SOVIET CHEMICAL INDUSTRY REACHES PREWAR LEVEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330162-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 29, 2011
• Sequence Number: 162
• Publication Date: July 25, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330162-5
CLASSIFICATION
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIC3N DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD P:O.
~G~mE,~~,CONFiDE~iTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPOR~
SUBJECT Economic -Chemical industry
HOW eriodical
PUBLISHED Monthly p
WHERE ~~
PUBLISHED Dusseldorf
DATE
PUBLISHED oct 1949
LANGUAGE German
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Chemische InduStrie, Vol I, No 4, 1949.
SGVIET CHEMICAL INDUSTRY REACHES PREWAR LEVEL
Prof Dr Peter-Heinz Seraphim
Current production} figures oY the Soviet chemical industry cannot be
compared with prewar statistics since today's state plans include production
norms oY the Baltic States, eastern Poland, Carpathian Ukraine, northern
Bucovina, and Bessarabic. Consequently, the increase in production shown
in current plan YulYilaments is not a real increase in the output of the
prewar chemical enterprises, but rather an increase in capacity through the
annexation oY nev plants. This fact is important, e.g., for the wood-chemical
industry (Baltic repnb],~.cs, northeastern Poland), the production oY shale
oil (Estonia) and petro`Ieum,(eastern Galicia), for the superphosphate industry
(Tallin, Riga), and for the manufacture of rubber goods.
It must further be noted that the Soviet plan figures compare either
the planned quota oY production, the maximum limit of capacity, or the future
capacity. with the hitherto existing production results. The basic year
for the calculation also varies (1938 or 1945)?
Moreover, the figures oY the Five-Year Plan do not reveal the distri-
bution of production over the individual years and prevent the calculation
of the rate, of growth. Sufficient details on production iu absolute terms
are completely'acking and have purposely been avoided. Only aggregate
figures are given, but 'they do not indicate sa~isfactorily the actual produc-
tion performance of the individual branches oY the chemical industry? rcent
addition., the fulfillment figures oY the plan are published only in pe
of the preceding year or of another basic year. Whenlete statistical black n
concerns national defense or chemical warfare, a comp
ou$ occurs. ,
$pvever, it may safely be assumed that in 1948 the ]pe~lcand may even
chemical industry in the USSR reached the prewetr (193810 ed about 280,)00
have surpassed it. In 1938,.. the chemical industry emp Y
man (4':3 percent of the labor force) and contributed 4.2 percent of the
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1948
DATE DIST. ~.~ Jul 195G
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT N0.
U{l~l"rDt1~9 LIKL
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330162-5
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330162-5
CONFIDENTIAL
tote.l gross production. Ita significance would increase even more if one
added the branches not belonging to chemistry, such as coal, wood and oil
chemistry. production for 1938 and 1948 can only be estimated, and even
that oiLiy for several branches of the chemical industry, as follows (in
1,000 tons):
1938
Sulfuric acid _
1,600
1,900
soda ash
532
610
Caustic soda
~
125
Aniline colors
35
52
- 58
plastics
14
24
Apatite
1,571
..1,700
Asbestos
86
90
Synthetic rubber
53
79
Rubber boots (million pr)
84.6
92
Automobile tires (millions)
3.5 5.2
Automobile tubes (millions)
3.6 5.4
_ 2
CONFIDENTIAL
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31 :CIA-RDP80-00809A000600330162-5
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