WHY DETAILED DATA ON MINERAL RESOURCES OF ASIA ARE ESSENTIAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-00706R000200010053-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 10, 2003
• Sequence Number: 53
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2004/01/15 :CIA-RDP81-00706ROQ0200010053-8
i~hy ~?tailed Bata on &~ineral Reso~zrces df
~~sia are t;ssetial
.~'. F.cc~m Asiatic Vie~pc~intt
1. Japan as a modern industrial nation, the only one iix' ~~sia, corxsurnes
vast quantities of minerals. Iron ore,. coal, copper,~arsd fertilizer
minerals are used in the manufacture of needles, hoES, locomotives,
hydroelectric generators, farmers fertili~;ers, and an endless list of
necessary items. ~. constant supply of m~..nerals is almost as essen-
tial as food to this industrial nation of .pion people.
2. Contrary to popular belief, Japan is a morel]. mineralize+i country and
produces- substantial amounts of copper, z~.n:c, p3rr~-te, ma~rganese,
and ateana coat. Hc~ceever Japan's deposits can supply only about 2~
percent of leer iron ore requis~eraents a there. is very little grsod
coking coals and.. no alumiiau~n, or phosphate fertilizer eyes. In
addition,. tin, tungetexz, manganes$, lead and nickel must be imported.
'3.'he economical source of most of these m~.nerals ie in As~.atic
countries.
3. Je~pan alleviated her shortages and was self--sufficient in minerals
during her conquest of Karen, China,. nchuria, and South Asia.
A~:quirin these rdneral depos? is ~r~:s g big factnr cif the conquest.
During this period, Jap~ese geologists and mining eng5.ne~rrs rrk~de
intensive studies of mineral deposits all the may from 2~ongolia
to the South I'aeific Islands. Japan had r~o efficient gover-t~e~~.tal
organizations comparable to the tt.5. C~olc~gical Surv~r~ or U.S. Bureau
of ~3.nes so the ~eork erns ffiostly done by var~.eue Japanese mining
company men. These men hava the best i.nformat~.on on many of the
vitally important minera3~ deposits oaf ~nchuria, China, Kr~ret~, and
other Asiatic countries. ~dueh of this practical information l~.es
in Japanese wining cor~psn;~ files and has nc~t been published.
~. If it survives, Japan is mineral. industry must, have an econo~~.ical
source of ra~r materials. Iron ore and coking coal from~.~merica
to replace Hainan iron ore and. Chinese coal cari only be a temporary:
expansive prop. Before discussing any questions such ae the
practib3.l.ity of obtaining additional iron ore from Malaya, there
should be available detailed infortt~ti cn on proved. are reserves,..
grc~babl:e ore, grade of the ore, size and- she~pe of the deposits,
mining methods, equipment, accessibility, awed iaar~y Other facts.
In short, detailed, information:.preferably in one convenient x~port
is necessary for any integrated p3:ctux?e of the- mineral yes=purees
of Asia. Such facts must be available before any ~orth~iile p~.ann-
ing is possible.
3f these probler:~,s are not solved it is entirely possible -that
Japan ~rould at some .future date again. ga to r to obtain the
minerals she needs. C?ther ./~siatic countries no less need the pro-
ducts from.Japan~s mineral industr~.es.
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1. ~dil.itary intelligence should knovr all deta~.ls of mineral resources
that are in the hands of the enemy or that may at some ftitture date
fall. ~detals are the si.ne~:s of mar. areas accessible today, ~
not be accessible later. It is not encna.gh to knew the mineral
produced. anc~ a description of the plant.. eke: ervea, zt~i~ng methods,
geology, anal processing; are all factors necessary to estimate mineral
potential. cover a long period. ~:'he sign of the plant and its
capacity are not always indicative of the reserves of good ore left
1n the ground. Somet3mcs the ~.ning geolag;ist can maker art intel-
ligernt guess as to the nature of ~ new mi.ra.e3ral oper~tican iri enemy
territory if he; kno~rs the general geal4~;y cif the area.
1~ineral deposits may be strategic objectives for fighting forces;
radioactive minerals, tungsten, iron,. man~~nese and. copper deposits
be ob~~ectives to be held or ,gained frc>na an enemy, The ~ralue
of the objective can be derterr~.r.~ed if there are ~u.ffieient facts
gathered..frorn previous studies.
2. 13,5.. lacks- certain critical and strategic minerals ~:~iat occur in
~:.sia. Tin, tungsten and antimony are abun~tant in China and
~fal~aya, tI.S, has no tip deposits,. and. ver~r little antimony. tJur
tungsten c~sposits mere almost e~hauated by ~a~iorld ~=nr ll. the spa
is true of manganese, but .~uUsia and India havs large reserves.
X3.5. gill depend mare anci more upon foreign sources and moat
build up stockpiles oaf stratt~gic and critical miner~:ls. A
kncrv3.adge of all possible sources is esseni;i.~l.
wring the period of Japan's rehabilitation many t~f her mineral
defieiences veil]. have to be suppli+sd from Ii,S. aouroes. ~t the
}resent time U.S. can ill z=ffc~rd many mines~ais ea$ent~.al tc~ J'span.
~:n intensive study should be rt~ade to deternxirte the possibility cai'
substituting increased production from oth?:r Asiatic Sources. The answer
can only be derived fro: a ~no~rledge of ~e potential cif these deposits.
Japan can and does manufacture many it?~ms ~'or the United rations
armed i'orces, anei will continue tea do so a?~ long as an adequate
su3aply of m~.nerals are available.
C. Sug~,cste?3 action
1. All ~aossible information on a~s3atic minert3. de~~osits should be gathered
and prepared ixz report f o2~t.
1~h,S gill proUably complete reports- on nearly all rsd.nerals mined
Japan. Qrk is Hour progre:~sing can a study of the m~n.ganese deposits.
When these are ccamgleted, all important facts necessary tea estlariate
Japan's mineral resources and capacity vri11. be know..
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As # as possible, tt~e vast reaevcir cf knt~~clecie nn A~ia.tit:
areas, outside Japan sht?uld be tapped and utili~sd. F~ese~:rch into
Japanese literature is only part cif tie ~.xaft~r?tien available.-
. Technical occ~.pation personnel. ~rork.n~ ~.th Japanese ~s?alogists and
mi.nn~ en~;i.s~eers ti3 increase Japanese miner~~~. prcductian h~-ve built
up a spirit Qf ~Ut~d-x'5.11 and cocperatan. ~~z. often ~~:.ne a~.d
~eolsa~ical msps are vtaluntaxi.ly submitted. iaduCh t~f this material,
particularly an ~nchuria and Cl~.i~~a is unobtaina~ale else~rhere. The
~Jnite d Natiorxs have notificu' NYtiS that all E:l3i.nese geolog3.sts, ~+'i.th
the exception of .three car lour on T~'c~rmt~.sa, a:11 defected to the.
Coirnnunists anc3. their rept~rts are utae,Xailalal.e,
To date N~.S en~3.neers and ~eolc~gists h~~:ve only fathered outeicie
Asiatic infos~.ation as incidental to their m.min duty e,f ass~.ting
Japanese teehnit;al Caen and repprtinu can Japanese de~at3sits, i3r~~zver
they feel that their contacts should ~e utilised in cbtainin~ in-
valu~ble maps and rP~aQrts that may next be available in a short time.
xty mine and ~eolagical cps are nt~t pub3.ished anti mast ffiining
ct~paxaies. liven only mir~um. ir~ormatic~n tQ anybtady but. friends ttr
mom they are indebted.
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