CONDITIONS IN RIGA AND KATLAKALNS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A000600060009-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 29, 2010
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: August 17, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SECRET
SECURITY INFORMATION
COUNTRY USSR (Latvian SSR)
Conditions in Rig, and. 'Kat1akalne
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing 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.
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
-'17Au.gust 1953
NO. OF PAGES 7
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
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Living Conditions In Zlffl aurae s and stolova ,or workerevdining-roox^t in Riga there was a menu
and one could order wha' Tie'-wanced.. There were waiters, t,iostly girls, and in
the stoles in Skirotava suburb the girls were called by name. Tipping was
not customary and was never added to the bill. Sometimes people gave tips,
though. Alcoholic beverages were available any place where food was sold.
Alcoholic beverages were available even in grocery stores, but there-one could
buy only by the bottle. In Katlakains suburb of Riga much fish was consumed,
since the Daugava River was heavij.y fished., Near Dole Island salmon were
caught, and also the famous Dole river lamprey. The fishermen usually sold
the fish in the black market to avoid traces. People usually bought a whole,
big salmon in the fall, salted, it, and consumed it all winter through. At the
Central Market in Riga fish was sold black, i.e., not from an official stand,
where one had to pay three rubles rent. Sugar black.-marketeers operated
furtively on the Central. Market. Cigarettes were sold in shops and kiosks,
but not in newspaper kiosks, which had only newspapers, books,and paper, also
envelopes. There were no cigarette machines. Clothing could be obtained on
the bazaar as well as in the shope,before the bazaar was closed in 1950. The
bazaar was on Zvirgzdu sale, an island in the Daugava. It was closed because
the authorities wanted personal belongings brought for sale to the specially-
established Stite.run shops, so the $':ate would get the profit. After the
bazaar on Zvirgzdu Island was closed in the summer of 1950, the navy built 50X1-HUM
something on this island.
STATE x ARMY I a NAVY
AIR FBI AEC
(Notes Washington Distribution Indicated By 'a%" s Field Distribution By "#".)
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`'A
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4. Elementary school was free,and compulsory for at least four grades. Books,
pencils,etc., had to be bought by parents. Of the five teachers, two were men
and three women. l'he language was Latvian, but each day there was one, and,
some days, even two lessons in Russian, so anybody knew enough Russian. The 50X1 -H U M
usual praise of Stalin was heard at any lesson, but it was not taken seriously
by the pupils.
in Riga pupils -were more vulnerable to the Communist teaching, but in the country
the ties to the family were stronger; since the adults at home cursed-'the
system,so did the children, of course not openly or among strangers.
Some children in Riga complained
aDout the d r lties n ter sc ool and the difficult Russian language it
particular. 50X1-HUM
5. Though the kolkhoz had its own tractor, it was supposed to be used only for
transportation, not for ploughing,..:since the ploughing was done by the tractors
of the MTS. Nevertheless,the kolkhoz people did the ploughing,too, thus saving
part of the grain which would otherwise be delivered to the MTS. Starting
early in 1951,the regulations were enforced and the kolkhoz tractor was not
SZORBT
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allowed to do any more ploughing. Even the threshing machine had to be de-
livered to the MTS. In the kolkhoz there were about 80 cows. A big barn
was started, to have a capacity of 100 cows. It was not finished yet in May
1951, and the cows were kept in several places, 12 in one place, 25 in another,
etc. There was electricity in Katls.kalns also in the kol ~~- In t1 'zr --~
there was 120-volt electric current. 50X1-HUM
electric bulbs were used for a long time without being replaced,
and in ter barn they had a bulb which had been there for at least three
years. and was still good.
From Skirotava to the rgli railroa 50X1-HUM
the road was of gravel and in very poor condition. From the Riga-Ergli rail-
road it was asphalt up to a point and from there on was paved with stones.
The main road from Riga to Daugavpils was asphalt from Katlakalns to Kuznecovs,
but farther into Riga was paved with stones. Motor traffic was not too
heavy. The kolkhoz Jaunt 5:traume had tractors and trucks,which used the same
roads. Automobiles could be obtained by anybody who had enough money; there
was a special shop for automobiles and motorbikes in Riga. A Moskvich car., the
same as the German Opel could be bought for 8000 rubles, the Pobeda for 15,000
rubles. Some young workers bought motorbikes, mostly those working in a factory,
earning good wagespand living with their parents, thus saving money on room and
board.` A Moskva motorbike, 125 ccm, cost 2300 rubles; one of 350 ccm, 3800
rubles, a German BMV motorbike cost 4250 rubles. A used one could be obtained
second-hand for 1000 rubles. he fuel could be -nurchased officially i
and filling stations in Riga.
The price was three rubles per liter of gasoline, but many of the Katlakalns50X1-H U M
people bought gasoline black from the soldiers of the nearby airfield and got
it for 80 kopeks -1 ruble per liter. Oil was obtained the same way; and was
of better quality than in the shop or filling station. Motorbikes also could-be
purchased at the Armi,ias Ekonomiskais Veikals. A bicycle cost 700 to 900 rubles.
Some of the workers employed in Riga and living at Katlakalns bought bicycles.
A bicycle required a license plate like a car or motorbike. Examination was
not necessary, but one had to register his bike with the iznildkomiteja,, and
pay 10 rubles tax per year, acid then he received a numbered plate and a certi-
ficate with his name, address.and the number of the bicycle frame. Extension
cost three rubles, and each year a new plate had to be obtained.
7. There were many houses directly on the shore of the Daugava River. Some people
had privately-owned boats, and some even outboard motorboats. All boats had to
be registered, but taxes had to be paid only for motorboats. Opposite to
Katlakalns was Dole Island in the Daugava River, and there and on both shores
were many fishermen. But fishing did not flourish, since fish were scared
away by detonations from a dredging operation in the river, which was attempting
to make it navigable to tugboats, which could come up the river only as far as
Katlakalns, where there was an assembly place for lumber-rafts coming downstream.
There was a ship connection between Dole Island and Riga, but the last one Riga-
bound was due in the afternoon, and those who wanted to go to Riga afterwards
were rowed over to Katlakalns and then took a train or streetcar from the
Sarkanais Kvadrats factory. The nearest railway station was Skirotava. When
the weather was stormy, the old ferry man did not like to row over to Dole,
so local boys earned money rowing people over. The passengers were mostly
women gathering skabenes, a certain grass used for food, and selling it on the
market in Riga. Each one paid two or three rubles for a trip, and so the boys
earned money for the theater or volley-ball, which was a very popular game.
The river was deepened to give access to the chalk factories on Dole and also
on the right bank of the river. The stones and rocks in the river were blown
up with dynamite. The teams carrying out the detonations came from Riga,.from
a State-run enterprise. These teams worked on the river each summer.
8. There was a militiaman in uniform who stayed permanently in Salaspils and
.came now and then to Katlakalns for checkups and, in 1948, for several days
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during the issuance of new passports. This man from Salaspils had stars on
his g1nmj1AA-rhnA,r(ja and herefore accordin to source,must have been an off i-
cer;
The istrebitel was a Communist9 oug his ro
about the life. Nevertheless their relations were good, and when the militia
officer came to Katlakalne in 1948 and had to stay for a couple of days, he 50X1-HUM
was billeted in the house belonging to the brother of the istrebitel. The
militia officer from Salaspils was a Soviet who knew Latvian. Batlakalns was
a rural community and did not belong to Riga. Why the registration of the in-
habitants should be done in Riga at the militia office at Skolas iela~~
It could be due to the fact that the rayon was Rigas Hayon.50X1-H U M
any rate offic
Street Names and Buildings
Many Riga streets reeved new names in 1950. Marijas Lela was renamed
Suvorova Lela. Kr. Barona Lela, which was Suvorova iela until 1918, and
called Kr. Barona Lela only after the independence of ia. was still under
the same name. Gertrudes Lela received another name,
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e her Brvibas bulvaris is called Lenina bulvaris
T7
'e formerly was'a lcioslc, now wtianas a monwueil,0 uj "WA&A.,.. ~~+uR
tr_,-_-_ t..,.. ..,.A QLnlea tale Anfinitaly had their old names,
Among smaller streets in the o
iela and Augustines Lela had the same names. On the Esplanade behind the .
Orthodox church a stage was built for the use of-choirs during the big music
festivals. In the fall of 1950 it was torn down since it was said that a
bigger one would be built. Then he heard that there was no money available
and rebuilding was not even started until May 1951. All people laughed at
that. In -Grand Vermana Garden the stage for the orchestra was torn down
and a bigger one built on a stone foundation opposite the old location.,.;There were
no other buildingein Vermana Gardens. The lion monuments were still there, and
also roses and other flowers everywhere. In Little Vermana Garden there,~was a
restaurant. In Grand Vermana Garden there was a W. 0. for public use on the
north side. Whether that street is called Terbatas iela,,
Other W. 0. Is for public use were in the cellar of the kiosk near the Liberty
Monument. A big clock on the pavement was still there. On the opposite 50X1-HUM
corner, toward Bastejkalns, there was a booth for a policeman who operated
traffic signals. The lights hung over the middle of the crossing. A similar
device was on the crossing where the Lenin Monument stood. There the booth
for the policeman was built on top of the corner house, on the side of the
street opposite the station. The streetcar did not go along the boulevard be-
tween the Liberty Monument and Lenin Monument, but traffic was heavy with
trolleybuses, buses,-cars, horse-cabs, horse transports, movers with two-wheel
hand carts, bicycles and motorbikes. In the old city there was an old church
with a roqatar on the tower, and another church with a new tower, pointed but
not high.
There were ruins around the Armijas Ekonomiskais Veikals.
former shops had been closed; there were still a great number
of shops on. the 'Riga streets. One of the Central Market halls was damaged, but
Was later repaired . and used for exhibition of agricultural machinery. There
was no bazaar behind the Central Market, but the Central Market'itselfwas 50X1-HUM
used for black market activities. Opposite Hotel Rome was a big bookshop. A
shop for photo cameras, skeletons, microscopes and other items tor school use
was acroi' the street 'opposite the Circus. The house of the former Latvian
Societywas a military office of some sort. 50X1-HUM
the Veterinary Hospital near Grizinkains,
a fence had been started around a raised area. It was behind a sports. field
and according to the map should be Grizinkalns, not far from Zvaigznu Lela
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and the Veterinary Hospital. Ithe Veterinary Hospital in
1949, the fence was already finished; on the corners there were towers for
guards, and soldiers guarded the place, and by night it was illuminated by
searchlights. In 1950 and 1951 something further
had been done within the fence, ors were spree that some underground. 50X1-HUM
plant had been built. It was still a secret in May 1951.
Medical Facilities
11.
served polyclinics generally were not good, and people who could afford it visited
private doctors who were.well@known from former times.
12. In the summer of 1948, a dog was shot in the leg by somebody. The dog was 50X1-HUM
taken to the Veterinary Clinic somewhere in the vicinity of Grizinkalns not
far from Zvaigznu iela-Augustines iela. near Rudolfa iela.
It was an old army horse left behind by Germans and something was wrong
with the legs. Whether th(50X1-HUM
kolkhoz received treatment without being charged
treatment was very expensive. All of the doctors and
personnel at the Veterinary Hosrital were Latvians in contrast to the poly-
clinics for human beings, where mart/ of the personnel were Soviets and Jews. 50X1-HUM
Merchant Marine
arge one an made trips overseas
The steamer B IRUTA was a
oest or ose w no graduated
from the navigation school were chosen. Prerequisite was perfect knowledge 50X1-H U M
of Russian and English. There were several Latvians on board the'BIRUTA
s pwas Russian.
Sailors were allowed to visit the 50X1-HUM
towns in foreign ports, but only in groups, and one would be appointed to be
responsible that all of the group returned to the ship. The length of stay was
not more than half a day. The sailors used to-go ashore in.civilian clothes, but
then they were instructed to go ashore only in uniform. They used the time
ashore mostly for shopping, receiving part of their salary in foreign currency.
They bought leather items, these being very expensive in the Soviet Union. The
salary of a lieutenant was 500 rubles per month, plus some amount in foreign
currency. Meals and lodging were free. The BIRUTA did not stop at Lepaya
e captain an most officers were Soviet, and the language used on the
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Until 1950 streetcar No. 5 went to Kuznecovs, and
changed, and No, 3 went to Kuznecovs instead. This line went along Marijas
from there to Sarkanais KvadratspNo, 15, One could go through with a ticket
for 30 kopeks as far as Sarkanais Kvadrats. In 1950 the streetcar lines were
iela, but in one direction the line was extended to VBF
Zvaigznu iela-Augustines iela, probably along Pernavas iela. There was another
line going as far as Augustines iela, but it turned there whereas No, 3 went
to VEF. In the other direction line No. 3 was directed to Kuznecovs instead
of going around the Ring. Thus,No, 3 went from VFF to Kuznecovs and back. 50X1-HUM
No. 89which went from Kuznecovs to Sarkanais Kvadrats with
only one carbecause there was no place to turn at Sarkanais Kvadrats. F
iela. There was a trolleybus instead. The streetcar drivers and conductors
wore a gray-blue uniform with a sign on the hat with a wheel and two wings.
They were both men and women, and spoke Russian and some Latvian. 50X1-HUM
No streetcar was in
operation on rira. bas bulvarie, renamed Lenin: bu varis and none on Brivibas
through with one ticket from the station to Sarkanais Kvadrats and back again
for 30 kopeks from Kvadrats, via Kuznecovs.to Riga Station, but if somebody
wanted to proceed further than the station, another ticket had to be secured
for 30 kopeks. To go from Kvadrats to the theater, in Valdemara iela, one had
to alight at Autoosta and take another streetcar to the theater, paying another
30 kopeks. After the change,all streetcars coming from the other side of the
Daugava turned from the bridge to the right and went to the Central Market;
they approached the market through one viaduct and came back through the other.
so that it seems the former Ring used by all streetcars had been abandoned, 50X1-HUM
and the marketplace was a terminus for some streetcar lines. The streetcars
from Pardaugava went over the ponton -bridge, not over the railroad bridges,
and there were no streetcar rails from the ponton-bridge in the direction of
the castle and harbor. On Valdemara iela9though5there must have been rails & 50X1-HUM
since the ponton-bridge was taken out of service during the spring period of
floating ice. Then the streetcars used the bridge at Valdemara iel hi
had only one pair of rails. streetcar inn bulvarie
15. Besides the streetcars Riga had the following means of transportation: The
trolleybus had replaced, some streetcar lines, such as No. 1, 2, llyand 12, at
least along Brivibas bulvaris, It is not known whether streetcars were still
running farther on along Brivibas iela. A new trolleybus line ran along 50X1-HUM
Gertrudes iela, a street now having the name of a Soviet man. New lines had
been established. One line ran to the army barracks where the Air Force School
was located turned there and went back.
the itinerary was written on a placard in the window
on both sides of the trolleybus, in both Latvian and Russian, just as in 50X1-HUM
streetcars. Fare depended on the distance to be travelled. The uniform of
the trolleybus drivers and conductors was the same as streetcar personnel.
Conductors were both male and female, language Latvian and Russian, but some
conductors did not understand Latvian. A bus ran to the far outskirts of the
town but also covered portions of the city. The personnel of the buses in Riga
had the same uniform as streetcar and trolleybus personnel. In the main bus
station, the Autoosta, there were several ticket offices where a ticket could
be bought before entering the bus. The ticket booths had inscriptions in both
Latvian and Russian. Taxi-cabs have no other designation than "Taxi" on the
front. Women drove sometime4v There were many crabs. They stood in a line at
the station, and elsewhere,
16. From Skirotava to Riga there were four workers? trains at noon, in the evening,
and at night. Besides these, there were trains from Riga to Krustpile and Riga
to Skriveri which stopped at Skirotava. The rapid Riga-Daugavpils train did
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not stop at Skirotava. Some carriages carried a plate on the side with the
destination of the train. In the stations there was a plate on anliron pole
which announced the number of the train and its destination and time of
departure. There were also timetables in the form of books, big sheets of
paper hung in the station; and,in big stations like Riga,there were-big' time-
tables on the wall with arrivals and departures. On the paper placards and
on the walls the timetables were in both Latvian and Russian. There was also an
information booth in Riga, in the hall of Rigas Jiirmala station, but the
officials there were very impolite. One could get information at the ticket'
booth, and in small stations it was the only way to get information. One could
ask in Latvian or Russian. The ticket booths in Riga were in the hall of Rigas
Jurmala station; so,if somebody wanted to go to Skirotava, C esis, Ergli,or
Rujiena, he had to buy his ticket in the station hall of Ri as Jurmala station.
MI- -41"-A +-.^ Tiirmaln -, alprtrified. in 949.
it was possible to cross the augava on he
ice en. ey were a v alb, because bandits were mostly Soviets
and came only to rob people. These men spoke Latvian and,,when they"noticed
that there were many people in the room sleeping, they tried to start political
conversations,asking how the workers liked the life, whether they expect changes,
etc. The workers gave evasive answers, being afraid to be mixed up with partisans.
In the summer ere
were many trains to gas Jurmal 'ilee c1lesel. streamliners to Vilnius went via
Yelgava. The upholstered streamliners to Vilnius and Tallinn could be used
by anybody who was able to pay the fare, which was much higher than the usual
fare. These trains carried sleepers and dining-cars. The passenger cars on
express trains were much longer than the carriages used.for local trains; also
they were mostly new coaches, and seldom did one see an old one with an open
platform at both ends. Usually the cars were closed at the ends by doors.
The railroad personnel had blue uniforms.
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Entertainment
17. Locally in Katiakalns the youngsters were fond of volleyball
and came together to play it after the workin :day in the evenings, playin'50X1-H U M
as long as'one could see the ball.. In Riga e movie
theater. drama theater, Arts? Theater, Youth Theater an rcus
in-the motion picture 50X1-HUM
theaters mostly Soviet pictures were a own, ian,with Latvian subtitles..
Sometimes German or Italian pictures were shown, and then the theaters were
overcrowded. Usually the foreign pictures were not sync ed and carried
subtitles in both Latvian and Russian below the screen. 50X1-HUM
there were two or three pictures in Latvian, one of them about the life of the
poet Rainis. Before the main picture a newsreel was shown, the title being50X1-H U M
something beginning with "The newest...", and now and then a short picture in
addition to the main feature. In the "drama thsater Meraieku Laiki,
and another Latvian play in the Arts? Theater. Admission was 3 to 12 rubles.
At the Youth Theater there was often a fairy-tale. At Zalomonska Circus, near
the station, there were three performances on Sunday, at 1300, 1700,and 20
hours, but on working days only one, at 2000 hours. The Circus was always50X1-H U M
overcrowded des ite the high prices - 4 to 22 rubles.
During the summertime a C~l rcus was
closed for one or two months. tto t e performance itself
tightrope walking, lions, and clowns. Clowns joked in Russian, an attempts
to raise anti-American feeling by depicting somebody with a locked mouth,
joking about the dollar sign,etc. Acts were announced in both Latvian and
Russian.
Partisans
18. ......A 1r.olkh ozniki worked in a wood about 30 kra,.South of Riga.
They were billeted in a farmhouse. One evening, after dark,
two or three men entered the house and asked for food. They had cloaks with
hoods, and under the cloaks they had small machine guns and pistols. To trPi*
The men were middle-aged. 50X1 -HUM
to the Communist authorities.
eaten something.
anybody would have reported this visit
The partisans left the house as soon as they had
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