COORDINATING COMMITTEE RECORD OF DISCUSSION ON UNITED STATES ESTIMATE OF POLAND'S SUPPLIES OF AND CIVILIAN REQUIREMENTS FOR BORON MATERIALS 7TH AND 25TH APRIL, 1960

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP62-00647A000200020041-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 1998
• Sequence Number: 41
• Publication Date: April 28, 1960
• Content Type: MIN

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CONFIDENTIAL
28th April, 1960
COORDINATING COMMITTEE
3
COCOM Document No---395
RECORD OF DISCUSSION
ON
UNITED STATES BESTThT.4TE OF POLAND'S SUPPLIES OF AND
CIVILIaN RE UIT,E1VIENTS FOR BORON MATERIALS
7th and 25th April, 1960
Present: Belgium (Luxembourg), Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, N--therlands, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
References: COCOM Documents 3881, 3945.
1. The UNITED STATES Delegate said that he could now give the
Committee details of the result of the United States reappraisal
of Polish supply and civilian requirements of boron materials (Item
1715). His authorities had informed him that, with an increased
domestic demand for and consumption of enamelware in the second half
of 1959, the Polish economy had required 5,500 tons of boron materials
in 1959, and that Polish civilian requirements for 1960 and 1961 were
also now placed at 5,500 tons for each year. As of January 1st, 1960,
the Polish stocks were estimated at 2,240 tons. If to this figure
(2,240) were added the 2,500 tons to be delivered by Turkey (as of
January let, 1960) under an exception approved by the Committee,
Poland would have 4,740 tons available for 1960, and would need an
additional 760 tons for the year. The Delegate said that all of
the above figures (as well as the 500 tons involved in the United
States proposal - Document 3945) were in metric tons. These figures
were given in gross terms rather than in B-,0., content and different
materials from different sources w:->uld vary in B203 content; an
exact calculation of supply and requirements in 1:erms of B2Ocontent
would be difficult and *:ould not affect the total estimate of Polish
requirements for a strategica..ly significant degree.
2. The Delegate added that, as the Committee would appreciate, his
authorities were not attempting to sot a precise ceiling on Polish
needs but wore merely endeavouring to pr?vi''e a framework within which
new exceptions cases oould most easily be judged by Member Governments.
Nothing could take the place of a review of each case on its own
merits so as to ensure that the conditions of the special Polish
procedure were fulfilled, i.e. that the export was in itself reasonable
and necessary to the Polish civilian economy and that the materials
would be consumed in Poland for domestic civilian purposes.
3. The Delegate m ncluded by saying that he would welcome
comments on the figures he had given and would be pleasdd if other
Delegations would be prepared also to contribute the results of their
own research.
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C0OOM Documcsn i No. 3958
4. Replying to questions from the German Delegate and other
colleagues, the United States Delegate confirmed that the 500 tons
involved in the United States export proposed in COCOM 3945 would,
if the shipments were made, be deducted from the figure of 760
tons in calculating the balance required to complete Poland's
needs for 1960. The rof.'erence to 2,500 tons still be be delivered
by Turkey related to an earlier Turkish submission and not to the
new request involving 7,500 tons (COCOM 3929) which the Committee
had not yet debated.. The Delegate undertook to let the Committee
have any additional details which he might receive.
5. The FRENCH Delegate thanked his United States colleague
for the figures supplied. He noted that it was estimated that
Poland's requirements for civilian dcme6tic use amounted to
5,500 tons annually. The French authorities might consider
taking this figure as a basis for their appreciation of any
cases submitted in the future. They would, however, welcome
more specific details than had so far boon given. It was unusual
to find that a country's eccnomy remained static in successive
years.
6. The GERMAN and UNITED KINGDOM Delegates, after expressing
their thanks for the analysis sanplied by the United States Delegate,
stated that they were not in a position at this stage to accept the
figure of 5,500 tons.
7. The GERMAN Delegate added that it seemed to be necessary to
obtain supplementary ir:.'ormation on the details which had enabled
the United States authorities to arrive at the figure of 5,500 tons
per year. It would bey for instance interesting to know boron
requirements for tke different uses. The Delegate furthermore
felt that production both in Soviet Bloc and Free World countries
was increasing. He therefore felt that the figures for yearly
boron requirements ...oule also increase. He would transmit the
United States Delegate's statement to his authorities, but
feared that a useful study would be made only if the United
States authorities were ready to release some of the background
material as mentioned above.
8. The TURKIS'_ Delegate thanked his United States colleague
for the information he had contributed and agreed with him that
each case should be studied on its merits, bearing in mind the
criteria for application of the special Polish procedure.
9. Replying to his Netherlands colleague, the UNITED STATES
Delegate said. that a previous United States evaluation of Polish
requirements was recorded in COCOM 3295, and that omnsideration
of this matter in Washington was more or less a continuing
process. He concurred in the French Delegate's view (shared by
the German and Italian Delegates) that a national economy was
rarely static, the fact that the United States estimate of
Polish requirements was now 500 tons more than the previous estimate
demonstrated this; the statement he had just made represented
the situation as his authorities saw it at the present time
and which, in their view, justified the re-submission of the case
dealt with in COCOM 3945. He would of course transmit to
Washington the comments made at the present meeting and would
provide the additional details received.
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3 - COCOM Document No. 3958
10, The CHAIRMAN reminded Delenates that the United States
Delegate had already stated that no attempt was being made to
set a precise coiling. The United States Delegation had
contributed this analysis in order to help the Committee. He
hoped that other Delegations would be prepared also to make a
(rontribution by studying the facts available in their capitals
and comparing the results with those arrived at in Washington.
11. It was agreed that view on the United States submission
in COCOM 3945 would be heard on the 25th April.
12. On the 25th April, the UNITED STATES Delegate stated that he
had received some further information from his authorities with
respect to their estimates of Pclish civilian requirements. The
estimate of Polish current annual civilian requirements as 5,500
gross metric tons was based on a B203 content of 46 percent, thus
constituting 2,530 metric tons in B203 content. The additional
760 gross metric tons still needed by Poland for 1960 (paragraph 1,
above) could thus be converted (at 46 percent) to 350 metric tons
B20 , of which the 500 gross metric tons of refined bora- the
United States proposed to expert (36 percent B203) would provide
180 metric tons of B203 content. With respect to the German
Delegatets request for an end-.use breakdown, the United States
estimate of Pclish annual requirements at 2,530 metric tons
B203 was considered to be distributed about as follows (B203 content):
1,300 M.T. to be used in chemical conversion plant for
production kr borax for use in ceramics industry
and in glass works; and of boric acid for use in
the pharmaceuticals industry (including talcum
and various other products), in the fats and
oils industry to prevent oxidation, and in the
glassware and enamel industries.
930 M.T. for manufacture of enamelware.
300 M.T. for direct assignment to glass works, the
ceramics industry, the detergents industry,
and certain other small industries.
2,530 M.T.
The Delegate concluded by saying that he expected to be able to report
further by the end of the dear, confirming or correcting the above
figures on the basis of the results, as of that time, of the more
or loss continuing United States study of Polish requirements.
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