POPULATION/TRADE/INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000500330031-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 1, 1999
• Sequence Number: 31
• Publication Date: December 21, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

~- Approved For Release 2001/09/11 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500330031-8
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
Arnerica/Canadr A- r
PLACE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE) -
25X1A
DATE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
25X1X THIS is UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
DATE DISTR.! Dec 53
NO. OF PAGES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
1. Latin America is in the middle of a "population explosion", according to a recent
report by a private U. S. population research organization. The present population
of Latin America, including the Caribbean, is about 173 [trillion, or just about equal
to that of the U. S. and Canada com.'bined. However, the growth rate of Latin
merican population is about 2 1/2 times that of the rest of the world. On the basis
of present rrowth rates, there will oe about 550 million people in Latin America by
the year 2,000, compared to only 250 million in the U. S. and Canada combined.
2. The T:?i:.idad Petroleum Department's recently-issued retort on 1952 operations dis-
closes that Trinidad's patroleum production is being maintained only at the price
of intensive effort and in the face of mounting costs. Output for the year averaged
58,100 b/d, or about 2% higher *..han in 1951. Production still remains below the
1940 peak of 60,100 b/d, however, and is only kept at its present level by means of
ex'..cnsive drilling which offsets the declining yield per well. Annual footage
drilled rises continually and last :,ear, with an average of 28 rigs in operation,
totalled 737,000 ft., nearly 11% more than in 1951. Output per well averaged 24.1
b/d, a 4% decline from the previous ;;ear, and a 41% decline from the 1940 level of
41 b/d. Furthermore, half the oil is now produced by artificial lift as against only
about a third in 1940; and the percentage of salt water, now 17.2, in the fluid
c::tracted also rises annually. Since it is thought unlikely that any substantial
rcLerves will be discovered at shallow depths, the industry has been engaged in an
extensive deep-drilling campaign. The peculiar difficulties of Trinidad's geology,
however, m-k. such drilling exceptionally hazardous and expensive. In view of this,
increasing interest is being shown in offshore drilling, and the territorial waters,
the Cull? of Paria, are now the scene of intensive exploration by U. S. and
Dritish co,panies.
3. Ir..err.:. ion.l :'.o::e:.ary Fu:'.I hs c_Gr,.ed .o lend brazil L10 million for liquidating
part o lic re u'b.ic's :.rade backlog with Britai: . 'T'his brings Brazil's debit
bc7.ance he Fund to 365.5 mil:.ion. The directors of the Fund made it clear that
the lot.n does u:.': im,.,ly endorsement of brazil's new exchange control system but only
U.S. OfficIaIB Only
SECRET
..
(aI STRIpV 11 Vn I +.?,.. 1 i' 1
This report is for the. use within the USA of the Intelligence components of the Departments or
Agencies indicated above. It is not to be transmitted overseas without the concurrence of the
originating office through the Assistant Director of the Office of Collection and Dissemination, CIA.
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l____ Approved For Release 2001/09/11 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500330031-8
 Approved For Release 2001/09/11 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500330031-8
that .,`icy fc.:.t :.:ore harm would be done b, refusing the loan than by gray .i it.
i.ccording to a recently-conol.-uded U. K.-Brazil agreement, Brazil ca: only 5
million a year for oil purQianee from British companies until her debt ba.cklod is cleared
up. If purchases exceed tl]a,13-limit, ?:='?n2'=nt, ..-ill be made in other currenci:-:s acceptable
to the companies.
4. The Brazilian 'ioverrm:ent petroleum arc:: c;; k::-s :-waracd he _ osi.cr ::'heeler Corpora ion
a 5-:-ear contract which may involve a ;;50 ??.=i-lion exre:.^i are on shale yo'e aracLion
facili'ics. The contract has throe phacos - economic . udies a p' eFl't,
refinery Sri..l: an initial `.hroughput cap: city of 40,000 irons of shale daily -- and each
ph- se is coral n';ent on favorable exneriei.ce in he preceding phase . ne reli.:er, , if
U:,ilt, will have an output capacity of 10,000 b/d and rill be located in Tremeribe in
Fe:.lo State. It will utilize the p;: robitun'inous shale in the Paube ;,e-!'remeribe
district. ;'he petroleum content of this shale dei-osit is currently e:'. im- ted at
3 billion barrels.
5. :;rude oil production in Ecuador by Ang o-Ecu:.dorian Cilfi ids, Ltd. reached a record
high of 5,970 b/d i _'ae year ending i1arch 31, 1953. Company spokesmen point out that
this is a 5`7 b/d increase over the previous year's output and that itou li5osb/d
increased shallow well production. Deep well prod-.:ction declined by '
during he ycar. Efforts to find a now deep pool in Ecuador continue to be unsuccessful.
6. Tic :osi'..ion of U. S. firms in is becoming ir.creasi.a.-ly precarious. Some
4,000 United Fr. it Co, employees have aF:ci their demands or a 10-20 %e wage rise to court. The fir:::, in urn, has asked he court to :authorize a ^ -.empornr, - suspension of
operations, claiming that it cannot new meet additional, wage costs following recent
losses fro:.i storm da:narte and plant disease. i. arnr:file, he Court of Appeals h.-s ruled
the wages of employees
,ha' be P. S. -oemed electric ro:rcr company :::ust rase to '75
ri kin? .ess ?,1:an ;;50 a month, and must Trent :- 20;3 increase to other workers. No
further appeal is left to the company under Gua.ter..alan
000 loan
7. he Cuban A ,r: c.,ltural and Industrial !icveloy.:art dank has a. nounecd a .;275,
.o '..c: ircc _.a Ci_baigunn for oil drill::. in he Ja_ a.ir.:? ca dio?.rict. This co;: r_ any
r.: ccntly ':ou,_ht a ,.,:,r-drilling rig, fro;: the nation, i Development Cont,assion ..?i-,h the
.k'c=.nk's u: ra.ntee. The Bank retains -.it.10 to ,,he ,;750,000 rig until it is nail for out
of of he o ..nu: l profits from p- o i::c ion.
P.. The Cu'b'-n i:at tonal Development Co.:misn:on - _:xmt over ;;60 million for public works
di:rtng the past 2 years incluaing -ho den ruet'..on of almost 1,000 miles of secondary
d fc_rn-=o-market roads. Today the re..:o' is h: s a road system which includes a
700-rile Central Highway extending the length of the island rid some 4,500 miles of
sec: nciaxy roads. However, it is estimca..ed that the republic stir. needs more than
62,500 miles of farm-to-market roads.
9 Tito Venezuelan I:a_io :al. Iron Syndic:.:e has co:.j:dss oned -he Norwegian firm
,lac ro?