THE MAIN ADMINISTRATION OF THE NORTH SEA ROUTE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• 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
• Publication Date: June 11, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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 .
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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.
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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.
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