MINISTRY OF CONSTRUCTION (DANUBE-BLACK SEA CANAL AREA)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R011900090002-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 14, 2006
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 7, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2006/08/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R011900090002-3
I von V.
FEB 1952 BSVAA
SECURITY INFORMATION
INFORMATION REPORT
CLASSIFICATION SECRET/CONTROL - U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
CD NO.
COUNTRY Rumania
DATE DISTR. 7 May 1952
SUBJECT Ministry of Construction (Danube-Black Sea NO. OF PAGES 2
Canal Area)
DATE OF
25X1INFO.
25X1%CE
ACQUIRED
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE 18, SECTIONS 793
AND 794, OF THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVE-
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PROHIBITED BY LAW. THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM 15 PROHIBITED.
NO(LISTED.OFBELOWENCLS) .
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1. Building Enterprise Nc. 25 of the Ministry of Construction, located at
Medgidia, in the Dobrcgea district, worked for the most part near the
Danube-Black Sea Canal. Up to June 1951, the enterprise employed about
6,000 workers, most of whom were soldiers who had been assigned to
labor detachments. The .-inistry of Construction has a large number of
similar enterprises, each of ;which is responsible for a certain number
of building sites. In June 1951, it was planned to centralize building
activities and to replace the "Enterprises" by a single administrative
unit or "Trust" and to make each building job an independent technical
unit under the control of this new body.
2. A new town, which is to be the administrative center of the General
Management of the Canal, is being built in Poarta Alba. Near the new
town there is a prison camp for persons charged with attempting to
cross the frontier illegally or with smuggling currency. Its prisoners
work on the Canal. Among the vrork projects executed in 1951 at Poarta
Alba are the following:
a. Permanent and temporary barracks for workers and prisoners. The
materials were supplied by Comlemn at Reghin.
b. The Administration building for the management of the Danube-
Black Sea Canal.
c. A large number of houses for the new town. A new town is under
construction at Medgidia.
Also under construction at Medgidia are the following:
a. A prison camp for former government officials accused of mal-
CLASSIFICATION SECRET/CONTROL - U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2006/08/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R011900090002-3
 Approved For Release 2006/08/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R011900090002-3
SECRET /CONTROL _ U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
feasance or misappropriation of funds. These individuals are
employed at the Canal,
b. Barracks for workers and prisoners. materials for which were
supplied by Com-emn at Reghin.
d. A cement factory which began operation on 23 April 1951. It has
four production lines, each BO meters long. Equipment for it
came from the Vulcan factory in Bucharest and from the Huniedoara
(Resita) works. Its entire prcwuctio:n is sent to the USSR.
e. Several workshops extending over a very large area and consisting
of four large halls built one 'C:(_--.side the other in such a way that
they can be joined into one er,crnr::as hall. The floor and walls
are made of concrete, with con.:_r-ete for the sloping sections of
the zigzag roof, and glass for the vertical sections. A steel
foundry is attached to the shops. Their equipment, which is quite
modern, was taken frort-, an old aircraft factory in Bucharest. The
shops produce bend and machine i Dols and do repair work for the
Canal. According to plan, the rcr-kshops are to manufacture
locomotives and freight c rs in ..~:e f ,t?ure. The workshops are
quite suitable for cor-ersiori t:_: war production.
f. An oxygen factory.
g. Garages for tru eke.
4. There is new construction, inclu.d.ng a new town, at Cernavoda. In-
cluded are a prison camp similar to the one at, Medgidia and permanent
and temporary barracks for workers ana prisoners, materials for which
are provided b a,t Reghin.
Midia and Canara are the terminal poI_.- t.s of the section of the Canal
from Medgidia tew. _ :aae black Sea, and form a separate technical and
administrative f e'oriri '.he res : e_' the Canal. They are situated on
the edge of a so: dy ;a; aliec north of Constanta. A dike
has been built .:._r3t,ion toehold back the sea water and to
prevent deposits lr.r from being carried into the Canal. The
section of the ,.Urn froze 'fed6;id? a ojve.TM a Constanta gradually turns
away from the c:r_si. a railway line. ',Dark in this area is pressed.
on as rap' idly as and .=_ a? aids are used; whereas the
Cernavoda-1 edg=;ii.-, suction has -tar-oel?r progressed beyond the blue-
print stage ariu mo t work is pe forty d b;,' manual labor. One
possible reason f. this may be the mechanical tools are not em-
ployed where noy can be observed from the train. 1?:idi_a and Ca.nar?a
also have comp. c-'-6 barracks for- political pris3oners. Most of these
are former le.6i01,rl-a rr- e c . They are cons i red extermination camps as
prisoners are forced to work standing in ,.a ter even in winter. except
for some Soviet `-a se:l excavators with British trademarks and two coal-
burning ones, al_ e;A . L;r.el.t is old and was acquired front former
private enterprises.
6. The budget of r?._llin En-,erpri_se No. 25 eras as follows: In 1949
(barracks onl i-) BOO ;;illy o;. lei; in 1950, 1,000 million lei; in 1951,
1,700 million lei. The pla for 1952 includes a budget of 1,700
million lei.
7.
Israel Rosenbe : g is Chief Eagir_c>ur of Buiic:ing .. terprise No.
25.
He
is about 30 year;;, tal?, Very conceited but no treat expert.
he
had
replaced the a'-le engineer Gi cert who was sent to Petrosani.
Gilbert
was responsibl,_ _ .._ :.; K%uila:i_ ; of the cement factory at Medgidia.
Approved For Release 2006/08/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R011900090002-3