RESEARCH WORK AT THE SEVERO-DONETSK CHEMICAL PLANT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A001700730002-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 17, 2009
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: August 28, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL IN.T.E.L.LIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
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 tr :nsmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
COOL US OFFICIALS ONLY
SECURITY INFORMATION
USSR (Voroshilovgrad Oblast)
SUBJECT Research Work at the Severo-Donetsk
Chemical Plant
REPORT'
DATE DISTR. 28 August 1953
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
25X1
1. The Severo-Donetsk (N.48-57, E 38-28) nitrogen .plant was located 3 to 5 km
northeast of I,isichansk (N 48-56,; E.38.26), 'Voroshilovgrad Oblast. The plant
was on the east aide of Severo-Donetsk. The town and the plant were connected
by a spur track to the Rubezhnoye (;N)#9-01, E 38-23) railroad station, located
9.6 km to the northwest on the main railroad line, and by surfaced roads with
the towns of Rubezbnoye and Lisichansk.
2. The plant and the workers' settlement attached to it were formerly called
Lis Khimstroy. In the spring of 1949 the came was changed to. Severo-Donetsk.
The settlement was to become a major industrial town. Although production at
the plant began in. 1948, the installation was still. being enlarged in .early
19,51
3. In October 191+6, five German chemists from the Leuna. Works and one engineier
were deported.to the Karpov Institute in.Mbscow. In July 191+8, thin team of
specialists. was transferred from Moscow to the Severo-Donetsk Plant, where
they were assigned research missions. The entire organization worked in the
administration building of the plant, which was located in the-town of Severo--
Donetsk. Since the German specialists had nothing to.do with production proper,
none of them ever entered the plant. They learned from Soviet employees
working in the administration building that the more important installations
of the plant were evacuated during the war. After the war, the plant was modernized
and enlarged by the installation of dismantled equipment from the Leuna Works
which included installations for ammonia synthesis and the production of nitric
acid, highly concentrated nitric acid, and ammonium nitrate. Facilities for
methanal and an isobutyl.oil synthesis said miscellaneous minor, ddepartments for
the production of aliphatic carbonic acids, plastic softeners, etc., were
planned. In 1948, there w ble talk of the establishment of a
department to produce urea at s, rate of 50,000 tons per year.
25 YEAR
RE-REVIEW
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was hampered by a lack of working roams, assistants, and materials, For
example, reports freQuently had to be written on packing paper. The work
was further impeded by a general distrust of the Soviets.on the part of the
Germans which almost excluded an exchange of'ideas. The tudies were ac.
cepted and then. disappeared without being discussed. The Germans were re-
stricted in their movements in the town of Severo-Donetsk.
8. The team of German specialists from the Leuna Works included chemists
Dr. Ernst Paul Herold, Dr. Karl Hermann Geib, Dr. Kurt Kosterhon, Dr. Walter
Schmidt, Dr. Luis. Gemassmer, and Dr. Ing. Karrl Bode. Prior to the spring
of 1949, the Germans were given their orders by the manager of the plant
whose name was yili~sov (fnu) and Chief Engineer Gogin (fnu). Between 1948
and the' spring "pf 1949, the superiors of the German team were Nazarov (fnu),
director of the Technical Department of the plant, and his deputy Nikitenko(fnu).
Between spring and fall of 1949, the team was supervised by Vostrikov (fnu),
between the -fall. of 1949 and March 1950 by Kukushkin (fnu ), and between
March 1M and May 1951 by Makarov (fnu). It was; the duty of these supervisors
to communicate their missions to the German experts, to discuss their work with
them, and to accept the finished studies, which were typed in German. The
reports were translated into Russian by Ryavich (fnu) and Baril (fnu). The
German specialists had at their disposal amodest factory library, which
contained Soviet literature, four American technical periodicals, and a number
of fairly old German books and periodicals. The library was supervised be-
tween 1948 and May 1949 by Mrs. Nikitenko, whose hu.aband was employed in the
Technical Department. Shortly after the war, both,of them worked^for a time
in Piesteritz. In May 1949, the wife of the plant manager, Vilesova, took
over the library. The name of the Deputy Manager for Economic Affairs was
Zhuk (fnu). The Personnel Department was.headed by Mrs. Kravtsova (fnu).
After December 1948, the Chief Engineer of the plant-was Livshits".(fnu), who
was transferred to Severo-Donetsk from the Nitrogen. Institute in Moscow.
The chief of the Designing Office wasMasterov (fnu), who also controlled the
draftsmen's brigades headed by Yevtushenko (fnu) and.Logvinenko (fnu). Power
supply and all electrical installations of the plant were controlled by
Ryabin (fnu). The chief of the Political Department was Sukhin (fnu).
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25
Administration Building of the Chemical Plant at Severo-Donetsk
E3
24 1 1 30
32
26 v 33
48
45
35
48 1 49
40
43
43a
44
46
46
48
47
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50
19 1 18 1 17 116 11
37
48
39
48
36,
48
14
34
See next page for legend.
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Legend
A.
First floor
1.
Maim entrance
2.
Porch with columns
3.
Main stairs to the second floor and the basement
4.
Side entrances
5.
Two side stairs to the second floor and the basement
6.
Photographic laboratory
7.
Library
8.
Office of the librarian
9.
Reading room
10.
Office of the Nachalnik Otdela Truda (O ;ief~o;f thetLabbr Sect ri)~
11.
Office of the Labor Seetii n
12.
Office of the woman secretary of the Deputy Manager for Economic Affairs
13.
Office of the Deputy Maxa:ager_for Economic Affairs (purchasing department)
14.
Lavatory
15.
Office of the group Communist Youth Association (VIMM)
16.
Blueprint office
17.
Personnel Department. The office of the woman director of this departmen
was located in a building about 100 meters from the administration buildi
t
ng.
18
Drawing room for designers of the Moscow State Institute of the Nitrogen
Industry
19.
Workroom of the five German specialists
20.
Branch office of the Moscow Research Institute of the Nitrogen Industry
21.
Office.of the main bookkeeper
22.
Main pookkeeping office
23.
Pay office
24.
Finance department
25.
Two rooms, purpose undetermined
26.
Records.office
27.
Forements office
28.
Office of the Factory Committee
29.
Office.of the Chief of the Administrative Department
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30. Designing Office
31. Office of the woman secretary to the Chief of the First Department
32. Office of the Chief of the First Department
33. Lavatory
B.
Second floor
34.
Plant manager
35.
Office of the plant manager's woman secretary
36.
Office of the Chief Engineer
37.
Administrative and Economic Department
38.
Lavatory
39.
Office of the Director of the Main Department for Power Supply
40.
Director of the Designing Office
41.
Office of the woman secretary to the Director of the Designing Office
42.
Director of the Technical Department
43.
Designing Office
44.
a. Workroom of translator and.two employees who checked the constructional
drawings
Drawing room
45.
Typing room
46.
Designing Office
47.
Lavatory
48.
Seven rooms serving undetermined purposes
49.
Hall with staircase
50.
Steps
otdel was translated as department rather than section. Probably department.
should be corrected to section wherever it occurs this report.
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2009/12/17: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA001700730002-1