CZECHOSLOVAKIAN AUTOMOTIVE AND METAL ENTERPRISES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040278-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 20, 2011
• Sequence Number: 278
• Publication Date: July 21, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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- rl n^cIFICATION COl~'IDE~I7.'IAL/SECURI?^' 'II~'ORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
eNFORMATIOIV REPORT
SUQJECT Czechoslovakian Automotive and Metal
.Enterprises
DATE DISTR. Jul 1953
PLACE
ACQUIRE
.';:."`:
ND. OF ENCLS.
ILISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT. N0.
1~ Planning for the Czechoslovak metal industry (in 1949) was directed mainly
toward heavy ind~:.a::try. The production of private auta~mobiles, as long as `hey
had export value, ~,us considered about sixth in importance. All larger inv+es'?
ments is Ml.acu; 3olealav were restricted, However, ahang-type building was
permitted as a construction project and was probably comRpleted ea oP 1950. In
1949, about 5000 workers were employed in Mlada Boleslav and the management
was continuously trying t?o hire sore woa~n to rep5.ace qualified workers who were
being P.reca `or dots in heavy industry.
2. In 1949, quot~aa of material were distribTrted quarterly emong the isdividusl
eIIterpTlEEfi. Previously, this had been done yearly. Therefore, no enterprise
had. large stocks oP supplies; rev materials ea3 se~mi??finished goods (castings,
pn'r-~i py~_ Y_-~ f~+x? ~Tr.^_lCi ~wtq ~,?n~ c~,ihrn~trg~#'(_trg} ~ [-` Fl?^-a".-T1_.?ai E.~uiDLlPnt,
rlnth f,apholateriniz material), tires, ball bearings, etc. A production giau
for 1?,500 vehicle \T{te SilLS made for MladB Boleglav far the y~sar 1950. The
shops operated on two shifts and, is some sections, three.
3. Czechoslovak industrial. production had to bs ad3usted to Soviet rsguiremeats.
For strategic reasons heavy indnatry had to be built up, principally in Slovakia.
Ninny factories were under construction and se-ny acv ones were planned. The
state had this construction Boas without grest],y overbta:deaing thla budget, as
Ti a(1TPrg ,memoir illrtla geptP_ncea at hard 1,EAOr were need for eonstrncti0a work.
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h - _
;~F~j
CONFIDENTIAL~SECIIIiITY INFORMATION
2alada Boles]av -- 72 vehicle units per day
Thtra -- 20 vehicles per day
Ceskomoravska -- about 20 trucks per day
Rvin _- whp~~?: 7~ hCi'Pv tr?ne~4c I`er AL,?. pre ?nlmrxm n~rgnht}v ~~~ 1+ne hnrli a%~ on:i
Car holies ?
ZbroJovka-~ao -- about 2g tractors per Say
CONFII~'PIAL~SI~CURIIR Il~+'C~iMP:TIOH
All enterprises, including Mlade, Boleslav, had to transfer workers to heavy
industry. At first, there were the so-cailea work brigades transferred for a
period of one to three months. Later, arrangements tiara made for l.ongzr periods
of tisDe: The Mlada Polesla7 enterprise always had on hand about uJ to AO
workers, end officials in these brigades. These wEre sent mainly to ICx'aluv TTrur
(ahemt metal), Klslno (rolling mi11), and tb.e as^talin Works (at s city called
C~nomu+av), for production of synthetic gasoline.
fl a es av or any c? the other enterprises. Wcrk i.n
Czechoslovak industry is on a piece work basis and a minimum praductian no~?m
mue+~ be maintained. T'nese norms were raised Prequeatly. Teamwork, whereby
the uorkera kept tabs on each, wax an additional step. There was no abnormal
.Li::^eaue in a:oppages, such as Sn thr~ a~zpiply of electric power, gee, ~t.z.. the
workere' resistance could only ba F;xgrAsaed in inex~:ased absenteei.?m, which was
gr~rater in all enterprises than it had been before and dosing World War II.
Vigorous measures were iastitute3 to cor-~teract this. The era'tablislua~r~ cf
factory medical care, after a short time, was an excellent cauaterac:tyng measuz?e.
The Ya~toxy physician was an expert in distingaiahing a sick. pLreon (o:1e who w&~
~.:nfit t.o work) frown one who was ffktng.
The (.'-o~unist regime worked very tenaciauely to coaapel workers and al?. o+,h~r
ezrplcyees, in general, to raise their output. M:thodF drv~lopa?i ir. R~a;_ia an.t
in Nazi Germany were applied in this Soviet Blor_ state. Then? n~et.Y~adA are for.,ign
to the mentality of people in the US who are accustomed to a higher le?r,?~i af'
freedom than the people in ether democratic states. Decreased initib?i.v? and.
vmoil:~.~rc~-??~ss to accept responsibility beca,r~e an iazpFdimer~t to industry. i"hi;
?-v1u;_: t from top to bottom.
-.: 1?r.=viouf'y mentioned, alb industry had to direct it= produc:tien i.o !;h- ne-dn
cf ttL. L"SSR, auk production in all industrial sectors wss planned :m tai-; basis,
If daeired by the USSR, automobile production during the Five-Year Ftaz: 1:a4~-
195'', :o:ild have been raised by 13000 vehicle units p?' year wi?.ho;.t. r~.i'Yf'i:cvlty.
8. Wi:.'..~gerd to the +.' a ague's intens~re efforts t.o Sndui.S'.aiize
backve,rd Slovakis; .he industrial expansion of Slove:x.ih was
m,oatl^ -ar strateg c reasons. _ statement is the July 1852 iRSUe of the Slovak
~:~'~{:... F??~i 7aat.avou Socializmu in Bratislava which claimed that the "t.orsl 4olun~r
of iad'~..~rial production in Slovakia had risen to nearly fotu? times that; cif
pr=~::. ", is seaseleES. It could easily be Your tl.mea greater then pre-?Wcx*ld Wsr L7_.
ha.~a.use at. that time Slovakia had no lac a industry, and Slovakia offered a
} _.~ ? ~_ lrbor s
apply. anything about any pleas to i.netall
a,9-..: tional fa~tacies entts.ge .n e g of tiers and vehicles is Slovakia.
!?= TbF 1;.:~a'::~-i of the assssnbly plants for each model of trlak, psasenge* car, and
Lx'fi,7:G", ~yX'(? AS 1Ol,lai/G]
M1_d3 Polealav -- private automobiles
Ist*~s at Koprivniee -- privttt~ automobiles
n"v ~o~, 3ri il-a~ilE-~~lidtly "- U ~U (-LUII tT:3Clib, aiFU 6pP.C181 Ctl.: eili(1 ~-+.., ttiVd:c=~
Zbzc,iovka-Brno -- tractors
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co~ID~rlnr./suroxrre z~ox~ATl~ ?;~
cars) and a foundry. They secured sheet iron fra~m Liskovec at 24oravake. Ostrava.
This Enterprise manufactured its own chassis (without e:Lectrical equipment) and
car bodies. The llitkovicke Iron Norks made center-disc wheels for all of the
Czechoslovak automobile plants.
11. a'he Avis enterprise was similar to the PIIada Bolealav enterprise; the Ceakcmorav-
ska enterprise was similar to the Tatra.
12. The Zbro~ovka-Brno enterprise did not have a fo~dry nor s forging shop. I do
not know its subcontractors, but they must t' Brno enterprises such as;
Kralovopoleka, Prvni Braenaka, ~ixa, and others. The forginge might come tram
Kladno. This enterprise did its own finishing work either at its Brao factory
or in the liven eaterprisee. All of the tractor production was done, supposedly,
in Bran.
but work was not stopped due to lack of materials. Bach enterprise had a Mixed
production plan and supervised its fulfillaent very carefully. The Mlada Aoleslav
enterprise fulfilled its plan 100. The Tatra enterprise was eomewhat?behind
schedule, owing to the fact that it was making a new model car. The other auto-
motive Enterprises htLfilled? their plans between 906 to 9596.
I
25X1
16.
25X1
17.
ld.
but know what the difficulties were, nor whether tLis production has
expanded in any way. This enterprise was also considered to be excellent is the
production of tools, meters, twist drills, and so forth. The Mlada Bolealav
enterprise did not make or contrac.; for parts or products for other enterpriaea.
Certain entergrisea helped each other, since all automotive plants were under
one group director, who could easily distribute work in narrow production sections.
the exact number of production workers in the other automobile
pla~~s in proportion to the 1dlada Bolealav workers. Aa other enterprises were
not organized as effi?cieatly as NII.ada Bolealav, they undoubtedly hired more
workers. The proportion of adaiaiat~ative em~-loyees to production employees was
about one to five (at tilada Bolealav). Before 'dorld War II, it wsa about one
to eight. Czechoslovak workers productivity was lover than that of IIS workers
for the following reasons: 1) they were not as well fed? (2) they did sot have
d7rect interest in profits being unable to buy anything ; and (3) they lived in
perpett~a]. uncertainty and nervousness. Prior to the present regime, when
Czechoslovak workers were free, they were alwaya considered to be hard-working
and skillful, with the ability and reputation to be able to do great things with
meager .resources.
Czechoslovak enterprises are much less mechanized than those in the US. Mlada
Bolealav was the most highly mechanized autaaecbile factory, burl it could not be
compared with A US automobile factory.
Dtsiag mar time in Czechoalovalcia~ of any plans for repairing or
producing tanks or any other araored vehicles. Practicall}* evasy enterprise
was capable of producing eras, duet ae tbey did during Aorld iTar II. In 1949
Czechoslovakia wsa sot mnufaaturing arms directed toward war. It was.aatiag
ammunition, but production was very wall is cas~arision with production before,
and d:u~ing, FTasld Spar II. The lLinietry o~ Batlonel Defense directed the control
of all arms sanufacture. Policka nn lforava was the principal enterprise in
cartridge prodaictioa.
GOffiFIDffi9TLIy/S~@ITY Il~aR1IATI08
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