ESTIMATE OF STATUS OF ATOMIC WARFARE IN THE USSR (Category No. 5)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-01617A000700160002-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 20, 1998
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: October 25, 1949
• Content Type: IM

Approveor Rele 78-0161 00700160002-2
ORAL IRT'LLIR A iOi
25 October 194
IRTiO;Ll tt(M ) 10DAWX3K NO. 22511
DTs ZSTD(LZ% 07 STITUS 07 ATONIC VAA1 'M iS TO 'USSR
(Oateprt He. 5)
Oai IZ an a tee:
The top priority accorded to the Soviet atomic energy pro r&a,
which presumably started in 191x3, has resulted in the prod tetU% of
a unclear explosion aroma the first of September 19b9. This is in
contrast to the 1 duly 1949 estimate of the Joint Nuclear Nnergy
Intelligence Oomemittee, which gave mid'-1930 as the earliest peeeibls
date b7 which the Soviets sight be eapeated to priAnco an atomic bomb.
RST1RATR BY T OfiNICAL OBTh)TI'ZS
The explosion, somewhere in Siberia e:ronnd the first of September
191#9, of a Soviet atomic bomb probably made of plntonim confirms the
previous conclusion of the Joint liuoisar Ensr117 Iatelligen . Committee
that the Soviet atomic energy project was fti*oted toward tie prodae~-
tion of plutonium bombs. The 'USSR mast have bad at least *to production
pile in operation since about October 1948 An order to prodbmtae the
f1scionable material necessary to cruse the explosion. fever, there
ere some indications that there may b5gd jp41e In operation now. 01
NO CHANGE in Class. ^
^ DECLASSIFIED
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With possibly a third coming into operation in the- near ihtor. it
is believed that the first and possibly the se0end pass are '&n;* it.u
sodarated. !here is "Lamm* of Soviet interest in =" *a isotope
separation oa a laboratory scale, but there is no information en the
eonstrnotioc of lams-noels production taaill,ties. iNM
10 lsnferaation available.
There is no reliable indication that the Soviets an generally
egaippiug oit-ilian snd ailitsay snits with instruments for the dirtese-
tion of radioactivity. There is known to be a sizeable prodaotioa et
field counters in 4ermany and dseohoslov cja, but as tar as can be
determined, these are destined mostly for us. in nranil* Oio>ing opsrep.
lions. However. there is an unconfirmed rumor that the counters tic.
one German concern were for distribution to the Soviet Amy down to
company level. Lwt
Information of unknown reliability dated October 194S states that
all ranks of the Soviet Are, Air Force, and Navy were being instructed
in the effects of the atomie bomb, and trailed in defense ag?odnst than,
that this training scheme was assuming vast proportions, that whole
districts had already been drawn into it, and it covered the civil
population as well. A recent report states that the oiv&lian population
of one town. was given instruction on how to behave when atomic bombs
4ANFw"fAC'
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are dropped, but no details are available. There have been no rellabie
reports of the ssmoslactu11e or distribution at #la badge., dosimeters,
special olothiai, or other protective egnipreeit. VINMN&U
L
So infonrtion avsi2.ab1..
3o information available.
No iatormatfon evadable.
There it m Information indicating that the USSR is engaged In
a project aimed at producing radiological warfare agents. shoe the
Soviets new almost oertain'lt be" one or more prodaCtion piles, the
fission products f rote these could be used to contaminate wall ex"Of
It to believed that they will not have constructed piles capable of
probing militarily significant quantities of specific agents until
at least 1952.
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