OBSERVATIONS ON TRAIN TRIP FROM MUKDEN TO MOSCOW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000500080169-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 29, 1999
• Sequence Number: 169
• Publication Date: June 12, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

F
SECRET
SECURITY INFORMATJO
TRY
I Approved For Release 2001/11/20: CIA-RDP80-0
SUBJECT:PLACE ACQUIRED
(aY sOJRCE)
DAT ! ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
DATE (IDF NFO. )
speaking Chinese we were told we would Dave Mukden on May. In the late evening
we witnessed a tremendous celebration in that city.' WaI were Afforded comfortable
accommodations while in the city, and after a conversation with an English
we were escorted to the railroad atation whore we boarded a very modern air-conditioned
streamlined train. The angina was a dional-type oil burner which pulled the train
from Mukden to a point about 50 miles from Moscow whore it was replaced by an electric
locomotive, which brought the train iz3t~ the Ooviet cap~tal. The train consisted of
i6-oral modern streamlined sleeping care made of steel, one diner also of the same
construction, and the wooden Pullman-type sleeper on which our party traveled. The
care were divided into compartments for accommodation of two or four persons with
each erctlon having a lavatory and a toilet. The windopre were double glans and the
oanitury condition c.t the train was equal to that of any modern U8 streamliner. The
diriiag car was well stocked with superb food and beverages of all kinds including
vodka, bier, soda pop, and other drinks. I recall that my three meals averaged about
kQ to 45 rublec per day, and Ipaid for them from the 60 rubles per day given us by
the Intouriet Agent in Mukden, I recall that a vo: y generous portion of roast beef
with fresh peas and potatoes cost five rubles 90 kopeks{ coffee 90 kopeks, a small
helping of chases three rubles, a pat of butter 85 kopeks and three .ices of black
bread 90 kopeks. Some of these prices Beamed quite hiMl to me, but they are quite
moderate when I learned I had to pay 22 rubies for a normal size chocolate bar.
The dining car attendants were constantly trying to gstlus to order more food for
they wished us to spend all of the 60 rubles per day allotod to us for food. I
also noted that' there wan a woman dtetic~an on the trainaWsho seemed quite sur-
prised when in response to her question I told her that every hospital and public
institution in the US had at least one dietician. The food on the train was of very
This report Is for the use within the USA of the IntolUgonoo componcnta of the Dopartmanta or
Agencies indicated above, It Is not to be transmitted ovorseaa without the concurrence of the
originating omco through the Assistant Director of the OfTtoo of Collection and Disserninution, CIA.
~ Approved For Release 2001/11/20 : CIA-RDP80-0' 809A000500080169-4
11 1
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
Manchuria - USSR
BEOR1-T '
Si=URITY INFORMATION
NAVY ..X IA'A -.g I FBI
 AOproved F
or Re~ease 2001/11/20: CIA-RDP80-00809A096500080169-4
SECRET/US OFFICIALS GIILY--Sacurity
-C-
fi>!e quality, excellently prepared, but cos;, c?zpenzivf- in to Ia of the
official exchange rate of four rubles to the dollar.
I
2. I s%m' unable trecall the route of my train ride from Mukden tlo Moscow, and
the only Positive landmarks I recall are the city of Manchoulil and the area
around Lake Baikal.'I do know th}tt on the entire first day after our late
evening depar ure from idukden, the train tc?~veled through desert and vast areas
of Waate land. I do not recall observing ,-:,y industrial plant's among the
rai oad, and we passed through no citie. of any size. I didlnote that often-
timeo I saw what appeared to be large cities: off in the distance but these
inhabited areas were at ;east five tr. 10 miles from the rallrvad.
3? ~
The railroad as single track most of the way but occasionally) It would be double
tray?k for perhaps a half hour, but I 1o not remember the location of the double
track. I saw many railroad crew., throughout the Journey performing maintenance
work on the ties, baliant, and rails and the workers ver- always women. The only
men I saw erapl(oyed were station attendants of one sort or another, and these were
always eider men since every young man is a member of the armed forces. The train
mass frequent stops and we were permitted to get off the trainland walk around the
stations. On those occasions I saw women work crews and some of them were employed
as signal operpptore directing the.traff.ic on the railroad by use of hand signals. I
did not count the number of trains we passed in a specific period, but one member
of our party Mid that he observed 30 trains going in the opposite direction in one
day.i be Great majority of these 30 were freight trains carrying war material such
as one tank to a flat oar, jeeps, larger trucks, guns, and other items which I could
not identify. A few of tho freight trains consisted entirely of huge tank oars, some
painted blank While others war eremouflaged and these particular cars seemed larger
thanl'any I have, everisNen before, hauh oar has a serial number' and specific identi-
fioation writtn on it In Russian, but I dc; not recall any of the markings or numbers.
The passenger trains were the: rnonr; curious for they uoually consisted of poorly main-
tained box car with a large window in trach end and a umail one on the side near the
top. Those trclino were lurually so crowded that people were hanging on the sides and
tops With the iinterier to packed with humans that it looked like "standing room only".
The dolling at ek on the pe.,,uengcr. trains Wear in very pour condition while the freight
trains appeared to belpuite well maintained. The locomctivea on the trains I sax were
the Coal burn irR variety with an nscrrr,ional di,mel engine hauling one of the freight
trains.
4. During the trip through the Soviet Union I sago three specific instances of the
citizens reacti r. to the deluxe train on which I traveled Atone small station
wherpj the trai.. did no; atop I saw a 7.&u standing with t i ghtly clenched fists
shakiig them at the tra:in'e occupants and apparently cursing quite violently.- The
secon~kl incLdent occurred whLle our train was otoppcd at a email,Istation alongside
a fil1thy civili,.n bcr crx pas,.nger A So,.-let man, very poorly dressed, forced
his v y into thl dirrer'il on our train and derv.naed to coy some foo1d. Ee was immediately
throw h'I off the trrain old o_,parently er:aaf;_?d in a long and bitte=r denunciation of the
rai).r ed ,,,;, rlse] , t::;: ar.r,the o;c;uf:icr sale tic: train jr,-; proceeding slowly someone
threw a rock wn ch hro]ce the outer of o r doable window: , obviously because the un-
known thrower 4113 ci:plear::,1 n o: Liu.- i.r.quu;.ities. I also noted that the railroad
bridge s, tunnel as:?:i Ei.mi! ar vital i n::tallttin:, .n:rc: es> : ily guarded by armed
sentrLes with lce'l 1)L'. cso
5. I did note that at ' r?h rher. ..? novelty counters
well Ytocked with I or .,u. ::Lr,:,_?1 u: ._.uxury items by the
impoverished So ii L p->p!..:. At on,-? of tn