PRISON CAMP CONDITIONS IN THE MINSK AREA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040103-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 19, 2011
• Sequence Number: 103
• Publication Date: May 12, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040103-3
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CLASSIFICATION CCNFIDISNTIl;:L_
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
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In 1949 there were still three or four POW caroms in the Minsk wrea,
prisoners rep y Ills c its
and by tha Pnd nr 104o
~? __ _ . ci n ?.w t1ua' raan ruw g s there
be quite close to capacity.
~elieve that n+amber to
2. The next camp held about 600 Germans and about 20 or 30 Austrians.
This camp was cec in the heart of the city about two blocks from the city's
main square. Thy: buildings we occupied were former German barracks. Some of
the prisoners at this camp had been working on a penicillin factory 'building
nearby. They described the operation as merely experimental in the Fall of 1949,
but said that they were expanding for full production. The prisoners described
the owing of mushrooms at the z'actory laboratories. Of courseiat that time
none heard of penicillin and did not take the Soviet activities
too- r ous y.
The main camp in Minsk housed over one thousand prisoners. These included Germans,
Hungarians, Rumanians a
__a_~~____ _
n repres
4. Security measures were quite similar in all three camps. At that tin--
Ras A4L1C ieF3ire on our part to escape as0 expecting immediate repatria.
about two and cue-half to three meters high with barbed.wrtre strung along' the top.
For ab=ut four meters on each a?,de of this wail were sections of turned soil
DISTRIBUTION
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EE_ILEVH
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nitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040103-3
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040103-3
COI5'II]EM7AL)
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The treatment of German prisoners deteriorated soon after World
troops were replaced as guards by MVD men. At all camps IT when the Soviet Army r'unored to haves ,3 some "special trainin" w
the
WD
guards,
who were
g
l
l
neatly raked so that any footprints would show up if theca strips were walked on. There
w
ere towers or. the corners with guards in them at all times. These guards were armed
with rifles and submachine guns. Floodlights were kept on all. night and spotlights
were available on each tower if needed. The guards, all IND men, kept a group of
bloodhounds handy, but these were never used. These security ?
te.ted, hcwever, as no escapes were attempted
recautio.zs were never
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W121-Le I at Minsk there was some beating of prisoners going on and some
Wermacht officers organized their groups for a hunger strike. of the
This strike was the
rt -
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singly successful. It seems that it was necessary for the camp commandan
d to report
the strike. High ranking politicalerevi officials came to the camp and asked our officer
spokesman abut the trouble. Aft
ence of the beatings was shown the officials
left and soon the beatings stopped altogether. The success of the strike may have
been due to the fact that repatriation was under way at the time, although the high
officials at I.insk actually did seem interest
were well cared for. ed in keeping up the appearance-that we
7. One time in the Fall of 1949 a high official of s
making an inspection tri health and sanitation office was
These were p? For his benefit ssued clean 'Wait bed sheets.
put or our beds for the inspection and a half hour later had to turn them
back - - to the guards. Another such instance o^.curred in the mess 1 when the German
colonel, who was go-between for the Soviet guards and the prisoners was singled out to
pose for a brief sequence for, a propaganda moving picture. In this shot he was seated
25X1 at a table with a tray of food in front of him. The meal was a complete feast compared
to or usual diet. He had a full course meal with two chops of meat on the plate. He
25X1 was allowed to take one bite of the meat while the picture was being taken and the tray
was immediately snatched away from him.
8. The worst problem of the POW in the USSR was
getting also true for Soviet civilians dart the World or~ugh erio Thin, Many of sonersprisoners , was
died, per directl or ctlyjof starvation and nutritional die ases were ccmmon,
stay s cabbage soup, which was
The ~~
"
of
received twice a da
heavy bread." No fats were included in the diet. Y along with 60o grams
9. The saving factor was the fact that each prisoner was rationed 15 grams of tobacco and
200 grams of soap per week. It was significant that few prisoners were ever seen
smoking. The tobacco could be better barter
cigarettos remained good e ea-ter sra In soap ens
were also prime media of ex Aiedicines of e of all kinds
-z- wav" German doctors were assigned to care for v the prisoners. Their ir activiities captured
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were directed
medicines used by the German; docctorE. he
I eisa? 1 charge r,f clisbcto ng all drugs and
as possible and some of the medicines were "saved" discretelylenteredninto thech
barter trade. During the years 1946 and 1.147 in the cities, and later in the rural
areas, absolutely anything could be bartered with the Soviet civilians, The extent of pove
thc-ir
cannot be uniforms were good barter iitteemms8ted. Clothing was at a premium and all parts of our
25X1 10. Political indoctrination of POW's gradually tapered off after'194'
poor results. During i946 and 1947 weekly y meetings ' in 7, thec Pcamp. Pol ols to
officers would tell of the glowing success-of the Soviet were Union mp, itical
of the Soviet Unioand the invincibility
Axz~7. Holia!?;s
Propaganda movies and more meetings. re given over to
over although there was the numoremHardly any of the German POW's were won.
small privileges or extra rations. percentage who turned informer in order to gain
=_- =o=~:: web. Tneae mere f;,.-+..ad _ _ m ~_-
?oan after the war with innocent enough aims for
the preservation of peace. -Soon, however, their real purposes became known. set up to get the members of the "committee" to inform on their fellow prisoners yto
had
been in the % A or Abwehr,or who had been very ardent Nazis. These g
roups after 1947 as their members were pressurized by fellow prisoners.
nerrss. became quite
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ou
d ye
l
~
constantl
and
or hi t[whenu compliance was not satisfactory
, sfactory Y Push, kick
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/21: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040103-3