THE MAIN ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTH SEA ROUTE

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020165-3
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
3
Document Creation Date: 
December 14, 2016
Document Release Date: 
July 3, 2002
Sequence Number: 
165
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
June 11, 1952
Content Type: 
REPORT
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PDF icon CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020165-3.pdf175.92 KB
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Approved For Release 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020165-3 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY CLASSIFICATION sECREi/SECURITY INFO INFORMATION REPORT SUBJECT The Main Administration of the North Sea Route PLACE ACQUIRED ACQUIRED DATE DISTR. II Jun 1952 NO. OF ENCLS. (LISTED BELOW) SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT NO. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION 1. The Main A,ruinis?tration cf the North, Sea Route (Glavnoye Upravleniye Stveromc.-rJ=kogo cusi - 4ila7 =evmorput') in Moscow is the agency in c:hazge of exploration and exp:.cita*i.on of the North Sea Route. Orginally this administration was in Leningrad, but during World War II it was eva,", *ed to M ?n o?w where it has remained ever since. This ahninistra?tion is independent of the Ministry of the Merchant Marine and is directly subordinate to the t SR Council of Ministers, most probably to Deputy President Beriya. Until 1946, the head of the Mien Administration of the North Sea Route was Afanas'yev, later appointed Minister of the Merchant Marine, where he replaced Shereshov. Afanas'yeV held this new position for about a week, tecame "ill", gent on ick-leave, and was never heard of since. I do not know who ..U the present head of Glavsevmorput'. 2. The Glavsevmorput~ has the highest priority on expert personnel needed for carrying out its? projects. Every individual requested by this administration, regardless of hi. position and its importance, is immediately released and pla~-ed at the disposal of Glavsevmorput e i. Another government agency, c:1o,ly cm-mected with ;lavsevmorput' , the. "Ministry of the Interior Far-East Construction Project" (rial'nevostochnoye Stroitel'stvo Ministerstva Vnutrennikh Del- "DE(J.` stry MVD") enjoys; the sane kind of priority on technicians and workers. It is in charge of construction projects in the s , and in regions adjoining the Sea of 01hots1t. ion a:Ccrt:i.^ reg . CLASSIFICATIO-N SECRE,r/SECURITY INFORMATION ~~(!x I DISTRIBUTION 1 /, j~-OR22VL~- - Approved For Release 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020165-3 25X1A 25X1A Approved For Release 2002/07/12 CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020165-3 SECRET/Si1CURITY INFORMATION _2_ largest, regional administration of this agency is in r,.._.adan ;r~~4N _1.5048P at the northern end of the Sea of 0"xhotsk, t,i!ich is i ~.?red to as the "Capital of Captives" (Stolitsa Zaklyuchennykh) . The offices of .the Far-East Construction Project are located in Moscow on Stepana Razina Ulitsa #7. This agency conducts large scale recruitment of construction and mechanical engineers, technicians, mot--v spe:;ialists, mechanics, drivers, radio operators, accountant::, economists, skippers of small vessels (up to 200 tens) , and all -r_-Inds of skilled Yrnrkers. The recruitment campaign has become especially active since 1917 when recruitment stations of the Far-::~.a.:t Construction Project were opened in all large:- centers of the USSR. skilled labor for the pr ject, is pr vi e ~?y tie un r e of Z'V slave labor camps located around _.,a,adan. In 1916 I was told that very large groups of 3iave laborers, probably up to 4,,VJIo million peo e were tran.suor"ced to Magadan in 1 4' via the Sea of ::,tsk. The Hydrographical Inst't:-~te ,..:~ .'a: y n North Sea Ro'.lte A.tmi istration (Gidrograficheskiy I^::t_tu in Leningrad i an educational institution Gn the~,.rliver 1t;J level whicch' p recares specialists for three derarc:gent" (a) -Hydrographical (b) Hydro-meteorolo_,iral (c) NTavigation (S' turn rl I;r The course in all depart-meni,s lasts five to 31K years. The requirements for candidates are ten -ears of previ.-ras educ .t1on, a successful examination =?nd T r;litI3a1 relIabI i' 'i e annual entrance quota is 120 stu=erlus,. Total attendance at the institute is about 600-700 sti,rients. The it St' Lute enjoys an excellent reputation and is favored by the iro?.rernment. Student: wear mer- chant marine uniform and are given higher scholarships than other college students. With respect to weather problems encountered on the North Sea Route, I only know that I read in cu'olications on the North Sea Route available to any individual and sold openly in boek_tores, even in Germany. I remember that the navigation on this route is usually open from the end of June to the beginning of September. Vessels proceed in convoys, headed by ice-breakers, at the speed of seven to eight miles per hour. Vessels are not allowed proceed individually beyond Dudinka Z5925-N-8610 because of the dangers connected with the constant movement:, of lee in this region. Going east from Dudinka navigation conditions are extremely difficult. The several small ports located between Dudinka and the Bering Strait are completely isolated and luc:ky if they are visited once a year by a ship bringing supplies and food. By the North Sea Route a voyage from Arkhangel to Vladivostok lasts six weeks. The main port on the route is Dudinka. I have heard that in 1940 a group of destroyers (eskadrenny?th minoncstse :r) wen',; %T this route from Murmansk to Vladivostok. SECR T/SECUPL T", INFORMATION Approved For Release 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020165-3 Approved For Release 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020165-3 SECRET/SECURITY ]TFORMAPION II -3- The practical recults, however, achieved ,on this route until now, certainly do not justifY all the efforts and financial sacrifices made by the Soviet Government. Eoonomioally, in the sense of reclamation and cultivation of the arctic regions, the project is a complete failure. In spite of this, Soviet propaganda makes extensive efforts to present the projeot as a success to the outside world. In my opinion, this route is impozttant only for military-naval purposes, and especially for the operation of the naval air-force. Although' I have no definite ipformation to this effect, I believe that it can be assumed 'that in the post-war period the Soviets have constructed several military air bases along this route. SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION Approved For Release 2002/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000600020165-3