US PRISONERS OF WAR IN USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000500810181-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 19, 2012
• Sequence Number: 181
• Publication Date: April 27, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

r Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500810181-9
U.S. Officials Only
SEC RFT
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
US Priaomera of We.- in USSR
u .eelru* co.?uws ,.ro?..no..1. [c.?h? ..[ w.noh.. ovu.e
01 r.[ u.l tCO .T?T11. ., ?wi. T.~l .t.hi.? 01 fl.l[ ,. Ile Tl Dh1 ..t
YI T..? 0/ rwe u'.[ Coo[. .t ..t.0[D. Tl t... I.I Ill Ow J? ^IV[?
1.010. 01 R. eo.r7.Tl to o? set_ .. .h uh.u T.O?I tID .9
.1O.
e1.M1.f Tt. N L twt .ll.00` T, e. .I T... ...o.t .. ...wleltt.?'
THIS is UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
DATE DISTR.A7 app 1954
NO. OF PAGES
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
Irma _on regarding the Ron"
~isonera captured during the Korean War) on the tan-1 ofd
Asiatic USSR. Mostly they were in Komacmo sk (A= ,r River),
of Sea of Okhotek)o Chita Irkutsk. vb1otov, Guba]d>la
of), Kond Permiak (Siberiesj, Kudymker (northwest of 1fi~i0GOr)*
Cbsaws an the Kama River, north of Molotov. There is mothfj3g to
iadieatlo that any of them have ever been rot-.Zraed.).
2. Over a year agoi, the Soviet authcritie4 established camps for prisonera
(not nscoesar ly US) taken in Korea by the Sino-North Korean forces.
These camps were located at:
Komeomolek, on the River Amur
Magadan, on the bay of Nogal.evo, Sea of Okhotsk
Chita
Irkutsk
Prisoners from both the US and t-he, varic. a cooperating European armies were
alike kaawa as Voyennoplenniye Amerikan Jai.
U.S. Officials Only
SECRET'
bow,ver, auy be used by t!.e above ora.nizu...n..o , .?n,
ONLY? sod t6. 4ru190. it mom. [dub ou!. ' to "CIA Soulce?".
s Declassified in Part Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/19 _ CIA-RDP80-00809A000500810181-9 w-
 FDeclassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500810181-9
3. In Feb 1952. three hundred US _-isoners of war were transported by rail
from Chita to Molotov (in Soviet Russia, east of the Ural Mountains). At Chita,
in 'Eastern Siberia, the prisoners were sorted out.
4. The prisoners were dressed in cotton mattress-cover cloth of the Soviet type.
They wore no insignia. They traveled on a train of nine cars under strict MVD
(Ministry Internal Affairs) guard. They made a long halt at the prison of the
city of Gubakha and were not sent on to tae prison at Molotov until 5 Apr 52.
In liar 1952 there were reports of other loads of prisoners bging transported.
These m4 en spoke English among themselves. They were shipped, in groups of about
50X1-HUM
.. it Is not known how long this continued.
fifty, every futuoe days, ,.ho::b....
5. About this same time
a group of prisoners were being sent to Komi Peralak. in
the northwestern part o. Siberia. Their eventual dMolotov), e.Ad e tinat ons were Molotov, t GVZ&kha
(northwest of F1olotcv ), Kndmkar" il3o northwest
Mama River, north of Molotov.
tsoners.
6. Still another report, dated 4p. -Z2, reported the presence of us
These were probably us fficers. At Molotov this group oi' prisoners of war
was designated, "American stair group." They were placed in an MVD building amid
completely isolated from the rest of .he world.
7. The camps of Gubakha,ludymk-r ed Chermoz were also isolated and were under control
of the MVD. The political control was in charge. of a man named bdovin, of the
Communist??arty organization at Komi-Peraslak. The three camps were under direction
_-? ,__ xa1..in_ rank unicnowne
g. In another camp, near the railroad station of Guuboakha, called Zapr.tpbds ,
there were 150 US risoners.
Forbidden" sign with the name of the camp. Russian is nixed, but,. certainly
"zapreshcbat" means "to forbid.
These prisoners wc.rc kc;.t under conztxnt s?.w.wcIllanQc by Soviet agents, who knew
Englimh ni.rfeotly. The .'.oviot authorities trier their best to build up a list of US
epnvt :t wfoe not ct t- US host-Ile to tatalked ade good deal who etbiaa
not MMY# VIS
not inveterate foes oS it. . '
Sagents re able to oviet by taking an i interest n in courses of A political instr+~ot on.yVWaYa
their situatio
10 . Every two or three days, an MV1> officer called away one or two prisoners (the
Soviet first Choices for such instruction). These prisoners never came back to
the Camp.
11 ? Some prisoners wore sent to the forced labor camps and used in the construction of
a railway line, This camp was called Gaysk. These prisoners wore padded tunics
of the Russian style and pantaloons. They wore a civilian headdress called "sibirki".
Conditions were primitive. Jickncss and death rates were high.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500810181-9
jz~
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000500810181-9
22. According to information covering the period Aug to Dec 1952, three hundred
us risoners were transported to the caapa aentioaed above. The total
number of prisoners brought in the same direction reached nix thousand-
23. According toinformation received
the rollowing 50X1-HUM
a. Prisoners were taken by rail from the station of Poaet (on the Chinese-
Soviet boundary) over the line of the East Siberian Railway. They were
taken to the eastern Urals.
b. Prisoners were also taken by boat from the ports BukbLta, Okhotsk. and
Magadan. They then went by rail or truck to Vaikare1p/.(an the Sea of
Chukost)to Ust Maisk (on the Aldan River) and t, Yakutsk 'on ta. awna
River.)
a. Transportation of prisoners to Vaikarem, or Vakairem,,Gla wan followed by their
dint-ibution to a network of amps in the region of Mizhui Kolyask. on the
East Siberian ,yea. Thonp ramps were run by the MVD, under the commiand of Rn
officer of unknown rank, named Sorochuk (probably an MVD major) and a
civilian official named Chimbo.
d. At the highest possible estimate, tZkere were no nor* than 12,000 of the..
prisoners. By Apr 1952, three hundred were dead and 400 had been taken to
barracks, gravely ill.
Declassified in Part Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/04/19 CIA-RDP80-00809A000500810181-9