COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES SERVING KHIMKI
Document Type:
Collection:
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):
CIA-RDP81-01030R000100350010-1
Release Decision:
RIPPUB
Original Classification:
C
Document Page Count:
9
Document Creation Date:
December 23, 2016
Document Release Date:
August 8, 2013
Sequence Number:
10
Case Number:
Publication Date:
February 5, 1954
Content Type:
REPORT
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CIA-RDP81-01030R000100350010-1.pdf | 358.72 KB |
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Pro,
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
CONFIDENTIAL
I t
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This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18. Sections 793 and 794. of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of Its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction Of this form is prohibited.
COUNTRY
USSR (Moscow Oblast)
SUBJECT Communication and Transportation
Facilities Serving Khittikt
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO.
REFERENCES
RD
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
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5 February 1054.
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9
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STATE
#x
ARMY #x NAVY
AIR
#x
FBI
AEC
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RFPORT
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COUNTRY
USSR (Moscow
Oblast).
DATE DISTR. ?29
. . .
SUBJECT
r
COmmunieation-,and Trandportet.ion Facilities
NO. OF PAGES 8
Serving Khinki
PLACE
ACQUIRED IDi
DATE
ACQUIRE
DATE OF INFORMATION
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
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SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
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COMMUNICATIONS 7ACILITIES SERVING Eh=
Major Communioatione Centers
1. I have no knowledge of an major or alternate obsaunioation Ginter'
in the USSR.
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Wire Lines
2. In the city,of-Khimki there-is a local telephone system and I
remember seeing overhead wine, but my impression is that there
were very few. They probably connected only such places as
Plant 456, the police station, the polyclinic, the railroad
station, the firehouse, the offices of city officials, etc.
[see R2port for a detailed description of the city of
Khimki.d There was also a telephone system at Plant 456 con-
?sisting of dial equipment which hid been removed from some ?
plant in Germany. The telephone-system in plant 456 was-,quite
adequate, but when jud?ged on German standards the system in the
city of Khimki would be far from adequate. To the best of my
knowledge, telephone service is not available to the general
public in Khimki because I do not remember seeing any public)
telephones in the entire city. There were no telephones in
the large apartment house where the male members of our group
stayed during the early months of 1941 while awaiting coMpletion
of our permanent homes. I have no knowledge of the long '
distance telephone and telegraph services in the USSR because
I never found it necessary to make use of these facilities.
I did not notice any significant changes in the wire line
plant in Khimki during my four years there, although the Ger-
man telephone system at Plant 456 had been installed very
shortly before we commenced work there in January 1947.
Radio
3. .The only radio station I observed in the USSR wasin Moscow.
However, since I was in that section Of the city only once
and observed the radioantenna from a distance of about 200
meters for only a few minutes while passing by in a bus,- I am
unable to state in which part of. the city it is located.
For the same reasons I am also unable.to estimate the height
and diameter of this antenna. The only reason I remember it
is because we Germans who saw-it were amused at its ancient
appearance. I can only describe it by saying that it looked
like a squat, circular, smaller version of the Eiffel Tower
,of Paris. The Soviet officer accompanying us in the bus
(we were on our way to a crematorium to cremate one of the
men in our group who had died) mentioned that this was the
Moscow radio station. I do not know the types of personnel
employed at this etation or the security measures in effect
here.
Jamming
4. ?Soviet jamming, as experienced in Khimki, was completely .
effeotive in eliminating a given signal, but it was often,
possible to find the desired broadcast on a different band..
In general, :musicalprograms were undisturbed, but the
Soviets concentrated heavy jamming on news and political
programs. Programs from the BBC,"VOA, Radio! Paris, and
Radio Ankara were all jammed with equal thoroughness. I do
not know the location of any jamming stations in the USSR.
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Manpower
5. I have no knowledge of academic or industrial training programs
for telecommunications perionnel nor of any shortages of such
personnel.
Voice of America Reception
During my four years in Khimki I did not notice any change or
increased emphasis in the wired lOndspeaker program or any
change in the general picture of radio reception as a whole,
such as restrictions on the use of short wave receivers,
increased production and distribution of crystal and fixed-tuned
receivers, or increased activity in the television or Militia.
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES SERVING MIMI
14 The city of Khimki is looted about 20 kilometers northwest of
the heart of Moscow. It lies just west of the Moscow-Volga
Canal, and the Moscow-Leningrad highway and railroad pane
directly through this city.
Railroads
8. Both when entering and leaving the USSR I **Smiled on the rail
line between Brest and Moscow, and while employed in Khimki I
traveled many times by rail between that city and 'Moscow. As
I remember, the entire line between Brest and Moscow is double
tracked; but the line was in poor condition when we traveled
over it, and in many places the nails were coming out of the
ties. Our trains were pulled by steam locomotives only, and
nowhere was a grade steep enough to warrant more than one. I
do not know the weight or origin of most of the rails which
we saw inthe USSR, but some of them had been taken froth
Germany.
9. We entered the USSR at night and were not able to 'observe any
details of the Brest station where the rail gage changes.
However, when leaving the USSR our train stopped in Brest for
several hours. I estimate that there are at least 10 trans- '
loading platforms at this station, each with a wide-gage Soviet
track on one side and a normal-gage track on the other. I '
believe that all freight is unloaded from one, gage to the
platform and from there to the other gage, both operations
being done by hand. However, there are probably also some
cranes used here for heavy freight. While 'in the USSR I did
not observe the construction of new lines, yards, bridges, or
tunnels with the exception of a new express line to run only:
between Khimki and Moscow, probably for commuters.
10. I do not 'remember hearing of any shortages or surpluses of
rolling stock. Railroad oars which I observed while in the
USSR appeared clean and well kept and were. of both pre.:'
and post-war manupicture.: I know of no wreoksdmr.bital& '
downs of rolling stock, but.even-if they ehoula' ?tour; I
doubt that any newspnper would be permitted to-print news of
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them. This is because we noticed that the Soviets deliberately
do not publish reports which indicate the existence of any but
the most minor forms of lawlessness, disorders, mismanagement,
or general trouble in the USSR. For example, robberies which
we knew had occurred were never mentioned in the newspapers. One
night in 1949 a three- or four-member Soviet family near Khimki
was murdered by an intruder. We learned of this from Soviets
at Plant 456, but no mention of it ever appeared in a news-
paper.
11. The only railroad car observed by me that I would consider
unusual was one I noticed in a train going toward Moscow. It
appeared to be a postal car. I saw it only as it passed through
Khimki and cannot describe it in detail, but it had compart-
ments inside which could be seen through the windows. It was
definitely not a passenger car nor any freight or service car
of a type familiar to me. We also noticed refrigerator cars;
tank cars of 50-ton capacity (the rating of a car is given on
the side); freight cars of 50-, 40-, 50-, and 60-tons capacity
but mostly of 40 and 50 tons; flatcars; and heating cars. A
heating car (Heizwagen)'is about 7.5 meters long and one or two
are coupled in e. train depending on the length of the train.
In each heating car is a supply of coal and a coal-fired boiler,
2.5 meters high by 2 meters in diameter, tended by one stoker.
I do not know how the heat is transmitted throughout the train.
I noticed two methods for keeping railroad switches from freez-
ing: either rock salt or burning oil was placed in, around, or
under them.
12. I never saw any methods of changing railroad car axles in the
USSR. .Rowever? PUTZE, one of the members of our group, who
had been in charge of a railroad car manufacturing plant before
the war, 270.ee Report for a detailed discussion of
the members of the German group at Khimkij said that before
the war the Germans had methods of changing axles and that he
presumed the Soviets had stolen the details of such methods
along with the rolling stock. PUTZE also said that even the
electric locomotives used in the USSR could be put on differ-
ent axles, but I do not know how. I know that during the war
Germany manufactured locomotives and rolling stock for use by
??t. German forces in the USSR, which incorporated some method of
adapting to the wider Soviet gage, but again I do not know
details of the method.
15. I have no knowledge of the significance of railroad car
numbers.
14. On the subject of freights carried on Soviet railroads Loan
speak only of those received by Plant 456. This plant rer.
ceived daily shipments of coal, wood, rocks for the stone
crushing installation just outside the plant, and whatever
machinery or equipment the plant required. These cargos
were handled by hand except that especially heavy freight
was transported by tractor from the railroad spur line to
the plant. I do not know whether any Shipments were ever
accompanied by guards. I do not have any information on the
length of time needed for a car to make a round trip between
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any two points. I. do not know of any sections of line in
the USSR over which trains travel unusually slow.
15. The Moscow-Leningrad Railroad, which passes directly through
Khimki, crosses the Moscow-Volga Canal just east of the
city. This immovable bridge is 40 to 50 meters long and is
about 10 meters above the normal level of the water.
It was destroyed during the war and was rebuilt of steel-
reinforced concrete in 1945 or 1946. The area around this
bridge was very heavily fortified with barbed wire, and at
least one guard patrolled this bridge 24 hours every day.
At both ends of the bridge were emplacements, probably far
heavy machine guns, but I could not see if the guns were in
place because the entire area was camouflaged and concealed
by trees and bushes. Approach to this bridge by either land
or water was prohibited after 8:00 p.m.
Water Transport
16. The only water transport facility in the USSR with which I
am familiar is the Moscow-Volga Canal which rune generally
in a northeast-southwest direction just east of the city of
Khimki. In Khimki this 'canal is from 20 to 25 meters wide
and at least eight 'meters deep in the middle. I know this
to be true because once a small paddle boat belonging to
our German group sank near the middle, and the man who dove
in search of it reported that he had descended to that
depth before touching bottom. The sides of the canal are
lined with large paving stones.
17. There are no restrictions against approaching the canal at
any point except at the highway and railroad bridges and
at the lock just north of where the Khimkakh River empties
into the canal. 2f: The correct name
of this river is propaoly tne Aninucazj Unti1.1949 it was
possible to paddle boats down the canal to the railroad
bridge, but in that year all boating in the canal between
the mouth of the Khimkakh and the railroad bridge was
prohibited. This was because Soviets in small boats took
great pleasure in recklessly waiting in the middle of the
canal in the path of large steamers in order to be bounced
in the steamers, wakes. The authorities feared that if
this practice were allowed to continue, accidents would
ocour. Once in 1950 I nevertheless did take a canoe down
the canal to the railroad bridge. Luckily I was not
detected because a Soviet later told me that if I had been
caught I would have been fined 150 rubles. After 1949 all
small boats were to be kept within the mouth of the
Khimkakh.
18. The canal lock referred to in the preceding paragraph was
not used for raising and lowering the water level in the
canal, but was an emergency lock to be used to prevent
the escape of water from that section of the canal if one
of the other locks were damaged or under repair. This
lock consisted of a barrier which was normally sunken. into
the bed of the canal'and which would be raised vertically
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into the body of the canal to shut off the flow of water in
an emergency. This we learned only from conversations with
Soviets because, as mentioned above, approach to the lock
itself was prohibited. Once, when a group of us had
approached the lock in small boats, a guard fired a shot
over our heads to warn us away. I estimate that we were in
about the middle of the canal and about 50 meters from the
lock at that time. I do not remember if there were any
physical fortifications such as barbed wire or gun emplace-
ments around the lock.
19. In the summer of 1949 I made a trip on the Moscow-Volga
Canal to the Moscow Sea and back, a round trip of 24 hours,
on a canal steamer which carried about 100 passengers. I
do not know any details of the operation of the ship, such
as the number of crew members, their morale, their wages or
their political education. The only details which I can
furnish concerning the steamer are that I estimate that it
was about 20,meters long by five meters wide and had two
decks. Between Khimki and the Moscow Sea there are several
locks, but I cannot estimate the number because part of the
trip was made at night while we were sleeping. It took
about 15 minutes to pass through a lock. I cannot estimate
the difference in water level at any lock we passed through
during the day because I was inside the steamer each time.
It may have been.prohibited to be on deck when passing
through a lock because I remember that signs on board
specifically forbade the taking of photographs at such
times. I did not notice any obstacles to navigation or
stretches wheie our ship was forced to hug one side. 'For
the entire trip the canal is wide enough for two ships to
pass without decreasing speed. I estimate our ship
traveled at about 20 kilometers per hour.
20. The Moscow-Volgi'Canal is the principal water link beiween
Moscow and the open sea, and the canal is in constant use
by tankers, barges (both self-driven and towed by tugs) and
passenger steamers. I cannot estimate the amount of traffic
on the canal because of its great volume, and I am unable to
generalize on freight carried because of the great diversity
of cargos: coal, timber, sand, stones, oil, gasoline, grains,
crates, etc. There is a signal system along the canal con-
sisting of red, white, and green lights, but I do not know
their significance. I do not know how communication is
carried on between ships and the shore, but believe it to
be radio because the ship on which I traveled carried an
antenna between the two masts. There was no radar on this
ship that I could identify.
Highways and Roads
21, The Moscow-Leningrad Highway passes directly through the
city of Khimki. Through the city it is surfaced with
asphalt and consists of a single strip about 10 meters
wide. I do not have any knowledge about the bed of the
highway because all the time that I was in Xhimki the
highway remained in good condition and I did not observe
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any repairs on it. Between Khimki and Moscow there are no
ferries or tunnels. I know of no weight restrictions in
the use of this highway. I did not observe any seasonal
variations in the traffic on this highway. As far as I
know, the highway was.never closed because of snow because
as soon as snow started to fall plows were put into
operation. I never saw these plows and am consequently
unable to ?say whether they are general-purpose trucks with
plow blades attached or whether they are special equipment.
22. The Moscow-Leningrad Highway crosses the Moscow-Volga
Canal at the southeast corner of the city. Approaches to
the bridge on both sides of the canal are about 500 meters
long, and the asphalt surface of the highway continues up
to the bridge. However, across the bridge itself, where
the highway narrows to about five meters (plus about one
meter on each side for pedestrians), the surface is com
posed of wooden planks. I do not know the reason for this.
Except for this wooden surface the highway bridge is
constructed of steel, is about 100 meters long, and is from
10 to 12 meters above the normal water level. I do not
believe there are any weight restrictions imposed in the
use of this bridge. At both ends of the bridge are barbed
wire fortifications and machine gun emplacements, and at
least one Soviet soldier guards the bridge 24 hours every
day. The bridge is not movable.
23. Roads in the city of Khimki itself varied in width from
three to five meters and almost without exception were
surfaced with either dirt or crushed stone. The only
road construction I observed in Khimki was when the
square in front of the railroad station was enlarged.
This square was approximately doubled in area to about
60 by 30 meters. The entire operation was done by hand
and consisted of pouring a layer of asphalt on top of a
layer of crushed stone. The only piece of machinery
involved was a wood-fueled boiler to melt the asphalt.
I cannot estimate the number of men who were engaged in
this work, but the expansion took about 14 days.
24. I am unable to furnish any technical details of Soviet
motor vehicles. In general, I estimate that from 60 to
70 per cent of traffic in both Moscow and on the Moscow-
Leningrad highway was made up of trucks, with the
remainder consisting of passenger cars and motorcycles.
It is impossible to generalize on the nature of truck
cargos because they were usually covered with canvas as
protection from the weather. Each motor vehicle carried
two metal license plates, one in front and one at the
rear of the vehicle, but I do not know any details of
the system or significance of the numbers, nor how long
license plates are valid. On the Moscow-Leningrad
highway I recall one gas station between Khimki and
Moscow, but I do not remember any details of this
station. I do not know whether one gas station in a
stretch of road about 10 kilometers in length is typical
for the entire highway. The trip from Khimki to Moscow
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by bus via the Moscow-Leningrad highway took about 25
minutes, including the time needed to pass through Khimki
and approach the highway.
Air Transport
25. I can furnish no information on civil air transport in the
USSR because I did not make any flights while there and no
? civil air installation was in the vicinity of Khimki. The
Khimki airfield was used during the time I was in the USSR
? for training flights 'utilizing old two-wing craft, but I
do not know whether this was military or civil air training.
The field was also used for experimental flights involving
the use of rockets produced at Plant 456. The rockets
would be fired either at takeoff to give the aircraft
additional power to leave the ground or while in flight to
give the craft a spurt of acceleration. I do not know for
certain what type of aircraft was employed in these rocket
experiments, but they-were two-nngine,Prafand.may have Sheen
a Douglas type because I heard this name mentioned once in
reference to these operations.
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