REVIEW OF PROBLEMS OF CHEMISTRY IN POLAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000400630005-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 26, 2013
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: July 30, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Poland.
Rev,.e l of
SUBJECT Problems of Chemistry in Poland
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TN11 OOCUY [MT CONTAIN[ INFO RYATI OM AFfLCTINO TN[ NATIONAL DEFENSE
Of TNI UNITCO 0 ATE11 WITHIN THE N[ANIND Of TI TL[ lit ^E CTIONI 703
AND 7941 OF TN[ U.S. CODE$ AS AYEN000. ITb TFAN EMI II IOM OR RET[?
LATION Of ITS CONT[NT[ TO OR RECEIPT ^Y AN UM AU TI'DRI CEO PERSON 11
PRDHI[ITED IT LAN. TAO REPRODUCTION CF TNIR FORK 11 PROMIOIT90.
DATE DISTR. 30 -To l y ''-1'1
NO. OF PAGES 6
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW;
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
ele 1. Przem Al themicznn f ournal of Chemistrj7, Volume, (.33 )X, Page 1, dated Jan'50X1
. v AN ui1 Problems of Chemistry it Poland" ' . ^
a. ti he Polish chemical industry hasp for the past 10 years, made rapid
strides and is now one of the leaders in Europe. There are billions of
tons of raw materials., such as., black and brown coal, peat., rock salt,
potassium salts., gypsum anhydrides, etc. Possibilities exist to extend
further development of another group of raw materials, namely: arsenic
ores,, pyrites, marcasite, sulphur, p;xosphorites, barytes, oil, natural
gasetc.. In spite of very favorable conditions,, prewar Poland did not
develop her chemical, industry to any appreciable degree. Chemical
plants and. ,factories such as "AZOT" in ZaworzrAO, "Rudnike", "Aniolow",
an& "Sterolin" in Lodz., "Temperol" in. Warsaw., "Lutz" in Cracow, the
pharmaceutical plant "L.. Spies", and many others, were examples - of
backwardness- in methods of production, equipment and procedures. The
only plants equipped with modern machinery and comparatively better
trained personnel were the nitrogen plants in Chorzow, the artificial
silk plant in Lublin., and the soda plant near Cracow. The majority of
the stockholders in the Polish chemical industry were foreign capital-.
sets and, as a matter of fact, many of the larger firms were owned by
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Foreigners, 'h. ,mai,ui features of the prew-er Polish chemical industry
were as follows-
(i) "',Qld fashioned and inefficient equipment, low level mechanization,'
low level applied proceesses, and poor control of finished p: aducts.
(2) "Application of primitive' production methods 'which had not been
improved for decades; almost complete lack of graduate engineers,
in spite of the fact that many such engineers were existent but
unei 4loyed; poorly planned .fantories, congestion of buildings,
very poor safety conditions, lack of air conditioning' and venti-
lating, as wef1 as no health protection for employees.
(3) "Poor planning of assembly functions, insufficient expansion" ire
produotion of finished product , and poor refining processes."
Deyel2gment of Frc,)duc???? ' and Technical Conditions Duriz& the It 10 Years
be '"l zi occupation a j1 war operations' caused great damage:
age and devastation to
the Polish industry.. Many factcrie s were completely destroyed and consid-
e+ra'b`ie.'te"chnical equipment was takean'a y,, The nitrogen industry at Mo6cice
was complete-1 dismantled by the N iis.. Ater l.iberatimra most of the large..
factories were u .--ble to begin priiduF do . due t la'' of equipment. ' The
a exation of Western t4rritoz'4es to Pct. d increased, consid rab3 y .the
potential of the Pol.i'eh chemical "ind. try.,. pa?rt?qui ly with reference to
u furir: acid, sups +h+ pk tes, anti 'icta 1 fabrics, electrcdss,, etc* Du
- F11 2 ing the last 10 years Pcrl.i sh chemical industry has developed. tremendoi s y,
from very old fashioned. aid ]f 'i t i?re litho s of productierm, as weld. as '
Utilization of i ors elcs;t,r ca. 1 equipment, I'Qle ad s ehc rat c 3. industry
has become one'; of the most ' portaaut 'branches of the mat ion .3. economy.
I%e chemical ind tty of P i"d is intricately' interwoven with the total
economy of Polernd ahd., ` as a co eque~nce, It creates new fields of endeavor
for the Polish population. As a result, the standard of living in Poland,
should: rise 'because a"'1arg r number of p* bple will be employed.. The advance-
ment of the Periieh 'she :sal industry, .esl,ecie3;ly fo ' 'the 'paas't seve tai years,,
has been ch&raeter i, sad by the following:
(1) "ne introduction' of 2 ew branches of
cliiemtcral' endce nor aiad increase iii
output.
(.2) Applies. . . very r~-:
~" of., ~ methods of preaductic~n and %itil.iiation of verder~,
e. nvairrh'w,,.'
(3) "Creation of ''n'O research bodies and planning ..offices.,
c. "Through to planning of 4 A u7
Gyecer,.. new brace s which never: before a~sted
are now z c ion saaoothly, new p: Arming and new. needs -have: resulted from
the expansion cifthe she i.caal. industry. A typical result of "new pla x. z scan
be illustrated by discussing phenol.. preva Pond there was nO plAptlas
. JA industry and., as a consequence,, all. pahe .ol Vas 'exparttgd, to 'Germs ., ., `cicleay
j9 uply of Phenol is Poi d s 'Adt exff59 the sp iLent fa the req ements
of the plastics industry and,. +aa a consequence, a tl ;c al` gn aenral is' also
manufactured. The demand for phenol cantinue,et crear ,.: ~e3'y si lac
conditions exist in other phases of the. Polish ?a wd;cal indus>~ry.
d. "Simultaneously., there`-is great pro ?ees in 'the advancement , f such sc emcee
as mechanics, electronics, electre .chemistry, and. commranicaations. most . The important -aohieverente 'relative to pr^ d tion 'can be `l if ed as, fell, a;.
(1) sulfuric Acid
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(8) Az,tGx.
(9)2,01D
(6) Sycth6tic, Tanners
(7) Anhydride, of Acetic. Acid
(2) Granulated. Superphosphate
(3) Precipitated Phosphate
(4+) Synthetic Phenol (Sulfonization Method)
(5) Synthetic Phenol (Chlorinbenzene Method)
(10) Eater A ;e thyld m Acetic
(13) Synthetic Aliphatic Acids
(1.) Synthetic aela (.Liquid)
Aldehyde Of Ac y.tjc. Acid
16) Synthetic Acetic Acid
) wdai 1 Pleats
12). Synthetic Waxes
thritol
(17) Nat- ry ~ .
ery
US) Ethylene Deri ;ti"T'e
(22;u?~~ s1 h`lc
(21). Chloro .ycetin
(19) Synthetic .Fibers .
(20) Penicillin (Crystal) Procaine .
(23)
(24) SV pb?des
(25)"Adth PirayleeDefvati"ves ic7
(29) Urea Resins
(28) Phe,:ol Formaldehyde Resin (all types):
(26) synthetic Eo ones..
(27) Vitamins BY C, D2, and. others.
(.3) Carbon Electrodes (all types),
(31) Graphite E1e odes
(32). Ethylene and Butjrlene Acetate
(33) Vulcanization Iastening Substances
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(34) Dyes
(35) Napthalene Basis
(36) Pigments
(37) Lacquers
(38) More than 300 Chemical Re-/agents"
2. Comments and Evaluation
a. Before( II almost 61 percent of the inhabitants of Poland were engaged
was essentially an agricultural country. Although a preponderant portion
of Polish eco rmic effort was concentrated in agriculture, it is obvious
that almost z+O pe? t- of her ecomamy was of an industrial type. Until
II began , wag continually increasing, either measured in terms
of.. cepi' al vai.:.e, wages, or number of employees gainfully occupied in the
in 11 st '1 x. economy of Poland.
The a Ural r? nrditions of Poland were such as to encourage the growth of
industry for she was, rich in mineral resources, such as: coal, iron, zinc,
lead ore .9 ~.?ock sal,t, ` po'os$ussa salts, pyrites, phosphorites., kaolin pits,
oil, natural gas,, and mineral water; raw materials from vegetables which
were suitid to the Polish climate and soil, such as: potatoes, grain,
beets, flax and hemp, rape, linseed, hardwoods, and raw materials from
animals. Abut 80 percent of the raw materials enumerated in Polish
.chemical publications are mined or produced in Poland. However, Poland
lacks some ver~ importsnt materials, such as: _tin, sulphur, copper,
tungsten., molybdenum, selerilte, and such raw material,-, as could be
produced in tropical and sub-tropical countries,
c. The natural
geographic conditions such as Poland's location in Europe,
,a flat surface,,an excellent water supply, and north-to-south routes,
and east_'to-wes- routesy were such as to favor readily the industrial-
.ization of the country, Before the war, Poland's population was 35
millioh and the nat?r?al rate of increase was 1.3 percent annually, as
compared with .6 percent in the USe. Density of population was 230 per
square mile, as compared with 196 in France.
d. 'Judged by world standards, the volume of pre-WWII Polish industry was not
great, but its most characteristic feature was its comparative universal-
ity. Its wide distribution, a certain equilibrium, and the. constant
development of individual branches in Polish industry, gave it a com-
pleteness to 'be 'found only 1n the more highly industrialized nations,
,particularly the U.
e. It is true, as the author states, that the chemical industry in Poland
was ai xo't non-existent', but this was in the period prior to 1918. Dur-
ing the 20 years of independence which-Poland enjoyed after WWI, excep-
tional ro
p gx?c:ss as made in this field. The industry was in no way as
primitive as the author states. Industrial production was distributed
among 29 thousand large and medium-size factories. The number of persons
employed in mining, metallurgy, and other industries. was, in 1939, about
one million. This factor indihates an increase of 4.5 percent in industrial
employment when compared to the first statistics which were collected in
'Poland in 1925. The 1936 Polish Government created favorable conditions
for the establishment of new industrial undertakings by granting relief
,from taxation or by infesting public funds in high tension power lines,
.gas supply, and corm.unications, which were centered in Centralny Okreg
Przemyslowy Jentral Industrial District, The general growth of COP
from 1936 to 1939 was tremendous.
CONFIDENTIAL
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f. There we re about, sever: hundeed chemical factories in 1939 producing
nitrates, potash, phosphorus :ter?til$.zer?s, and soda compounds. The
orgah:1c industry produced dye; and pharmaceuticals. It developed the
mahuZ ,cture of artificial textile fabrics, fats, soap, bone glue,
explasiSres, plastic materials, paint, varnish, lacquer, organic solvents,
etc. Poland was considered one of the eight leading countries of the
world in thp; rhea caal industry, and did possess a satisfactorily
developed and flourishing industry.
Poland.,` primarily ,rily an agric:i. rr4J.duntry, had, prior to WWII, a highly
developed food and lumber industry. There were 60 sugar plants pro-
ducing 562 thousand tons of beet sugar, or 5.5 percent of the total
world: prod,tion. The, production of ethyl alcohol -was second in
volume,. to . that of sugar. Poland was the sixth largest alcohol producer
in the, world. ' In :1939, alcohol production reached 78 million liters,
of two i ,ndrei,?l. proK"f s,: ;;ohol which vao obtained from .612 thousand. tors
of pots` tpeas a.,;, .m= :'act red at 1450 dis-,tilleries.,
h. Aithoxat ki the n.-_.a`, industry is not directly related. to ebeandstry, it is
0?;ive1 -.knc fact that bacon, and other cured meat products were shipped
in large quantities to many parts of the world. These foodstuffs were,
"by, - international stw,.!.da ride;, coTxsid.red, to 'be among the best in quality
.h,tnri.go
and in.,msthc4& of
i. The lumber i,rdn et7 ?y,. as i?reviuufAy. V.A tioned, producedi eat:eeptiona1ly
h a..qual:ity ply ~,,-lia d. v p per, vl4th were exported to most parts of
the. Wrldm
p i4 eral i ndus ry e:mbr sc:I;ng brick,, cement, glass and porcelain-,
.produced more then e,t
i for the home market. Cement, glass, porcelain
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and fa .epce verse exported to most parts of the woz?:1..d.
k. The paper and +v :.l~nl,c~se iudnw.'tr'y, as well as the leather goods industry,
41-1 r ecessit%ti a . ccuiderabla chemical technnique, had a very wide range
of pro .uct s whi .h entirely sate fj a,i the home market, and provided scud-
p1:" .ses :for .f"os e u markets
In 'spite of by, the author.. ar:Md In spite of the fact that I
have attempted to. s v w that Poland was rot as 'retar?ded: in chemistry as
been ;ntoed. there was. reed for improvement in many branches.
Precisely, me e*.f? 't
be more obvious needs were as follows a
(1) more precision gi,-,thuds i.Ama a e :cure,.. t p
An In.rnebase in ,the r4umber of plant s a ?d f aides;. ;
~`3) Better trained xersca 1.
() :A means of ab,eorbi . ` sac; ..c1a,n and semi ski1.led,?workers who were
being' prp red by the _ diivers tip
in. In spite of the fact that Poland had her Obvjois a hortcom3.ngs_,, ' in ? my
estia tio: qhe could be proud of the, fact tWt.,s ka4aachigved such,
the : chemical f.i.eld a~aa~ such: a short
a high standard and technique in
~
space of 120years. In substance I would say that the . author of "Actual
Problems o chemistry in Poland" in reviewing the., perip' d :from' 1918 to.
1939 is very grim, and that _his .aapprai.sal of pre r. Polis3 , chemical
industry is, very vach exaggerated.. further .exaggerates to a great
extent on the so-called, velopment which has ensued for the past ten
ye rs in Poland? ny or the items listed.in paragraph ld on 1aage s 2,
3, and 1 were, I am positive,,. ma...a acture.d in preacomnraist Poland.a
Most of the new items were in projection or in pilot phases prior to
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Communist domination.. It is a physical impossibility for the Polish
chemical industry to have fulfilled and completed all of the projects
and developed all of the items which the author lists above. Many of
the aforementioned-items are completely -uneconomical if they are to be
absorbed solely by Polish industry and by Poland herself. In v,.ew of
this fact, it appears that Polish chemistry is, or will be, supplying
her Soviet masters. Let us take a. typical example -- anhydride of
acetic acid. Production. of this item was considered as early as 1934.
Production of three hundred. tons per day of anhydride was far too
great for total Polish demands. for one year. It was impossible to find
as rkets for any surplus of anhydride bNcause German industry had its
establishdd customerg" and Poland could not possibly compete with it.
It is also absolutely . impossible that Polwa1's newly created plastic
and artificial f .ber industry utilizes three kinds of phenol. If such
large amounts of phenol are being produced, they are being exported' to
the USSR or to East . R em.n.y which purchased phenol from Poland prior to
wil
n. It is also very well kuo'taa that such antibiotics ens streptomyetn..,
penicillin and chioromycetin, and such vitamins as they claim to
produce are needed very badly by the Polish population. It is also
known that the aforementioned drugs and medicines which are manufactured
by Polish chemists, are of such a low quality that local physicians do
not reuomm and any antibiotics or drugs which have been produced locally.
6 14.02 55M
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