THE TOWN OF KRETINGA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R013100220010-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 16, 2006
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: August 21, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
CLASSIFICATION SECRET ;.
SECURITY INFORMATION
INFORMATION REPORT REPORT
CD NO.
COUNTRY 'USSR (Lithuanian S
SUBJECT The `Town of Kreting
25X1
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE
ACQUIRED
oO NOT CIRCULATE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE 18, SECTIONS 193
AND '9 41. 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 IS PROHIBITED.
25X1
E DISTR. 21 August 1952
OF PAGES 8
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1. The town of Kr?etinga(55 54N,21 - l5E), Lithuanian SSR, was'seriously bombed
during the war and the entire western part of the town is in ruins. Since there
is no forced. labor camp or prison in town, there is no one to rebuild it,
In the center is a well-kept square,in the middle of which is an area Surrounded
Lithuanians climbed the flagpole in the center of the square and raised the
Lithuanian flag. This.was possible even though militiamen guard the square
all night, Other street lights are found only in front of certain office.
buildings, at the Military Commissariat, the bank, the rayon agricultural office,
the secret police office, the hospital, the militia office, etc.
.he whole square is pavra with stones, as are all the streets in-the town,
Kretinga1s rectangular central square has five streets running into it One of
these is Stoties Street, but the others, including Laukininku and Vilnius Streets,
have had their names changed and source does not know the new ones. At the end
of one of.them, a small street; is the Kretinga Military Commissariat. Another
one runs eastward and joins the road to Kartena (55 - 557N,21,- 28E),
Names of,streets are fixed to the walls of houses at intersections.. Street signs
in Kretinga (as well as in other Lithuanian towns) consist of a tin plate about
20 cm wide and 50 cm long. The color varies sometimes white plates with blue
writing; sometimes blue plates with white writing.
There are four street lights (wooden poles with electric bulbs) on the central
square. The inadequacy of the light on the square can be judged from the fact
that in 1948 on the night of 16 February (Lithuanian Independence Day) two
by an iron fence. This fence formerly enclosed a monument to Lithuanians who fought
for freedom in the time of independence, In 191-7 this monument was dismantled and
in its place was erected a pole on which the flag is raised..on Bolshevik holidays.
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many chimneys. The door on the ground floor is the entrance to the: cinema.
Inside this door large cement stairs lead up to three entrances. The first
entrance leads to the offices of the a kp omas (district committee). The
second entrance leads to a long corridor with many offices. On the
corridor doors are signs in Lithuanian and Russian indicating the name of
the section concerned. Here are located about eighteen various governmental,
union, and town offices, one of which is the Registrar's office, The third
entrance leads to the offices of the town administration..
Kretinga cemetery. The cemetery is located on both sides of Vilnius Street,
Primary school teachers' apartment. This is a white building on the right
side of the street..
i. MGB staff headquarters. Beyond the teachersL residence,, a. street intersects
Vilnius from the right. Past the intersection. is a large three-story
redbrick building which is surrounded by a barbed wire fence. In the.
square in front of the building there are always many trucks and passenger
cars, including.seven or eight ZIS trucks.
j. Kretinga garrison barracks. This is a medium sized wooden house of dark
color with a porch entry. The garrison consists.of about 40 soldiers
and has three dogs. A guard is-posted here day and night.
k. Kretinga primary school. The school is located on the right side of the
street, opposite the garrison barracks. It is a large yellow brick building
with four floors and a red roof, Political seminars and Party training, sessions
are often held in the school. Performances of the Vilnius and Klaipeda
theater groups are held here.
1. Red Army cemetery. Beyond the primary school on the right side of Vilnius
Street is a park, about nine hectares in extent, surrounded by a fence. At
the end of the park can be seen a monument about eight meters high, topped
with a.large red five-pointed star, This monument stands in the cemetery
for Red Army soldiers killed during the war in the battles for Kretinga,
Russians killed while fighting partisans are also buried here.
m. Kretinga. Agricultural School. Continuing along Vilnius Street there is another
park surrounded by a high brick wall. Through a high iron gate one can
.,see a large hothouse. Adjacent to this is a large palace, formerly the
residence of the Tiskevicius family and now the Kretinga.Argicultural School.
n. Kretinga sovkhoz, BeyorAi the Agricultural School and past a cement bridge,
a street turns to the east. Following this,.one soon reaches a block of
brick buildings belonging to the Kretinga.sovkhoz.
Population
10, Although the nu;nber of inhabitants of Kretinga has not changed.since 1945, the
composition of the population has changed. Soon after the war, 15 percent of the
Kretinga population. was Russian. Later, as the result of deportations, a large
number of Lithuanians left the country and were replaced by Russians and Jews
from the "brotherly republics." The percentage of Jews from other Soviet
republics now in Kretinga is six percent. By July 1951, Soviets of various national-
ities,'all newcomers, accounted for 35 percent of the population of Kretinga;
the rest were Lithuanians.
.11. Economic conditions in Kretinga are doubtless better for the Russians than
for the Lithuanians, Because the Russians have had hard times for many years,
they have had to turn on many occasions to friends for help, whether the friends
were Russian or not.. As long as they lived with the Lithuanians, sometimes under
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the same roof, and could borrow from and make use of them, they were good
neighbors. Generally speaking the Russians are always happy, talkative, and
do not care about all the difficulties they have. Thus, whenever they see a
Lithuanian depressed or with an unhappy expression on his face., they hate him
and, take this as a sign that he is a "bandit", a man who is not satisfied with
the"glor3,ous Soviet rule.,"
19. The rights of Lithuanian and Russian workers are equal before Soviet law,
Lithuanian and Russian workers often drink together and exchange cigarettes,
only so long, however,, as the Russian does not feel that the: Lithuanian is
dissatisfied with his life or with Soviet oppression. One looks in vain these
days for Russians or Jews who do any kind of physical labor in Kretingaor
in other localities. At present they all have the best jobs as directors,
engineers, brigadiers, work-norm supervisors, or at worst they are salesman
at some shop selling goods tq. the kolkhozni and others.
Controls
13. In Kretinga there are offices of the Military Commissariat, the secret police,
MGB, MVD, passport section,. People's Court, the prison with its supervisor,
the prosecutor, trade section,.agricultural section, rayon administration (P C K),
and, the health section; The militia maintains order in the streets according to the
directives of the militia commander, For example, before Bolshevik holidays,
militia points and patrols are reinforced and return to normal only after such a
festival, 'Usually streets are guarded by two militiamen posted at distances of
1.3 km per patrol< On election days, patrols are reinforced to five or more men
and public buildings are guarded,
yQ "VU J" cLiq way resLrietea either by day or night a If
a person's behavior arouses suspicion, be is stopped and asked for documents. if
he does not give sufficient explanation, he is taken into custody by the militia
and held in a prison cell until he can explain where he was going and for what
purpose.
Rail Transportation
uG .L- uuea oy wal.Kxng west on Stoties Street,
The old station was completely destroyed during the war and has not been rebuilt
The northern end of a nearby warehouse now serves as a ticket office., while
the other part is still used as a warehouse. The ticket office is a,small
room with three counters, Purchased tickets indicate the number of the char
that the passenger must occupy.:
16. The platform of the Kretingastation is not surrounded by any fence. Before
the arrival of the train, the platform is crowded. and at least four railroad
militiamen.appear to patrol the platform in pairs. One of them is in charge
of preventing quarrels and misunderstandings and must see that those waiting
stand.in an orderly line, etc.
Electricity
17. Kretinga is supplied with electric power from Klaipeda- Sour d
c
t
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e oes no
know
what kind of current is provided. Bulbs of 25 and 30 watts are used; . when.
source tried to light a 100-watt bulb, a short cireu.it resulted, There are no
el c ric det
i
i
ers
n pr
vate homes or elsewhere, the amount of electric current
permitted is expressed in number of bulbs. One family unit is permitted to have
three 25-watt bulbs, Rates are-charged according to the number of bulbs in use.
Inspections often take place to see that no One uses 40-watt bulbs or in any
other way violates electricity regulations, The fine for violation is 500 rubles.
If this, cannot be paid the current is disconnected..
18, Bulbs burn normally and without flickering. The current is weak until 1 pm,after
which time the power increases. Most of the old bulbs become defective after this
power increase. There are two types of bulbs in use- one burns for about three
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is followed by programs from Vilnius, reports from kolkhozy, etc. There is no
local radio station. Loudspeakers carrying Soviet programs blare out in all
work establishments, streets, offices, and other public places, and are a
.source of annoyance to Russian workers,, as well as Lithuanian. Privately owned
radios are mostly in Russian hands. Of the strictly Lithuanian population, some
15 percent may have private radios. Nearly all inhabitants have loudspeakers which
transmit the programs from Moscow, Vilnius, and other stations. Radio sets.
available in shops. are of Soviet type, mostly manufactured in Riga.
26. There is no official order prohibiting listening to foreign stations. Everyone
does, however, fear being,observed by agents of the secret militia, knowing
that a report of such listening would result in imprisonment. Thus,no one will
admit having heard any programs other then those from Moscow, music programs;, or
reports from the kolkhozy. The number of persons who listen regularly to the
foreign news services is very small. Source believes that long hours of hard.
labor prevent the population from having an interest in radio listening.
27a The inhabitants of Lithuania watch newspapers, especially for all news about
international conferences and the war in Korea.
4 .5aa, .Activities
28.* It can be said that at least 70 percent of all inhabitants io-f Kreting are.
.snti-Soviet, There is, of course, no organized resistance because in the past
the Soviets have reacted promptly and have killed all who tried to resist them,
The same would happen to anyone organizing any resistance now There are a few
famous Lithuanian "Combattants for Freedom" who are with their people in the
woods.. There is no chance whatever for them to exist in town.
ENlaym )at
29. Directors: of the.verious offices and installations in Kretinga can hire as many
employees as are necessary to do the work, provided, however, the job openings
have been confirmed by the appropriate ministry. No director can hire more
workers then. are indicated in-the plan.
30. It iss nearly impossible to got a new job w thout receiving an.q*Cderly discharge
from one's. previous job. Salaries are pail to employees according to the norm
affixed to the job opening by the ministry plan, Workers are paid according to
their actual working norms.
'.typical monthly salaries are the following-
College directors 1,200 rubles
Town Deputy - 1,300 rubles
Town administrative official 1,300 rubles
College teachers
- 500 to 700 rubles
Militiamen
- 700 to 800 rubies:
lstrebiteli
- 400 to .600. rubles
Senior bookkeepers- 500 to 650 rubles
Cashiers 450 rubles
Various office employees - 360 to 500 rubles
Workers -a 350 to 400 rubles
These salaries are gross, prior to tax and other deductions. For the State Loan
alone everyone has a monthly deduction amounting to 10 to 15 percent of each
100 rubles gross earnings. A family of four, even.if living as modestly as
possible,. would require minimum of 700 to 800 rubles for the most essential
needs such as housing, electricity, heating, and food.
31. Citizens who suffered from the war are not usually compensated. In exceptional
cases and with tremendous difficulties, however, some compensation may be obtained.
If 'a woman whose husband was killed as a Soviet soldier can prove with
documentation down to the slightest detail where, how, and under what circum-
stances her husband was killed, and if, further, a much-detailed analysis of her
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own poor financial state has been completed,,,, the government may grant her a.
small financial allowance or some aid in looking.for a new room, The majority
of those who really suffered from the war, however, have been deported with
their families to Siberia.
Housing and Restaurants
Houses of factory . workers do not differ in any way from the houses of other
workmen or, from those of militiamen, istrebiteli, etc., with the exception, of
those houses built .by certain factories for their own employees. Such houses
are always white or yellow in color. ,.are built of concrete,. and have several
floors. They are called bendrabuciai(common dwelling houses or dormitories)
and are under the jurisdiction ofthefactory which built them, It is possible
that an artisan might have better accommodations than have militiamen, teachers,
or agricultural workers.. Better housing facilities are enjoyed by all those
working for the Party. If 'a person is of particular value to the Party, he is
supplied with the best housing facilities available.
There are three large restaurants in hotels in.Kretinga, There are a certain
number of restaurants with bad reputations which are guarded.. by the militia
patrol of the area concerned. The patrols do not remain at these restaurants
all the time but visit them. occasionally.
Communicati?ns
34. Private telephones are very rare. There is no prohibition against having a
private telephone installed, but the cost is prohibitive. The fee is 300
rubles for the telephone set and. 30 rubles as a?minimum monthly bill. Such
sums are unavailable to the average citizen. Telephones are in offices and
plants and in the homes of Party members and officials. If the average citizen
must make a call, he goes to the post office and can telephone from there for a
fee of one ruble.
35. Telephone conversations are-monitored at certain intervals but not at all times.
When conversations are controlled, civilian policemen visit the post offices and
check who calls and who is called.
36. There are two kinds of telegrams in use in Lithuania, the normal telegram and
the so-called zaibo te~legrama (blitz telegram). The normal telegram is paid for
according :to the standard fees bUt the recipient does not receive it by special
delivery. It therefore takes longer than the blitz telegram. A blitz telegram
costs about 20 rubles and the recipient may receive it within one or two hours.
Money orders are primarily sent by blitz telegram. A blitz money order from
. . Kretinga to Lvov would take about six hours. The fee for money transmitted by
this means is eight percent of the sum.-sent.
37. All post offices and sub-offices in Kretinga can communicate by telephone with
all points in Lithuania and, via Vilnius, with other localities in the Soviet
Union. Communication with other parts of the Soviet Union is, however., better
completed by telegram., since telephone connections take too long to be established,
It sometimes takes half"a day to place a phone call from Kretinga to Vilnius.
Medical Facilities
38. There are two hospitals in Kretinga, one for communicable diseases and the other
a general hospital for the town. It addition, there is a health section
(sveikatos ki) and a lying-in home.
.39. Those who can afford it obtain private medical treatment, but it is very
expensive,.and to find a physician. who has private patients is difficult one
can visit doctors in private at their homes either early in the morning or late
after working hours It is, however., forbidden to bring a patient directly to
a physiciants house. In other words., only someone still capable of walking can
visit a physician privately. Most persons are treated in hospitals or lie in
bed at home9being visited, by the physicians officially, Patients often pay the
doctors something; extra so that they will be more careful and sensitive in the
treatments
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ko,
The method of medical treatment depends solely on the state of health of the
patient rather than on his social position, The physician decides whether or not
hospital treatment is necessary, and,if it is, the patient receives. it, If
hospitalization is not needsd, the doctor may give the person a'prescription
for medicine. In cases ofaccident, an injured person is brought to the hospital
in an ambulance and treated there until his recovery or death. A newcomer to
some town who falls ill may apply for medical consultation even though he is
not registered them. A visitor from Vilnius or Moscow who falls ill in Kretinga,
will be brought to a hospital immediately.
Religion
There are two. Christian churches in Kretingad.one Roman Catholic and the other
Protestant. Persons who go to church are laughed at by the Communists,, considered
unreliable, accused of being culturally backward, and accused of disloyalty to the
Communist regime, Furthermore,.the churches are burdened with heavy taxes. There
is no antagonism among the faithful,, but there is a large schism between the
faithful and the Communists
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