SOVIET REGIME THE MALENKOV GOVERNMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80S01540R001700020001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 14, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 29, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
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This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 19, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its content's
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
SECRET?CONTROL - US OFFICIALS ONLY
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COUNTRY
USSR (Moscow Oblast &Latvian SSR) REPORT
SUBJECT Soviet Rez,.
Cove rnIng. n
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
) the Malenkov
DATE DISTR. 29 June 1953
NO. OF PAGES 1
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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1.
prominent members of the
intelligentsia in Moscow who tend to be pro-West have adopted a waiting
attitude since the death of Stalin. They have expressed the opinion that,
because of the situation that has now arisen in the Soviet regime, it will
be possible to establish closer contact with friends abroad in the near
future.
2. The latest events in connection with the doctors' plot and the amnesty
decree are being construed as a liberalization of the political policy.
Some individuals occupying prominent positions, who hitherto had to conceal
their real attitude toward events in the Soviet Union, are now voicing
their criticism more openly, at least within their own close circles.
3.
the opinion is also held
that restrictions on travel abroad may be expected to become less severe.
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STATE - ARMY
NAVY
AIR
FBI I 1 AEC
Note: Washington Distribution Indic:awl Sy "X"; Field Distribution Sy "*".)
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A 29I
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
. ma nomasseat eastiles --- eitestIOS1010 Mili-
Moil mama et the MON Illehe. Wale ilrisirrai. -
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111110111.1111. he tolombrela or reirelelleeter
INFORMATION REPORT to er MOW by us tisilhollerri POMO ie
by km. The aseolmelleile it leie rim le
see re-yell:10c eMLy
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camity USSR (Latvian SW)
SUBJECT Kolkhoz Life and. Working Conditions
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 26 Am* 1953
NO. OF PAGES 1
REQUIREMENT NO. ID
REFERENCES
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TIN SWIM MUWWWION IN MS 01T All DOWOMME. -
TON ANIMISM CP COMM IS 4TATIVl
The attached two reports on Koikhoz life Ana verkino onnai+inswe
STATE
ARMY
Sec,ye7/epn/ iireF 64V
NAVY IAIR 1 ISEC 1 r
NR4ost Wealselea DistriboNefi imanted er "r; Pim Dlirindies I it's.) Pons lio, 51-01, January 1955
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LATVIA U.S.S.R.
nonomic
Notes on Kolkhozes in Latvia.
(Up to 1951)
1. Forced collectivisation in Latvia was started in 1948 and
couple-bed in 1950 when the last "voluntary" signatures for
joining kolkhozes had been collected.
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2. It was reputed that in Lithuania partisans had often out
off a farmer's hand with which he had signed an application to
join a kolkhoz, but nothing was heard about such things in Latvia.
3. The wages of kolkhoz farmers varied - on the whole, the
earnings of a kolkhoz farmer in Latvia were better than in
1 Lithuania. On one partioular kolkhoz, the farmers received, after
, they completed the norm of 250 working days, 1 kg. rye, 1 kg.
wheat and 1 Rs. in money per working day. On a certain Lithuanian
kolkhoz, the pay was only i kg. rye and 1 Rs. per working day.
If a kolkhoz farmer did not fulfil his number of working days, he
reoeived next to nothing.
4.. The kolkhoz administrations were very bad. It was often
observed. that potatoes had been left to rot in the ground and.
grain had. not been harvested.
5. Every kolkhoz farmer received same land to work as his awn
garden and was also permittod to keep a cow, goat and same poul-
try, but was required to deliver a oertain norm of meat, eggs,
butter per annum. The falmers had to pay rent for the houses
they lived in.
6. Timber was being felled in forests in Latvia. Here Again,
farmers had to fulfil a certain norm in cubic There was
no evidence of reafforestation in places where timber had been
felled.
7. In Latvia, except on a few Russian kolkhozes, Russian was
hardly ever heard in the rural areas, but in RIGA Russian was the
dominating language.
J. Rolkhoz alTroTimately 10 kms. South-West of KANDAVA - 1945-1951.
8. The kcl:r:loz belonged to MLTKULE and AIZUPE, approximately
10 kms. south-west of KANDAVA. It is not known if the kolkhoz
included both these villages, but it was a very big kolkhoz. The
administration of the kolkhoz was located in the former farm
RATNIEKI, who 7.,e owner had been deported in 1949, which belonged to
the MULE village. Tho village ISPOLKOK was located in the parish
house cf MATULE. This area did not belong to a restricted zone
and movement in it was free. There was a regular bus service to
TALSI and KANDAVA and the bus loft once daily. There were no
restrictions when travelling by bus, and during 1945 to autumn 1951
document checks in that area were never experienced. The buses
were old. East of the farm GARSILI was a new farm not shown on a
fl
S piEr
' ' ? ?
Ii
IL SI Crilui....:...; JAY
toe\
/map
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map, which in 1951 was still private property. All other farms
belonged to the kolkhoz.
9. The kolkhoz had approximately 150 employees. The total
number of people living edn the kolkhoz was estimated at 400. The
name of the kolkhoz chairman is not known.
Life on the kolkhoz was not bad.
10. The wages of a kolkhoz employee transporting milk to the
dairy were sufficient to live on and even to buy a few items of
clothing, such as a jacket of homespun material. The material
cost 50 Rs. and to have it made up cost 100 Rs. Trousers bought
in a shop cost 175 Rs.
11. The dairy paid 0.80 Rs. per for the milk. The retail
price on the free market was 2 Rs. per 1
12. During the summer, helpers for the farms were
from amongst town dwellers, who usually worked with people known
to them, but school children were 4nr-]brigades and
employed for a certain period on kolkhozes where everyone was a
stranger.
13. A kolkhoz farmer is permitted to move from one kolkhoz to
another, provided that the kolkhoz on -which he works frees him
from his employment. As a rule, kolkhoz farmers lived in their
former farm houses and no movement towards forming large kolkhoz
was observed. Nothing was heard about dismantling of
farm houses and construction of kolkhoz
14. Life on kolkhozes was improving. The number of cattle
increased. Agricultural machinery was Obtained from the M.T.S.
in KANDAVA. This LT. S. was administered 'Lys. Russian. Other-
wise there were no Russians on the kolkhozt except for a Latvian/
Russian, a Kamscum, whose duty was to guard the kolkhoz. He
wore a grey uniform cap of the MVD type, and was armed with a
pistol and a carbine. The mother of this guard worked as a pig-
keeper in AIMPE The militiaman in MATKULE
was a Russian, but he did not interfere with anybody.
15. In the office building of the kolkhoz there was a "Rod
Corner", but nobody went there. MAT= still had no electric
current. Because of this, the radio sets on the kolkhoz were run
on batteries and only looal programmes could be received.
16. Forest work took place on a large scale in the forest east
of MATKULE and the kolkhoz farmers had a norm to fulfil of felling
trees and also planting new ones.
17. Childy.ei of the kolkhoz went to school in =RULE but only
in the ovening, twice a week, where they were taught Russian and
Latvian. They could not go to school every day because they had
to work. The kolkhoz had only four musams, Whose leader was
the above-mentioned guard. The farmers went to church in SABILE,
and for christenings or funerals the pastor came to the kolkhoz,
but many young people did not marry in church because they were
afraid of the repercussions that might ensure.
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44,t- ----Atakhanoviteed in Latvia, just as in the Ud?I?IX , are
constant4 praised in the press and on the radio, and-aiso receive,
hi hr nav and bonuses for theieinventions".
there is little new' in
the methods of the Stakhanovite witler in his factory, as compared with
methods used in Latvia before the war, while in the opinion-of technicians
in other works, the Stakhanovite methods tre
quite primitive or simply copied from "foreign oapitalists" as, for example,
when they suddenly "invented" the assembly line. The actual means by which
Stakhanovites aohieve higher output is by working longer hours.
5. In spite of the extreme efforts made to extend the capacity of
industry and agriculture, the majority of undertakings do not succeed in
fulfilling their plan. The factories and agricultural concerns which do
succeed in fulfilling or even exceeding their plan receive much praise and
publicity in press and radio but 'she study the press estimate
that they form only some 2 ro-f-trie whole. The short-comings and the
non-fulfillment of plan may be explained as follows:
----fat* Leading technical advisers are often unsuitable and
lacking in experience.
palle Passive sabotage of workers and administration, espeoia14
in agriculture. This is partly for political reasons, but
chiefly becuse the workers are simply not interested in
their work.
6. School courses were started two or three years ago by factories
and State enterprises for training suitable teonnioal staff
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Conditions in Ajriculturei
7. The poorest results have been sham in agriculture, where also
the standard of living is extremely low. Articles frequently appear in the
local press oriticiang the responsible technical members of the collective
farm administration for failing to fulfilltheir plan.
8. Since the farms were formed into olkhozJi, every agricultural
worker has jobs assigned to him, such as plighman, milker, tractor driver,
etc., and must fulfillthe nom'in a certain time, acoording to plan and
graph. The majority of Latvianyolkhoz workers are women, the proportion
is usually about 60 women to 40 men, and women do the same work as the men.
The workers are divided into platoons (POSMS) under a platoon commander, and
klift,N4?144118rti74440u416911ar' 0 4424618 "gadier. The
.. ?
ozrirminTonwhidonrp'cIsea o. =RAO agriculturists,
the political leader, the secretary and the chairman. The olkhoz
administration is controlled by the village or regional 1010 Executive
Committee of the Communist Party. The chairman and membe a of the
technical personnel, being responsible only for technical matters, are
not necessarily members of the Communist Party. The political side of the
Konbos is under the direction of the political leader or ?Oleo and
the leader of theAlkhozi4,. All)eolkhoz workers re uired to
attend all the meetings, p ?pagoda lectures and film shows (at which only
propaganda films are shown) which are arranged by the special "Agitators"
and "PropatAndists"..
9. The averk,e wage of a4lkoz worker, according to farmers of
various,Kalkhozes*n Latvia, is approximately 50 Rs. per month in cash
(which is a very wall amount, when it is remembered that a man's shirt
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%En
costs approximately 80 Re.) A quota of all the olkhoz products is
subjeot to compulsory delivery to the State, arid, of the balance a
part is set aside as seed for the following year, another part is
put into the so-called untouohable reserve, and the remainder is
divided among-the workers in accordance with the number of work-
days they have completed. Thus theetOlkhoz worker is never sure what
he will receive in kind, or haw muc there will be for his subsistence.
After a poor harvest, for example, there may not be enough left over for
dividing among the workers, and the funtouchableOrstock has to be used
for food. It may even ha2pen that the worker must buy breal out of his
cash wages. Furthermore, if a worker h..s been unable to fulfill the
fixed number of work-days beoause of illness or for some other reason,
he owes these days to the State and they are deducted from his earnings.
Thus the worker becomes a debtor to the State and must work off that
number of days in the future.
10. The surveys in press and radio given by the Communist
authorities conornint, output in industry and agriculture are always
expressed in percentages, because the actual quantities are supposed
to be a State secret. Consequently, although it is always stated that
the output of pro-war Latvia has long since been surpassed, these
percentages do not permit arty real comparison to be made.
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;Jun i-HUM
LATVIA / U.S.S.R.
Political/Economia.
LIVING AND WORKING CONDITIONS IN
(Up to April, 1952)
General.
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SECRET
CONT101
U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
LATVIA.
Life under the Soviet regiate, as seen by Latvians, means
that every Soviet Latvian citizen belongs to the State, and the only
real right he possesses is to do the work assigned to him "with
enthusiasmr. Just doinE the job is not enough. He must constantly
laud the Communist State and the Soviet Occupation which obliges him
to do that particuTh.r ,Tork, because otherwise he will quickly become
a suspect 'Alo is considered untrustworthy by the State and who must,
sooner or into, be pured. Every citizen must work, and employment
is detefrnined by State orders concerning output and regulations for
each type of work.
worker in industry or agriculture, factory or
collective 1-..1m, is mabillated - in the sense that he is not allowed
to leave His )ince of employment of his awn accord, and under a
strictly ,,ilitary form of discipline - in the sense that individuals
tend to 2ass problems on to the next higher authority rather than
accept the responsibility themselves of making independent decisions.
A worke.o is not allowed to change his job of his own accord, except by
consent .)f his place of employment,?ar if the cadre section decides
that he may be transferred to another type of work or another place
of employment provided that this is "in the interests of the State",
but not in order to benefit the individual.
31 Every worker must fulfill and over-fulfilithe
FUrthelldore, the plan must always be fulfilled by a certain date, which
is fixed by the Communist Party of the local Party Committee, or proposed
by the .rorks manager, who also instigates the so-called Socialist EMulation
Competitins. These competitions are usually arranged as follows: The
workshop foreman, or one of the Communist activists calls a mooting and
asks the workers, in honour of the October Revolution, or of some other
Communist holiday, to proebre so much epent over and above the plan
before the fixed date and to compete in this with similar workshops in
other factorips. Naturally, nobody can refuse to do this without beooming
"an enemy of the people", or even "a traitor". The press then announces
that all the members of this workshop in this factory have enthusiastically
agreed to complete and to exceed their plan ahead of time. In this manner,
an ever-increasing burden is illaoed upon the workers, and they Are
exploited to the utmost
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