CENTRAL TELEGRAPH OFFICE OF THE USSR AND CIVIL DEFENSE PROGRAM IN MOSCOW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A054200350001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 25, 1960
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. ?93 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
COUNTRY USSR (Moskovskaya Oblast)
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &.
DATE ACQ.
Central Telegraph Office of the USSR DATE DISTR. J1 9d o
and Civil Defense Program in Moscow
NO. PAGES 1
chart, on the Central Telegraph Office of the USSR
A fifteen-page report, including legends, sketches, and an organizational
The following sketches are 50X1-HUM
included in the report: one locating the office, one of antennae used.,. and
one sketch of each floor of the building, from the basement through 50X1-HUM
the fifth floor. Miscellaneous Information on the office is briefly
given and a paragraph is included on civil defense instruction there
in 1952.
STATE TAXARMY XLNAVY T X [AIR ' NSA
X FBI NIC X
11
101 111111l ii
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CENTRAL TELEGRAPH OFFICE OF THE USSR AND CIVIL DEFENSE PROGRAM
1. The Central Telegraph Office of the USSR (Tsentralnyy Telegraf SSSR),
subordinate to the Ministry of Communications of the USSR (Ministerstvo
Svyazi SSSR), which was in the same building, was located on Gorkogo
ulitsa, number 7 or 9, Sovetskiy rayon, Moscow. Ulitsa Ogareva and
ulitsa Belinskogo ran on either side of the building, which was of
reinforced concrete, had five stories and a basement, a slightly slanted
zinc roof, measured about 30 meters high because each floor was of
double height, and was about 20 years old. The building was about
50 meters square. Each well had three double windows about eight
meters high by seven meters wide. Three or four antennas of two
different types were installed on the roof (see sketch on page 10 );
source thought they were for radio transmitting and receiving. Both
types were about five meters high. The antenna with two columns supported
a copper cable of unknown dimensions; the other kind of antenna was
known as the "umbrella" type. The employees' entrance was guarded by
signal troops; these guards were armed with revolvers, and gave persons
entering the building a pass (propusk) which was left with the guards
at the end of the day. These passes were numbered and bore a photograph.
There were no outside guards.
2. Following is the legend for the sketch on page 11 , giving the general
location and layout of the Central Telegraph Office:
(1) Public and employees' entrance to Central Telegraph office.
(2) Building.
(3) (4) Stairway and elevator.
(5) Courtyard.
(6) (7) Stairway and elevator.
(8) Public and employees' entrance of the Ministry of Communications
of the USSR and of the RSFSR, with a doorman.
(9) Stairway and elevator.
(10) Metal fence with a small gate, unguarded.
(11) Alley.
(12) Entrance for employees of the Central Telegraph Office and of the
Ministry, guarded by two soldiers from the eomminications branch.
(13) Metal fence with a small gate, unguarded.
(14) Private residence.
{1 Entrances.
Following is the legend for the sketch on page 12 , showing the layout
of the basement of the Central Telegraph Office:
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(1) Substation (podstantsiya) containing (1) several generators that
supplied electricity to the Central Telegraph Office when the
normal electrical supply failed, and (2) devices to convert alter-
nating direct current
The entrance door
was guarded by a soldier from signal troops who was armed with a
revolver and checked the pass before allowing anyone to enter the
room.
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(2) Unguarded, wooden entrance door to archives.
(3) Unguarded entrance from the courtyard to the stairway that led
to the basement and to the upper stories.
(4+) Stairway. All stairways had a well or shaft for an elevator.
(5) Food products storehouse.
(6) Archives in which copies of telegrams transmitted and received
were kept for a three-month period, after which they were burned
or sold to paper plants. On occasion, the telegrams were sent
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being destroyed.
(7) Interior courtyard of the building.
(8) Kitchen.
(9) Dining room with 20 or 30 tables, each seating four persons; the
dining room was for employees of the Central Telegraph Office,
and served meals from 0900 hours to 1800 hours. Tables were
served by uniformed waitresses. No pass was necessary to enter
the dining room.
(10) Door opening on to stairway from archives.
(11) Stairway.
(12) Garage housing about 30 cars and 20 trucks at the service of the
Central Telegraph Office; the garage also did minor repairs.
(13) Cloakroom.
4+. Following is the legend for the sketch on page 12 , of the layout of the
first floor:
(1) Public entrance for telephone and telegraph service.
(2) Telephone booths for local calls.
(3) Waiting room and telephone booths for inter-urban and international
calls.
(4) Stairway and elevator.
(5) Telegraph office where the public was served.
(6) Stairway and elevator.
(7) Cashiers receiving payment for telephone calls.
(8) Courtyard.
(9) Cloakroom.
(10) (11) (12) Stairway and elevator.
(13) Personnel section employing about 15 persons. The section head was
named Morgunova (fnu).
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(14) Dwellings for the chiefs of the Central Telegraph Office
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(15) Machine shop for the repair of equipment of the Central Telegraph
Office. The shop contained about 15 lathes, three or four drill
presses, electric and autogenous welding sets, a forge, etc., and
did all kinds of repairs, however difficult. The shop employed
about 0 workers all of whom were s ecialists.
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(16) Pass bureau (byuro propuskov), the office in charge of issuing and
renewing passes. It had two departments in which four or five
persons and their chief worked.
(17) Pay window for employees of the Central Telegraph Office.
5. Following is the legend for the sketch on page 13, showing the layout
of the second floor;
(1) Ministry of Communications of the USSR and Ministry of Communications
of the RSFSR The Minister of the
latter minisry was urs c ev nu . 50X1-HUM
(2) (3) (4+) (5) Stairway and elevator.
(6) Training school to enable workers to advance in "category;" it
contained two or three Soviet teletypes, ST-35 (Sovetskiy teletip);
four American teletypes, two of which were of the type T-15 and two
T-19 (source thought these four teletypes were a military type).
Only employees of the Central Telegraph Office could study at this
school, disassembling these teletypes to learn how they functioned.
There were no other machines. Two-hour classes were given daily
after work for a period of 15 days; graduates were qualified special-
ists. The director of the school was named Nesottsev (fnu), Russian,
about 4+0 years old, communications engineer; he was chief of the
automatic section No. 5, which was located on the fourth floor of
the building. From 10 to 15 persons attended each course given.
(7) Stairway and elevator.
(8) Club of the Central Telegraph Office, with theater and movie; it
was used for political and professional lectures, concerts, etc.
6. Following is the legend for the sketch on page 13, showing the layout of
the third floor:
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(1) Teletype room of the urban telegraph system, containing more than
500 teletypes for receiving and sending telegrams to different points
in Moscow. following makes of teletypes: about
10 T-15 teletypes that had been modified; about 10 T-19
elet es that h e ed; about 100 ST-35 Soviet
e e ypes manufactured in Tula; about
400 AT-55 Soviet teletypes that had been manufactured in Sverdlovsk
and Tbilisi; about 10
make teletypes
J teletypes[
and two old
All the teletypes were used in the reception and transmission of 50X1 -HU M
telegrams within the city of Moscow. There was no machinery of any
other kind. There were three shifts of about 500 persons each plus
a relief group of about 500 persons and a group of 100 persons who
went to work in the morning to replace sick personnel, making a total
of about 2,100 technicians and specialists.
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the name of the chief of this section. Signal troops armed with
revolvers guarded the entrances to this room.
(2) Ministry of Communications of the RSFSR and the Ministry of
Communications of the USSR. Employees of the Central Tele a I
Office could enter without a pass. 50X1-HUM
(3) (4) Stairway and elevator.
(5) Courtyard.
(6) Dining room for workers at the Central Telegraph Office that
served sandwiches and a first course to workers who brought food
from home. They were served by uniformed waitresses and ate before
the shift began.
(7) (8) Stairway and elevator.
(9)
for emergency repairs.
Repair shop for minor repairs, containing two Soviet lathes not
further identified, a drill press, and work benches, and em to n
about 25 persons working one shift.
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(10) Telephoto room in which about 100 persons worked; the room was guarded,
and a pass was required for entrance.
(11) Stairway and elevator.
(12) Management offices of the Central Telegraph Office of the USSR.
The director was Guzovskiy (fnu), Russian, about 50 years old, married,
communications engineer, residing in the same building in which the
the Central Telegraph Office was located. These offices had a r50X1-HUM
ception room. The director was assisted by the chief engineer,
named Grebenshchikov (fnu Russian
a communications engineer
(13)
Labor Unions Committee of the Central Telegraph Office;)
The Committee consisted of a total
(14) Telegraph subscribers; this transmission system established direct
communication with the industry or ministry desired and was for use
by only the ministries, large industries, plants, combines, and
offices; it consisted of a dial telephone without a microphone. The
dial had numbers from 0 to 9 and ten letters beginning with the 50X1-HUM
letter A and following the Russian alphabet. Dialing put one into
direct contact with the desired ministry or industry.
were three eight-hour shifts plus a relief group employing
of about 25 persons.
there
a total
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(15) Lending library of the Central Telegraph Office, employing two
persons; the library contained technical, political, and literary works.
(16) Auxiliary telegraph office transmitting telegxWphs on frequencies of
from 2,000 to 15,000 cycles per second. This section contained control
panels but no machinery. Armed guards were posted at the door and no
one could enter without a special pass.
after working ours two workers were on duty
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7. Following is the legend for the sketch on page 14 , showing the layout
of the fourth floor:
(1)
Machinery room, divided into five sections:
a. First section: in the first section were installed about 50
ST-35 Soviet teletypes; about 50 AT-55 Soviet teletypes; and
about 60 or 70 "Bodo" Soviet teletypes made in Sverdlovsk,
although the inventor was French. The Bodo teletypes were
very large, measuring about five meters long by 1.5 meters
high. This section had no other machines. All these teletypes
were used in the reception and transmission of telegrams tc50X1-H U M
those points of the USSR that were in the same direction as
Saratov and Stalingrad.
on each of the three shifts and in the relief group. - 50X1-HUM
b. Second section: this section contained the same machines as
those in the first section. They were used in the reception
and transmission of telegrams following th line idev- Kharkov.
and all the cities lying in this direction
This section employed
from 200 to 250 workers on each of the three shifts and in the
relief group. 50X1-HUM
c. Third section: this section contained the same machines as
above, employing the same number of workers and technicians.
This line received and transmitted telegrams from the cities
that were in the direction of Tbilisi and Baku.
d. Fourth section: it contained the same machines as above plus
eight or ten T-19 American teletypes. It employed about 250
to 300 workers on each of the three shifts and in the relief
group. It received and transmitted telegrams from cities in
the direction of Siberia, cities such as Vladivostok and
e. Fifth section: it contained about 100 AT-55 automatic tele-
types and no teletypes of any other kind. It received and trans-
mitted telegrams from all parts of the USSR. It was the most
important section of the Central Telegraph Office. The chief
of this section was named Nesottsev; the section employed a
total of about 60 or 80 technicians and about 300 teletype
operators on three shifts and the relief group. Each of these
five sections had an engineer on each shift, who was the section
chief. There were no deputy engineers. 50X1-HUM
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(2) (3) (4) Stairway and elevator.
(5) Courtyard.
(6) (7) Stairway and elevator.
(8) Offices of sections 1,2,3,4,and 5, working on time and attendance,
leaves, hiring, etc.
These offices employed from ten to 15 persons.
(9) Repair shop for the machines in sections 1,2,3,4, and 5. The shop
chief was named Petrov (fnu), about 35 or 40 years old, engineer,
married, living in Moscow. The shop employed about 25 or 30 persons.
(10) International section, guarded by signal troops who were armed with
revolvers; a special pass was necessary to enter this section, which
employed about 50 persons on each of three shifts and in the special
group. It received and transmitted telegrams from all parts of the
world. 50X1-HUM
8. Following is the legend for the sketch on page 14+, giving the layout of
the fifth floor: 50X1-HUM
(1) Section in which, after transmission, telegrams were classified by
day and hour, packaged, and sent to the archives.
This section worked four shifts:
the day shift consisted of 70 persons, and the night shifts of 10
or 15 persons.
(2) Roof and kitchen chimneys, number not given..
(3) Stairway and elevator.
(4) Courtyard.
9. Following is the legend for the organizational chart of the Central
Telegraph Office of the USSR, on page 15.
Ministry of Communications of the USSR.
Personnel section.
Management of the Telegraph Office.
Shift chief.
Deputy shift chief for technical affairs.
Fourth floor deputy shift chief for operations.
Third floor deputy shift chief for operations.
Fourth floor deputy shift chief for technical affairs.
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(9) Third floor deputy shift chief for technical affairs.
(10) Principal accountant.
(11) Deputy director for consumption of materials, housing, transport, etc.
(12) Chief engineer, deputy director for technical affairs.
(13) Deputy director for operations.
(14) Chief of operations for section one, fourth floor.
(15) Payroll section.
(16) Finance section.
(17) Housing section.
(18) Transport section.
(19) Assistant to the chief engineer for technical matters in section one,
fourth floor.
(20) Assistant to the chief engineer for technical matters in section two,
fourth floor.
(21) Assistant to the chief engineer for technical matters in section
three, fourth floor.
(22) Assistant to the chief engineer for technical matters in section
four, fourth floor.
(23) Assistant to the chief engineer for technical matters in section
five, fourth floor.
(24+) Technical chief of the urban section, on the third floor.
(25) Technical chief of telegraphic frequencies.
(26) Technical chief of telegraph subscribers (abonentskiy telegraf).
(27) Chief of operations of section two, fourth floor.
(28) Chief of operations of section three, fourth floor.
(29) Chief of operations of section four, fourth floor.
(30) Chief of operations of section five, fourth floor.
(31) Chief of operations of the urban section, third floor.
(32) Chief of operations for telegraph subscribers.
(33) Chief of the telephoto section.
(34+) Shift chief for technical affairs, of one section. There were four
shifts.
(35) Shift chief for operations, of one section. There were four shifts.
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10. A pneu;Latic tube system v:_.s used to send teleLra-ms from one section
to another and from one floor to another.
secret section in the Central Telegraph 0'fice
No new equipment Was installed in the
Central Telegraph Office
There was no shortage of electronic c
the telegraph office
in the city of Pyatigorsk, RSFSRI
was subordinate to the Ministry of Communications of the Rf:FSR. All
telegraph offices in the USSR bore the name of the city in which they
were located; none were numbered. The Ministry of R^,ilroads had its
own transmission system; all other ministries, excepting the military
ministries)
graph Office of the USSR.
12. About winter 1952, the ;secretary of the Komsomol of the Central Tele-
gr.{.ph Office bean distributing.: a medium-size, dark green six- or eight-
page booklet with a few pictures, titled #tdmic Defense. These manuals
could not be taken home. The text was explained to all employees of
the Central Telegraph Office in two 40-minute lectures. No other lectures
of this type were given. Afterwards, lectures were given twice monthly
on the most varied subjects, including atomic defense; these lectures
lasted from 60 to 90 minui,es - nd began at about 1430 hours for source s
shift. A lecture on atomic defense was given by a professional lecturer
nearly every month; it was not always the same lecturer. Lectures were
given in the Central Telegraph Office club, located in the building; 50X1-HUM
attendance was voluntary, and the lectures were given between shifts.
About 70 to 80 percent o the employees of the k~enL ra. ` e et rap five 50X1-HUM
attended the lectures in groups of 150 to 200.
These awards were given to the
Komsomoltsy taking active part in the DOSAAF program),
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Organizational Chart of the
Central Telegraph Office
C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
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