ECONOMIC SERVICES DIVISION COMMITTEE ON CHINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP61S00527A000200010055-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 10, 1998
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: January 6, 1955
• Content Type: MIN

Approved For Release 2000/08/26 : CIA-RDP61 SO0527A0002000100 -t
Economic ServIess Division
Committee on China
(Minutes of the Sixteenth ;Meeting -u 0930 hours., 6 January 1955)
- 10 v--rk\
The intelligence deficiencies for the Far East as listed in lAC ,t1--57/20
16 November 195-as Postmortem of NIE Production for First. Six Months of
1954 were read T iFree major points` were di seuss.'d`~"
1. The problem of improving information on agricultural procucti.on,
rate of collectivization, and peasant reactions to the regime's agricultural.
25X1C8c policy pointed out that a number of Chinese farmers have been
emigrating to Canada, and that there has been little exploitation of this
source, Name lists of these emigrants have been furnished; he believes that,
although this is a low level source;, it could provide useful info-nation on
some of these points.
2. The question of public attitudes towards the regime in China. Mr.
25X1C8c said that interrogation reports are designed to go into this
question but that to be effective there should be a follow up on an individual
source basis where a good potential is revealed in the initial interrogation;
The problem is the long period of time between the initial. irterview and the
receipt of additional requirements? Frequently the interrogee is. no longer
available or has moved and is difficult to find, This led to a discUss on
of how to speed up receipt of material (and ether material) by the
analysts so that it can he use immediately and followed up effectively when
25X1 C8c necessary, will attempt to yet sufficient copies of the f ormez,
so that eac mem er can get those that are of interest without wni';ing for
them to do through OCD and the reading panel's routing? The question was 3l:8o
raised as to the possibility of using the Committee as a means of seeing that
all members receive copies of general material,, which because of lack of
specific material or through inadvertance is not routed to interested readers;.
It is felt that individual analysts should pursue their interests with the
reading panel as a partial solution., and in addition it is recomrended rho?;,
each member scan his incoming material with the interests of others in mind
and reroute where it appears desirable;,
3., The lack of agreement on methodology for an est.i_mate of
t:?4~.r :c:rt icn
capacity, This is a long-standing problem,, which sway have no s lut=.on, li
was pointed out that efforts to estimate potential capacity in dome--tic rail
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S WE-C - R-E-T
traffic frequently result in widely differing figures. It is particularly
difficult to estimate from the point of view of Services since capacity is so
largely a function of what goods are to be shipped. Terrain;, climate and
other factors wield an additional influence wrLich make capacity estimates
extremely difficult.
Current News Items brought out:
1. The Chinese now claim to be self-sufficient in newsprint.
2, The Chinese are starting a new construction bond drive. The issue
will be the equivalent of about 3250,000,000 (same as the 19511 drive).
Primary purpose appears to be as before to put a further squeeze on the
merchant and dwindling private business cl'ss and to siphon off purchasing
power and act as a price stabilizer,
3, It has been reported that a convoy of trucks has reached Lhasa
from Ch'eng=tu.
4. An important manganese deptsit has allegedly been discovered in
Hopong State (Burma), East of Taunggyyin
25X1X7
There was some discussion of whether the railroad development in Viet
Minh is standard or meter gauge. believes it to be meter gauge because
terrain factors would make standar gauge difficult, S/TR believes that
logically they would make the additional effort to have standard gauge, un-
less there was a desire on the part of the Vitminh to maintain a degree of
independence from the Chinese. However, the most recent information available
indicates that it will be meter gauge.
25X1A9a
S -E-C -R-E-T
Approved For Release 2000/08/26 : CIA-RDP61 SO0527A000200010055-5