Relative Importance to the Soviet Union of Merchant Vessel Construction Demanded as Reparations from Italy

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-01617A000200200002-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 21, 1998
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: November 4, 1948
• Content Type: IM

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CENTRAL D1TELLIGENCE AGENCY
4 November 1948
IE]TEU IGENCE 1 E'30RANDM4 NO. 79
SUBJECT: Relative Importance to the Soviet Union of Merchant Vessel
Construction Demanded as Reparations from Italy
1. The Soviet Union has demanded the following merchant vessels
from Italy as part of the reparations program, to be delivered from
current productions
(a) 11 Diesel-propelled tankers of 3,000 DWT each.
(b) 5 Diesel-propelled tugs of 1,500 horsepower each.
(a) 30 Trawlers of 800 horsepower each.
101 (f) 5 refrigerated cargo vessels of 1,700 deadweight
4J tons each.
A
2. In evaluating the effect which the acquisition of these vessels
by the USSR would have on the US national interest, the chief factors are
(a) the extent to which such vessels would alleviate severe strategic
weaknesses in the Soviet economy, and.(b) the potential usefulness of
the vessels in the event of hostilities. On the basis of those two
factors, the importance of the vessel types to the USSR appears to be
e = U2&2 .
3. Sea-going tankers are of prime importance to the Soviet Union
since most of its tanker fleet is confined to the land-looked Caspian Sea.
As the ocean-going tanker fleet at present totals only about 200,000 dead-
weight tons, the addition of even the small amount of tonnage in ques-
tion would substantially help in solving the troublesome problem of oil
distribution.
4, Tugs are very useful in war time for removing hulks and clearing
channels. An essential element in the Allied North Africa campaign, for
e ple, was the assistance of several tugs which steamed from New York
around the Cape of Good Hope to clear the Suez Canal of sunken vessels.
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(d) 8 car passenger vessels of 500 tons cargo and
1,000 passenger capacity each.
a.~
(e) 10 cargo-passenger vessels of 2,'600 deadweight and
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y, Trawlers are of Importance to the. Soviet civilian e conoZ Y in
accounting for a substantial part of the food supply, but they era also
potentially useful. in sweeping and coast :e?d duty.
6* There are few ooaatwiae or' foreign trade routes on uhich the
cad use the cargo-passenger vessels (d) (e) above, to 900d
advantage. While useful., such vessels would not be IMis enable in
rr time because the USSR could convert ordinary merchant ships for troop
carryi duty*
7* The refrigerated cargo vessels are believed to be of 1attively little
importance to the USSR in either a civilian or nilitery cpe-citya Al hough
the USSR has little or no refrigerated tonnage, its rec reman?ts fc r u'uch
relatively sma13 vessels of this type are pro ably not urged.
$. It win be noted that the current Soviet list of ahipa does not
include dry c r g o merchant vessels. This f a c t .euggests t h a t the USIR
does not consider the acquicitian of s shipper to be ti=143'" y
urgent. It is possible, of course, that if the USSR is una! to obtain
tan1mrs from Italian shipyards, it might :tnninnt upon rwxtving dry cargo
ships. I3 vier of the fact that the MM is able to char` mar -nt
vessels to augment its present Poet, and in tile case of hoetili ,tea would
probably acquire substantial shipping as a result of military actiofz, CIA
would not view the acquisition of a few merchant ships by the USSR as
particularly serious. urge amounts of shipping, hover, ift t hl) corder of
100,000 tons or tee, woii] i be an undesirable addition to the Soviet
merchant fleet.
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 STANDARD FORM NO.
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4W 'V Office Memorandum ? UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
TO
FROM
SUBJECT:
Chief,`$taff Intel.igence Group
DATE: 4 November 1948
Chief, Tr isportation roue
viet Union of Merchant Vessel Constrtuc-
Relative Impor .._ce to the So i._
tion Demanded as Reparations from Italy.
In ariswer to the verbal request regarding the relative importance of
the subject vessels to the USSR, the following is submitted for your info ni&'ion.
The Soviet Union has demanded the following merchant vessels from
Italy as part of the reparations program, to be delivered from current
production:
(1) 11 Diesel-propelled tankers of 3,000 DWT each.
(2) 5 Diesel-propelled tugs of 1,500 horsepower each.
(3) 30 Trawlers of 800 horsepower each.
(4) 8 cargo-passenger vessels of 500 tons cargo and
(5)
1,000 passenger capacity each.
10 cargo-passenger vessels of 2,600 deadweight and
250 passenger capacity each.
(6) 5 refrigerated cargo vessels of 1,700 deadweight
tons each.
In evaluating the effect which the acquisition of these vessels by
the USSR would have on the U S national interest, the chief factors aref'
the extent to which such vessels would alleviate severe strategic weak-
nesses in the Soviet economy end the potential usefulness of the vessels
J
in the event of hostilities. On the basis of these two factors, the
importance of the vessel types to the USSR appears to be in the order
listed above.
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Sea-going tankers are of prime importance to the Soviet Union since
most of its tanker fleet is confined to the land-locked Caspian Sea. As
the ocean-going tanker fleet at present totals only about 200,000 dead-
weight tons, the addition of even the small amount of tonnage in question
would substantially help in solving the troublesome problem of oil distri-
bution.
Tugs are very useful in war time for removing hulks and clearing
channels. An essential element in the Allied North Africa campaign, for
example, was the assistance of several tugs which steamed from New York
around the Cape of Good Hope to clear the Suez Canal of sunken vessels.
Trawlers are of importance to the Soviet civilian economy in account-
ing for a substantial part of the food supply, but they are also
potentially useful in minesweeping and coast guard duty.
There are few coastwise or foreign trade routes on which the USSR
could use the cargo-passenger vessels> (4) (5) above, to good advantage.
Nhile useful, such vessels would not be indespensable in war time because
the USSR could convert ordinary merchant ships for troop carrying duty.
The refrigerated cargo vessels are believed to be of relatively little
importance to the USSR in either a civilian or military capacity. Although
the USSR has little or no refrigerated tonnage, its requirements for such
relatively small vessels of this type are probably not urgent.
It will be noted that the current Soviet list of ships does not in-
clude dry cargo merchant vessels. This fact suggests that the USSR. does
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not consider the acquisition of such shipping to be particularly urgent.
It is possible, of course, that if the USSR is unable to obtain tankers
from Italian shipyards, it might insist upon receiving dry cargo ships.
In view of the fact that the USSR is able to charter merchant vessels to
augment its present fleet, and in the case of hostilities would probably
acquire substantial shipping as a result of military action, CIA would not
view the acquisition of a few merchant ships by the USSR(wi
Large
amounts of shipping, however, in the order of 100,000 tons or!more, would
be an undesirable addition to the Soviet merchant fleet.
25X1 A9
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