N56-02, E92-48). What work the deported persons had
to do there was not known. The deportees were allowed to write from Siberia
to Latvia, but, of course, they dared to write only good about their living
conditions. It was possible to send them food parcels. They reported there
was ;not sufficient bread and fat, but that there was plenty of potatoes. Three
families were taken away from Milzkalnes (N57-00
E23-12) during the large-scale
deportation of spring 1949.
some deportees had
25X1
written from Tomsk.
13. Lepaya was restricted approximately in April 1949; at least, it was before the
aim_lsne is g al~nt d~ in the snrin of 1950 The seashore was also
restricted,
the area was restricted by
for warship experiments
This sailor said that there were many
Jexperts working at the Lepaya Naval Harbor, and their living conditions
were excellent. New ships were not being built; old ones were being repaired,
and experiments were being made with several types of ships.
14. There were only ruined houses in Priekule. Only the station building had not
been destroyed. The people lived in bunkers which remained from the war.
6.
Comment,: According to the sketch, the new theater was on the site of
the ormer theater and the Latvian Club. "In addition to" probably should
read "on top of"t i.e., on the site of.
C met: T taxing the German occupation this area was a camp for PWs
or for political prisoners.
(Comment: There was a large German colony in and around Kuldiga
before the war.
Comment: A Ci, article stated that woman named Nemirovskas was
director of the Vulkans Factory,
~C mme : Soviet newspapers announced the decrease at the be-
ginning of 1949.
Comment:''0700 to 1600 or 0800 to 1700 minus two hours for lunch
leaves only seven working hours.
25X1
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- 11 -
Wend
1.
Barracks
11.
Hospital
20.
Gymnasium
2.
Old Marketplace
12.
Former District Police
21.
Elementary school
3.
Vuus Factory
Building
22.
Jewish synagogue
4.
Old theater
13.
Post office
23.
Railroad station
5.
Brick bridge
14.
Clinic
6.
Falls of the Venta
15.
Lutheran church
7.
Party House
16.
Militia: Office
8.
Hotel
17.
MVD building
9.
Restaurant
18.
Mill
10.
New Marketplace
19.
Bus repair shop
For fuller explanation
of the legend, see text above.
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To Skrunda
0
CI
13
.wwrw~nr.w~w
SKETCH MAP OF THE VULKANS
Legend
1. Conveyor belt (with
chains and teeth)
2. Sawmill
3. Hot water bath
4. Freight car tracks
5. Sentry box for gate
guard
6. Administrative office,
three stories
7. Sawing section
8. Drying installation
9. Gluing section
10. Bbil.er room and power
station (two chimneys)
11. Motor-vehicle repair
shop with gas pumps
12. Garage,eccomrnodating all 30 trucks
13. Maintenance workshop
14. Rough-carpentry shop
15. Carpentry shop
16. Warehouse
17. Railroad spur line
18. Railroad station
19. Movie theater
20. Cable across the river
21. Rumba waterfall
22. Bridge
This sketch is not in exact proportion, but
only represents the general arrangement.
r
FACTORY IN KULDIGA NO SCALE
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