ATOMIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN BUDAPEST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00418R001100050009-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 2009
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: September 1, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
CLASSIFICATION
REPORT
CD NO.
COUNTRY Hungary
SUBJECT Atortic Research Institute in Iudapest
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
THIS DOCUMENT COHTAIWS IRFORMATIOII AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSU
OF THE OUSTED STATES. WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE 10. SECTIONS 799
AMD 794, OF THE U. S. CODE. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR RETEl.
ATIOU OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT ST AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON
IS PR011181710 81 LAT/ 109 REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORC1 IS PROHIBITED.
DATE DISTR. tember 1;55
NO. OF PAGES 4
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
2. The names of persons workina at the in titute were kept strictly
secret. former university teacher
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3. Although two or three buildings at the Szabads&ghegy construction
site were completed in May 1953, the institute was then not yet in
operation. Construction work was believed to have been started in
early 1952 or during the summer of the same year. In May 1953 and.
during the period following, some 600 workers were employed. The
STATE M IIAW
ARMY u _._..,_._. g AIR
CLASSIFICATION ,.-._
DISTRIBUTION
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diminishing number of truck shipments and workers observed in the
autumn indicated that construction work was nearing completion.
laboratory work was started at this time.
Minor construction work and assembly operations were observed as
late as 1954.
4. The institute was located on a flat plain 400 x 600 meters across,
south of the Szabadslghegy Observatory and west of Konkoly Thege Miklos
road. The main axis of the institute-area ran in a north-south
direction. Konkoly Thege ;viiklos road was closed for civilian traffic
between the Observatory and Csille- Hill. -this 25X1
road was to be abandoned altogether and to be reforested together
with the adjacent strip of land.
5. A 30 x 80 meter two-storied concrete building with a concrete roof
was located north of the institute's parking lot (4). The building
was painted a dark drab, with green Crates before the windows of
the first floor. The entrance located in the middle of the southern
front was a 4-meter4pide and 3.5-meter-high oak ;ate with a small
door inserted as personnel entrance. Trucks with tarpaulins were
repeatedly observed parked in the gateway.
Baracskayrand other irf-mation, this buildinj served as a laboratory.
No further details were available. Then they passed through a
corridor into a room 20 x 5 meters wide equipped with a boiler 15
meters long and 2 meters in diameter suspended from the ceiling.
Four pipes of 20 cm. in diameter passed through this room above the
boiler and each of the pipes was connected to the boiler by a
vertical pipe 10 cm.in diameter. Four vertical pipes 10 cm. in
dia!r.eter protruding from the lower L iddle of the boiler extended
vertically downwards. A few centimeters above the floor these pipes
bent off at a right angle to a control panel at the wall of the
basement. The boiler as well as the piping system were coated with
a white material, presumably asbestos. The control panel contained
a large gauge in the middle with smaller eau- on either side.
The dials of these gauges were in continuous oscillation.
the boiler was empty and that measure-men ;s
were bein deter-mine the rate of heating of the apparatus.
the institute operated with electric
power. After a 30-minute stay in the basement, the group returned to
a large room 12 x 4 meters across located on the first floor. This
room was equipped with a long table along one of its walls covered
with numerous test tubes and other chemical vessels. Several
microscopes were placed on a square table in the middle of the room.
Seven women in white coats worked in this room. North of the
described buildin, and placed at a ri,;ht angle to it were two other
buildings of the size axid eastern one was painted
dark green. these two buildings were
also used as laborator-es.
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A 1.2-rneter-vide and D -cm rdeep channel traversed the institute
area. It is unknown whether :t had its origin within the compound
or no 4. The channel passed under the buildirk:s. It was not
perrnnareently filled and it was strictly forbidden to take any water
from it. When filled, the channel carried orystalwclear -;water before
en;erin,g, the southernmost baildin~-;. After eraer , ing from it. the
water had attained a creamy col nd w into an. ~ndn=rnuna
channel outside the compound.
u. All iix;ments to the institute, either on truths or horse-da:awnn,
entered the only entrance to the institute located on Kor'cdwy Phege
Miklos road.
The institute was connected to the Budapest electric mains. A
hir, h-vroltage line suspended from 20 to 25 meter high towers entered
he compound from the west. The ai.,Iount of power sup, lieu. and the
Yt;r pe of current used could not be determined.
8. Loading operations from- tarpaulin-covered trucks with ionved
'u.in~is" ry numbering were observed at the southern laboratory building
t'yw.ice or three times durin the summer of 1954. 50-kg,% sacks were
ur,oaded which, at least judging by the red dust covering the
c,inth^e:s of the transport orkera were filled with a red dust-dike
.,_ .uerisl. the sacks were sur risjr.. ly
li t rk y~:reig 1t in relation to their volu,:ie. the
,Ah.ipr,ents came from . om rori. In Larch 195A, the onloading of large
chests of 120 x 60 x 4.0 ctr,,cubage inscribed with Cyrillic letters
was observed.,
In the summer of 19 5, all truck drivers were strictly ordered.to
disinfect their tires with an undetermined liquid before leaving
the compound. Persons were ordered to disinfect their hands before
.Leaving the area. In early 1954, this practice was no loner
,observed and the r_ epul .tl on was believed to have been cancelled.
laboratory personnel was provided with
special clothing including underwear which had to be changed before-
leavIn .
l0~ The work force was estimated at 120 to 15.0 persons i.ncludir, 45 to
30 percent women. Purim; the sun: er of 1954, some 300 men employed
by the building maintenance service were doing construction and
assembly work at the institute. The workers were conveyed by
fe.ctory-owned bases to the compound between 0600 and. 0730 and
_retzr?ned to town between 1530 and 1800.
11. In late April 11754
P tySs Rakosi and A4jor Genrral Janxa
visiting the institute accompanied by severai nigh-ranking Hungarian
and two Soviet officers. Both omen were clearly iaentifi- ec
when they left the insti :ute in
u=ro type-300 amerce es cars.
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12. The institute was surrounded by a 2-meter-high brink wall
topped with 3 strands of barbed wire strung to inclined iron
rods. .these wires were said to be electrically charged and to be
connected to an alarm device. 'P'atch towers placed at 50-mater
intervals were painted dark green and hidden by trees. These
permanently guarded towers were equipped with flood lights for
illumination at night. Double sentries patrolled the compound.
:State Security Police were placed at the entrance to the
institute area. They wore flat caps with a blue ribbon and
were armed with machine guns. After ringing a bell,
visitors were admitted through the electrically opened gate.
In front of the guard house, located south of the rate, stood
another State Security policeman who sent the visitor into
the guard house. The guard house was manned by a State Security
Police sergeant and a civilian employee of the Hon;rdd ministry
(dressed in dark-blue uniform similar to that of the People's
Army, without insignia, with WE trousers and black boots,
dark-gray flat cap with black patent-leather ribbon and a
gold..-stitched coat of arms of the People4 s Republic).
taterial shipments were also closely checked. The driver had to
present his travel order at the guard house. This order contained
the car license number, the name of the driver, as well as the
volume, type, and name of the supplier of the shipment. The ,driver
also had to present an issue voucher in duplicate indicating the
volume and type of the material supplied. These vouchers were
filled out by the supplying firm, not by the shipping agency.
One copy of the voucher was retained by the guard, the other
copy was signed and returned to the driver to be handed back to
the shipping agency. `hen the entrance permit was stamped to the
ravel order, Truck personnel were not admitted to the compound
and had to wait at the guard house while institute employees
unloaded the shipment. The truck driver was closely guarded by
State Security police and was not allowed to step out of his
truck.
l.. ~r.s. _ r. sent. According to press reports (it'.agyar . mzet and 25X1
Uepszava), a physics research institute with a nuclear research
department was erected on an elevated plain northwest of
3,dapest. Construction work was started in I Y50; the nuclear research
department was put into operation in 1953/54. The institute contains
laboratories for cosmic ray research, a nuclear research department,
and a radiological laboratory. The institute is equipped with a
:;an-de-Graaf generator, and a 5 LIeV accelerator was under.
construction in the autumn of 1954. Dr. lstvra.Kovcs was mentioned
as chief of the institute. The present report is believed to
apply to this institute.
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