FISHERMAN S COMMENTS ON: POLISH EXPORTS TO USSR AND CHINA/CIRCULATION OF FOREIGN CURRENCY/INVENTIONS/GENERAL ATTITUDE OF WORKERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 4, 2003
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: November 25, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

thieves' in the occupied countrieft during 1
25X1
and then hauled away by a large tug (about' the size of the Polish Herkules)
built before World War 'I by the Germans for Lithuania. It has engines of
11000 IiP snde speed of seven. or eight knots. Regularly every week this, convey
t e "Pice? rho,: route ,Gdyiaia-l,~riingrad.; The inhabitants of. Gdynia call it ?Kohlendiab,
in memory of the caricature with which the Germans fought the 'electric cii-rieht
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
type. (8000 tons) or of the Poznan type (1000.tone). Two such ships leave
Gdynia weekly. Every ' eck, too, two of 300 tons ea h are loaded With coal
INFORMATION REPORT
Approved For Release 2003AtQd : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0
COUNTRY Poland/USSR/China
Circulation of Fore".gn Currency/inventions/General At-
titude of Workers/Counterfeit Sickness/Resistance Act-
25X1
25X1"
3. 25X1
A N .TV71 I1i4 TKI-NC'IOMII-3YIZMi1
01 TN/ ONIT/O /TATII. ^ITNIN TNIIIANINI OP TI761 II, OICTI001 101
ANO 00A. 0/ TNI 0. 1. OOOh AO AN10011. III TOAMBU1116100 Ch 11V9.
LAf 10N 0/ ITI OOXTANT- TO 00 ^IOIIPT IT AN YNAOTN001000 0ANION 10
.u.a~r.e .r u.. I...uu..,era. at r..,. ...- a r.e.. a,....
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
~+ an f na
Az any givau -A>i,ae, in addition to colliers, thsere are at least two Soviet
ships in Gdynia harbour, loading grain, ;neat,. tinned food etc. for transport
to the USSR. Coal exports to the USSR are carried. on ships of the Liberty
average every second ship came back empty to Gdynia from China. The others brought
mainly cotton and a very little ailkand rice. in addition to strategic goods
and war materiel Poland was expczcing to China considerable quantities of pid
25X1
DATE DISTR. Nov 1953
NO. OF PAGES
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
Poland's trade with China was as intensive in late spring
prafebricated meta! articl-c au1z rather l:.,:oge quantities of rubber footwear.
u]iati-en of. Poreicrn Currency
D
from cailore, who have a foreign currency allowance or acquired semi-officially
25X1
"25X1
OIS`TRIeJTION I, STATE AIIMY
This, report In tar the use within the LISA of thss. Diti;lllgonco oomponente of the Dapartmente or
Agencies indicated above. It is not to be transmitted overseas without the eonchrrence of the
originating of'is'e through the Assistant Director of the Office of Collection and 'Dissemination, CIA.
. .AS i PAS:'"T r c ,
Approved For Release 2003/08/08 CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0
 Approved For ReJ~a P80-00809A000500270027-0
L ~x 25X1
25X1
"Baltona is the state-owned enterprise at which seamen may buy with their dollar
allowance all sorts of things in short supply in Poland. Naturally the prices
are much higher than abroad, but it 2s a way to obtain the commodities. There-
fore, dollars are iu very great demand. Sailors get about ten times more zloty
for their dollars than the official rate of exchange. This means an important
source of income for the seamen. In practice, the sailor either accompanies
his would-be customer to the Baltona shop, where they buy together the things
the customer needs, or else the sailor sends an order to Baltona entitling Mr. X
to buy goods to the value of such and such a sum at Baltona on the sailor Ia be-
half. In this case the presence of the sailor is not required.
"Another foreign currency which is well paid for in Poland is the West Berman
Deutsche marks. While the official rate of cxchan a is 1 DM& 1.05 zl, the
unofficial rate is 1 DM= 12 zl ~te not specified
6. "The authoritiev are well awaxe of this traffic but ignore it, as in this manner
they are able to collect a lot of foreign currency which otherwise would have been
spent abroad. Things have gone so far that advertisements are published in the
Polish press abroad urging people to send sums,. in foreign currency to Baltona.
Their relatives in Poland will then be entitled to purchase scarce commodities
to that amount at Baltona.
"The 700-900'zl. which comprise the monthly wage of a fisherman are absolutely
insufficient to live upon if he has a family. Only stupid men are satisfied
with that sum. The rest always find ways and moans to earn something extra. The
cleverest and ablest earn up to 3000-4000 '1. per month if their ship fishes in
foreign waters and they run into foreign harbours.
"A pretty sure way to acquir: some foreign money is for a fisherman not to take
any proper working clothet; with him on a foreign trip. In the foreign port he
then says to the purser or the captain: 'See, I have nothing to wear but rags.,
Please give e-,;o a letter to Dalmor's representative in the harbour so that I can
buy some.' 1 :1 note: Dalmor Is the Polish fishing cooperative which
fishes on the North Sea members receive a special foreign
currency allowance when at sea. Under the law everybody is entitled to working
clothes, and the captain cannot refuse the man the required letter. With it the
man goes to the Dalmor agent-who is usually a foreigner and has no clothes to
sell-and sa s: 'I aim not in such a tearing hurry about the clothes. They can
wait until next time. Give me rather the money and keep 10 per cent for yoursel:.'
The r'gents have never been known to refuse such a deal, and the fishermen are very
pleased. Back on board they must, of course, wear the new working clothes of e,
comrade for a day or two. Later the matter is forgotten, and no questions are
ever caked.
"Another way to acquire foreign currency is to make an agreement with the motorist
or engin.er of a vessel. Then the engine of the ship or fishing boat breaks down
and must be repaired in a foreign port, which takes several dpys. This works best,
of course, if a certain part cannot be obtained on the .spot and must be ordered
rrom some other place. 'xnen the waiting perioa is .Longer. Oeomen and iiuhcrmvn
are pa~.d a bonus in foreign currency-:j; 1.05-for every day spent in a foreign port
or foreign -waters. With the proceeds they buy goods for their families or for
sale n Poland and can also have a good time abroad.
25X1
25X1
to handle such incidents. The mission is headed by a 14r. kfnu CiTOJACZAIC and is
subordinate to the Polish Consulate For a time this m ssion put
a brake on the motor breakdowns. But Stojaczak and the members of the mission
have nc objection to making a decent living too. It is said that agreements be-
tween the mission and the fishing boats are precty frequent. But everybody is
very discreet, and nothing has ever .:one out.
CONFIDLNTTI`U../
25X1
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0
 Appro~ed For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A00050027d027-0
25X1
25X1
25X
Cbe Polish regime itself must be blamed for the above sheiiani!gans. Formerly
the fishermen hadian additional source of income in the liver and roe of the
cod they caught and.did not cheat so much. The rules permitted. them to sell
li.var; and roe -to foreign manufacturers of cod liver oil, The !fishermen could
lawfully keep two-thirds of the proceeds. But some time in 1852 the rules were
changed: the fishermen still] get two-thirds of the price paid for the liver and
roe but they had to sell the ~ stuff in Poland. This put an end to that income:
;pbody is prepared to do the ji hard work of picking out liver and roe for the few
zio'ty they bring in.the Polish harbours. Now the fishermen throw everything inside
catch overboard and invent motor breakdowns instead.1
"la the general production drive in Poland today the workers are exploited as
much as possible and also encouraged to introduce improvementsland make inventions
to increase output, cut costs and save labour. A special national commission exists
to tent inventions' and improvements and to award. premiums .Po zfi2p ap,, :::It:.;is rr led
Cantrala Komis a lazczosci. It has its main offices in Warsaw and territorial
o ices in the important provincial towns, including Szczecin.
"Furthermore, every large enterprise has a special section-gsually consisting of
one so-called 'referent' ands typist-to handle submitted 'rationalization projects',
as improvements and inventions are called. Most factories also have a rationalization
club (kiub raclonallzatoraki), which tries to promote such projects. Every factory
also ~aa its own rationalization ccumisslon, on which five or six of its most com-
I patent techniciansjarel appointed to serve whenever required. They get a fee of
28-40 zl. per meeting.' The sum varies according to the importance of the enterprise:
at the Dulmor fishing enterprise it was 28 zl.
15.. if an employee of Ia factory-he mo..;f be an engineer, a technician or an ordinary
useful or has an idea how some
w
d
cl
re
that he has invented somati:in
rk
g
e
a
s
o
er-
machine or production process could be improved. the factory at its o,,?n cost pro-
video him with an engineer and a draughtsman N'ho help him to elaborate the idea,
make the necessary calculations and draw the blueprints. The first judge ofjan
inV?ntion or improvement is the rationalization commission of the enterprise. It
decides whether the project submitted is a new invention or only an improvement.
libe borderline between these terms is never cleerly defined and the coumiiseion has
great latitude. For the inventor, however, the decision is of vital importance
aslthe pay or premium for his invention depends entirely on this-distinction). A
Igopd 'rationalization' or improvement can bring it.a::author 4000-6000 z1;: a good
Invention sometimes brings up, to 15,000 zl.
"The. judgment of an invention's depends largely on the pulitical attitude of e
inventor.. Anything a CP member invents is always classified high. However ?the
nPIIi ;~ iaez, has a chbace. He is. always present at the meeting of the commission
and. can: defend his liuvention.; .No?'decieicu can :be.made by the casmuission unless he
ag~Csea to it. If the inventor and the commission of his enterprise cannot come
tq an agreement, the matter goes further to the commission of the town or even
it the central commission in ;?Wasaw If necessary. Warsaw's decision is final.
HvYmver, such disputes are infrequent as all inventions are favoured by state
enterprises and the first commission is usually benevolent towerds the inventor.
Injjudging an invention or improvement the commissions proceed from three principles:
I(a? Whether the invention saves raw material; (b) Whether it saves time; and (c)
Whether it increases production. I
16. 25XI a skipper in a fishing cooperative who twice go,t: pr.emiPnis for. approved
(
i
bonus
i medal iiu a
ra ionalization proposals. The second time the award was a t5oi
of16001) zip . for an improved fishing net now manufactured under) the designation
I4LT-80.' 'iuese nets are being used at present in both the Baltic and the North Seas.
17, "A Polish fisherman(fnu) DDTL'AF', constructed a special winch for drawing in nets.
He duly submitted it in the proper form with all drawings and calculations to the
rationalization commit' -mnd did not hear anything about it for several years.
His invention was buried in the heaps of paper flooding all Polish government
ofi'i.ces_ Uowever, it seems that a functionary in the rationalization office
privately read Detlaf's papers and published in the fishing magazine, RYB.~1C. a
full description ofl the winch' with all calculations and drawings, without mentioning
25X1 that it was a new invention for which a patent was being sought: The article aroused.
25X1 0NF'ZLM2IAL 1 -7
Approed For Release 2003/08/08: CIA-RDP80-008~9A00050027a027-0
 Approved For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0
25X1
NFIDENTIAM
25X1
D
4.
25X1
0
Detlaf's invention and improved it further. A. West German fishing magazine published
an article on the winch and mentioned that the first inventor had been?a Polish, fisher-
man. Only then did the Polish authorities realize that Detlaf's invention was valuable.
Prsduction of winches according to his design was started. In January 1953 the men
finally got a premium of 1500 zl. for his work.
"New inventions in the field of fishing tackle' are promoted by MQRSKI INSTYTUT Rl'Tal4CKI
"The trouble with inventions is that the various commissions take a long time to
examine submitted projects, sometimes up to five years. This may happen even- if
the invention is worth little and is returned without any award. This procrastination
prevents the inventor from working for improvements, perhaps earning a premium next
'time. While he waits somebody may get more or less the same idea and submit a slightly
better Invention, which the first man might have developed if his project had been re-
turned to him quickly.
19, "The general attitude people have towards their work in Poland today is the same as
it was during the German occu
ti
pa
on: you must have a job because the authorities
insist on it and without it you are a suspect individualj?but that does not mean that
you take it seriously or do your best to work w^1.1. For most people, especially
simple work rs who never earn more than 700 s]. and often as little as 501:'-60o al.
fa mont17, the earnings from the regular joL are not sufficient to live on. They
must seek subsidlbry sources of income. This observation does not apply fully to
specialist, who are well paid and necessary in their jobs.
20. "However, the outlook of both Skilled and ?nskilled, Workers is such today that no.
body thinks of the future rv
e
b
d
ry
o
, lives for the present, somehow to feed and
clothe self a7ad family and not thins,. or tomorrow. Mitring the German occupation
people still thought of the future; some even tried tu;save and build. But -nobody
has any hope now. There is the firm belief that no thought of the future it; of any
use before there has been a new war and the :7oviets have been driven out.
"Hence it would never enter anybody's head to try and build up a career for himself
over a number of years. To get a good job here and now-yes; but to '.:o,'k for one somewhere
in the dim future-absolutely no. Therefore the attitude towards Job i.e c:.rl,`.ess
and negligent. Nobody would, for instance, hesitate to stay away from work if it
suited him. In many cases it is more profitable not to go to the Job for a few
days but to work instead in one's own little garden to (provide the family with a
few potatoes and vegetables for the winter.
"The authorities fight against such habits to the best of their ability. Practically
the only way to get a free day is to 'fall ill'. To stay away without a sickness
certificate is regarded as tantamount to szkodnictwo (sabctage) by the authorities,
io-. sabotage against labour discipline and production.'
**teTfe?c t Si clrnesa
TO eeG a sickness certificate one must come to an agreement with a doctor. %''his
is usually-,not too difficult. The doctors have the right to issue such certificates,
and since 'rationalization' decreased their incomes :onsiderably, they, Loo, must
4;'-?re certain risks in order to make some money. The doctors must be bri.bc.~;i. The:
usu .]. way is to put a newspaper on the doctor's table with a 5L'-100 zl. note between
it,- pages. Those who have contacts with foreign countries or persons who ,smuggle
roocLs into Poland, put a pair of -nylon stockings in an envelor :.,n'3 ~r?~rno~? ~- :
kt iacuor's reception room. Quite often they also hand over a couple of packages
of f, eign cigarettes quite openly as 'greetings from ab'road.' ,astly one can
vulur,trx:ily add 30-4o zi. to the doctor's fee.
'che bays the right to put a person on the sick-list for six days. If he
is '`z ter that and cannot go beck to work, thej, can recommend him for
by commission on which they usually sit themselves. The commission
in its turn c::r:? 11hcrate a person from ' ork for a fort night.
24. "Every patient oxtr' c~cmortuni.tiec depending on pis ran powers of irlentil. 11t:
can, for example, of ecie.tica, and there is nobody who can say
whether he has and n:: -- not. !', for one reason or another the commi.,;..ion de-
25X1 c:1t TFIDLmTIA
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0
 Approved For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A0p0500270027-0
25X1 _25X1
25X1
5
25X1 cides not to believe the recommendation of a doctor ( no case where
this has happened though the possibility exists), the patient Is sent to a hospital
for a thorough, examination. Should he be found healthy, nothing worse happens to him
than being sent back to work. Should a patient like his stay at the hospital, he
can fahrioate all sorts of grave symptoms for his illness, eg add a little blood from
a tooth or pricked finger to his urine in the morning, and have the investigation con-
tinue a good deal longer. One of the best illnesses to simulate is rheumatism. People
who can do it realistically usually manage to get quite a nice rest and holiday at
a hospital with comparatively plentiful food. Of course, they must have an appropriate
background: work in the open or in a-harbour or on a ship.
Z5. "Illness does not entail any serious material losses in Poland. For the first tire-
days one gets one's full wage and after that 75 -,ax cent on the last three months
average gross income with all the bonuses added. This sum of 75 per cent is paid
not by the enterprise where one works but by the wink fi_-na.
26. "Illness is. generally regarded as an extra holiday which one tries to get if at all
possible. Workers who have bad to work much overtime 'fal'l ill' periodically.
The same is done by seamen on return from a long voyage to China and by fishermen
with a long fishing trip to. the Arotic behind them. To some extendlti,iis explains
why the Polish hospitals are so overcrowded. As a result of hard work and under-
nourishment the health of the Polish people is not what it ;;as and there are more
genuine patients than there ever were, but the number of e;,m.+.latora*.e not negligible.
27. "The 'siokfi4t' days for f!.s?::~raon are usually before long trips abroad during which
no calls at foreign ports are scheduled. Seamen and fishermen get an extra bonus
in foreign currency on long voyages, with which they nan.buy goods in foreign harbours.
For this reason it is easy to collect crews for eg, catohin8 herring, which is done
on the North Sea up to Iceland, with ample opportunities for illicit~trade. However,
it is always very difficult to muster a crew on a vessel going to fish around the
north coast of the USSR. As soon as they hear of such a projent. fieherw-_
va. and seamen
fall ill right and left. In .'.; y :, 953 a few ships put out to fish in'i Soviet waters.
To fill the great gaps in their crews untrained dockers direct from the street had
to be engaged as no trained people were available.
11Ab ti,''r 53 oil Ito
28. "One gram of penicillin manufactured in Poland cos,tr. ., i:o 180 zl on the free
market. Polish penicillin is red and its injectia_?i causes irritationiand pain.
29. "Foreign penicillin in crystal form costs 200-300 zl the gram. The foreign
liquid (or oily) form costs 400 z1. the gram.
30. "Although eight years of Communist regime have necessarily dampened resistance
activities in Poland, they have not died out. Every now and then one rears of
anti-regime acts ocnmitted by partisans.
31. "At the beginning of November 1952, three political prisoners who were', being
transported from one prison to another were liberated by partisans in the Poznan
province, three kilometres from Sroda in the Starogard direction. The',,prisoners
told their liberators that the person responsible for their arrest wasja certain
militia corporal. Fearing that the partisans would take vengeance on this corporal
the authorities transferred him from Poznan to Gdynia. On 13 November l52 an ambush
was arranged for him by night at Oburze, a suburb of Gdynia. It was known that
he had to take this way every night between 11 and 12 pm on the road passing the
Paget company barracks. A Man in a militia uniform came along this road at the
appointed time. The men detailed to liquidate him carried no arms. They asked
him for a match, overpowered him, s.rongled him and buried the body in a. hole
close to a school nearby. A few day later thy d--
..:..ou obey pad killed the
wrong. M'171: ?; =id. ;%;;j-nary #' S they took with them a man who knew the' corporal
and asked the latter to a restaurant. After a lot of drinking the party went on
to the corporal'a flat, there they took'his'owm gun'and'killed hi.ih'with'tbree shots.
They left the flat, locking it 'and the house with the corporal's keys. It was
8 am by that time. They took a bus to the station and boarded a train to Gdansk.
25X1
CONFIDNDTULL
Approved For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A00050~0270027-0
 Approved For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0
25X1
25X1
25X1
In the meajtimethe corporal's landlady had got out of the house and alerted
the. polico, who raided the railway station at Gdynia and Gdansk. At Gdansk
thm police undertook a geueral control of documento and even asked the pauctioeW
for theirs, as they bad just got off the train. instead of producing their pepdrs
the man draw the pistols which they had taken from the corporal and ataa'ted to
shoot, killing two policemen and a railwayman who tried to help the police. One
of the partisans, a young man from Warsaw, was wounded and shot himself. His We
ccars.des ran out though a aide door and sprinted for the ruins nearby. The vhole
block was w=ounded by militia and UB-man for three days. They combed the moo
carefully, but the,.Wtisano had vanished.
"In October 1952 so" unknown men organized a raid on the kindergarten school
aq) at Cblarze, odynic. They took the pictures of Bierut and OtbSI'
tfsrtimo Communist leaders from thewsllAnd tore them into small pieces. They
hurt nobody but took the school radio with them. These 'raiders were never newght.
"In 1951 ULICA BOGNANSKA in Odynis was renamed ULICA WINCENTEGO GRULA in %.onour
of a Qo e$ o E =me who was killed in 19 by a res a .once croup on
Odynia's viaduct. Five times since the nameplate of this street has been z'emovit4
frola the building of the poliets station or. that street, and from the othaz corners.
The authorities have to set up now nameplates continually. Such =mall incidents
b avo 'tiecome frequent since the death of Stalin.
25X the titles of films shown at the Soviet film festival in
ad is ors popular used as pet names for various officials or aitu?.tions:
'The Ace of the Secret Service'-'AB WYWYADU'=Chief of the cadres
department
'Nobody Knows Pnything'-NIKT NIC NIE WE (a Czech movie)= The accounts
department.
'Fb'eakneck Jump'-KARKOLONY SKOK-Jammed buses or other moans of public
r.raneporveToxon. --
-and-
tJc~;" JUf?J!'C'i' et ARE. CODES
25X1
751o3 N(PM)
T72. 1 35
77 .51 55M
77 .2 53M
,~ 55M
T-5 '334
761.111 55Ft
5 II, 1!1 174
25X1
Approved For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0
 25X1
Approved For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0
Al !SS L A2c
Approved For Release 2003/08/08 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000500270027-0